NAIDOC Week 2021: Heal Country, heal our nation
NAIDOC Week is celebrated by all Australians and is an opportunity to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. NAIDOC originally stood for ‘National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee’. It is a week long celebration from the first to second Sunday in July.
This year the theme is Heal Country, heal our nation. Country is family, law, lore, traditions, culture and language. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are calling for stronger measures to recognise, protect and maintain all aspects of culture and heritage for all Australians.
We have gathered a collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories. The collection includes Fiction, Non-Fiction and Junior titles. Click on any of the links to reserve a copy.
Sister Heart – Sally Morgan
A young Aboriginal girl is taken from the north of Australia and sent to an institution in the distant south. There, she slowly makes a new life for herself and, in the face of tragedy, finds strength in new friendships. Poignantly told from the child’s perspective, Sister Heart affirms the power of family and kinship.
Song of the Crocodile – Nardi Simpson
Darnmoor, The Gateway to Happiness. The sign taunts a fool into feeling some sense of achievement, some kind of end- that you have reached a destination in the very least. Yet as the sign states, Darnmoor is merely a gateway, a waypoint on the road to where you really want to be. Darnmoor is the home of the Billymil family, three generations who have lived in this ‘gateway town’. Race relations between Indigenous and settler families are fraught, though the rigid status quo is upheld through threats and soft power rather than the overt violence of yesteryear. As progress marches forwards, Darnmoor and its surrounds undergo rapid social and environmental changes, but as some things change, some stay exactly the same. The Billymil family are watched (and sometimes visited) by ancestral spirits and spirits of the recently deceased, who look out for their descendants and attempt to help them on the right path. When the town’s secrets start to be uncovered the town will be rocked by a violent act that forever shatters a century of silence.
Where the Fruit Falls – Karen Wyld
Brigid Devlin, a young Aboriginal woman, and her twin daughters navigate a troubled nation of First Peoples, settlers and refugees – all determined to shape a future on stolen land. Leaving the sanctuary of her family’s apple orchard, Brigid sets off with no destination and a willy wagtail for company. As she moves through an everchanging landscape, Brigid unravels family secrets to recover what she’d lost – by facing the past, she finally accepts herself. Her twin daughters continue her journey with their own search for self-acceptance, truth and justice. This evocative family saga celebrates the strength and resilience of First Nation women, while touching on deeply traumatic aspects of Australian history. Threads of magic realism shimmer throughout the story, offering a deeper understanding of reality and challenging the reader to imagine a kinder, more just, more humane world. This writing celebrates the agency of Indigenous women to traverse ever-present landscapes of colonisation and intergenerational trauma. Country has an omniscient presence in the story lines, guiding the women across vivid desert and coastal landscapes. This book recognises both the open wounds of living histories of colonisation and the healing power of belonging to Country.
The Yield – June Winch
The yield in English is the reaping, the things that man can take from the land. In the language of the Wiradjuri yield is the things you give to, the movement, the space between things: baayanha. Knowing that he will soon die, Albert ‘Poppy’ Gondiwindi takes pen to paper. His life has been spent on the banks of the Murrumby River at Prosperous House, on Massacre Plains. Albert is determined to pass on the language of his people and everything that was ever remembered. He finds the words on the wind. August Gondiwindi has been living on the other side of the world for ten years when she learns of her grandfather’s death. She returns home for his burial, wracked with grief and burdened with all she tried to leave behind. Her homecoming is bittersweet as she confronts the love of her kin and news that Prosperous is to be repossessed by a mining company. Determined to make amends she endeavours to save their land — a quest that leads her to the voice of her grandfather and into the past, the stories of her people, the secrets of the river. Profoundly moving and exquisitely written, Tara June Winch’s The Yield is the story of a people and a culture dispossessed. But it is as much a celebration of what was and what endures, and a powerful reclaiming of Indigenous language, storytelling and identity.
Manhattan Dreaming – Anita Heiss
“Lauren is a curator at the National Aboriginal Gallery in Canberra. She’s good at her job, passionate about the Arts, and takes work seriously. It’s easy for Lauren to focus on work, that is, when she’s not focussing on Adam. Lauren is smitten with, or as her friends say, obsessed with Adam – the halfback for the Canberra Cockatoos.But Adam is a player, on and off the field. Lauren knows he’s the one, but he doesn’t seem to feel the same way about her. If she just waits long enough, though, surely he’ll realise how much he needs her?Then her boss offers her the chance of a lifetime – a fellowship at the Smithsonian in New York. Lauren has to make some big decisions: The Man or Manhattan?”
Finding the Heart of the Nation : The journey of the Uluru Statement towards voice, treaty and truth – Thomas Mayor
This is a book for all Australians, Since the Uluru Statement from the Heart was formed in 2017, Thomas Mayor has travelled around the country to promote its vision of a better future for Indigenous Australians. He’s visited communities big and small, often with the Uluru Statement canvas rolled up in a tube under his arm. Through the story of his own journey and interviews with 20 key people, Thomas taps into a deep sense of our shared humanity. The voices within these chapters make clear what the Uluru Statement is and why it is so important. And Thomas hopes you will be moved to join them, along with the growing movement of Australians who want to see substantive constitutional change. Thomas believes that we will only find the heart of our nation when the First peoples — the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders — are recognised with a representative Voice enshrined in the Australian Constitution.
Australia’s First Naturalists : Indigenous peoples’ contribution to early zoology – Penny Olsen and Lynette Russell
Would Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson have ever crossed the Blue Mountains without the help of the local Aboriginal people? The invaluable role of local guides in this event is rarely recognised. As silent partners, Aboriginal Australians gave Europeans their first views of iconic animals, such as the Koala and Superb Lyrebird, and helped to unravel the mystery of the egg-laying mammals: the Echidna and Platypus. Well into the twentieth century, Indigenous people were routinely engaged by collectors, illustrators and others with an interest in Australia’s animals. Yet this participation, if admitted at all, was generally ƯƯbarely acknowledged. However, when documented, it was clearly significant. Penny Olsen and Lynette Russell have gathered together Aboriginal peoples’ contributions to demonstrate the crucial role they played in early Australian zoology. The writings of the early European naturalists clearly describe the valuable knowledge of the Indigenous people of the habits of Australia’s bizarre (to a European) fauna. Australia’s First Naturalists is invaluable for those wanting to learn more about our original inhabitants’ contribution to the collection, recognition and classification of Australia’s unique fauna. It heightens our appreciation of the previously unrecognised complex knowledge of Indigenous societies.
Sand Talk : How indigenous thinking can save the world – Tyson Yunkaporta
What happens when global systems are viewed from an Indigenous perspective? How does it affect the way we see history, money, power and learning? Could it change the world? This remarkable book is about everything from echidnas to evolution, cosmology to cooking, sex and science and spirits to Schrodinger’s cat. Tyson Yunkaporta looks at global systems from an Indigenous perspective. He asks how contemporary life diverges from the pattern of creation. How does this affect us? How can we do things differently? Sand Talk provides a template for living. It’s about how lines and symbols and shapes can help us make sense of the world. It’s about how we learn and how we remember. It’s about talking to everybody and listening carefully. It’s about finding different ways to look at things. Most of all it’s about Indigenous thinking, and how it can save the world.
Welcome to Country : A travel guide to indigenous Australia – Marcia Langton
Tourism Australia statistics show that many overseas tourists, as well as Australians, are keen to learn more about Australia’s first peoples. And while the Indigenous tourism industry continues to grow, no comprehensive travel guide is currently available. Marcia Langton: Welcome to Country is a curated guidebook to Indigenous Australia and the Torres Strait Islands. In its pages, author Professor Marcia Langton offers fascinating insights into Indigenous languages and customs, history, native title, art and dance, storytelling, and cultural awareness and etiquette for visitors. There is also a directory of Indigenous tourism experiences, organised by state or territory, covering galleries and festivals, national parks and museums, communities that are open to visitors, as well as tours and performances. This book is essential for anyone travelling around Australia who wants to learn more about the culture that has thrived here for over 50,000 years. It also offers the chance to enjoy tourism opportunities that will show you a different side of this fascinating country – one that remains dynamic, and is filled with openness and diversity.
No Small Change : The road to recognition for Indigenous Australia – Frank Brennan
In 1967, Australians voted overwhelmingly in favor of removing from the Constitution two references that discriminated against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Though these seemed like small amendments, they were an impetus for real change: from terra nullius to land rights, and from assimilation to self-determination. Nearly 50 years later, there is a groundswell of support for our Indigenous heritage to be formally recognized in the Constitution. With the prospect of a new referendum in the near future, Frank Brennan considers how far Australians have come–and yet how much work lies ahead. He looks through the prism of history to examine what we can learn from our successes and failures since 1967, from the efforts of the Council of Aboriginal Affairs to the Gove land rights case and the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. He also assesses the way forward: how the upcoming referendum might provide fresh momentum for governments and Indigenous Australians to negotiate better outcomes. Written by one of the most respected commentators on legal and human rights issues, this book makes a vital contribution to the understanding of Indigenous affairs. It will generate crucial debate on how Australians should acknowledge the history that for too long has gone unrecognized
My Story = Ngaginybe Jarragbe – Shirley Purdie
I am Shirley Purdie. This is my story = Ngayin-ga Birrmarriyan-nga Berrembi jarragbe ngaginybe. My mother shows me how to get bushtucker and she shows me how to paint. Now I’m a famous artist. My paintings are all over the world hanging in important places. Happy times. Told in English and Gija, this is the story of Shirley Purdie, famous Gija artist, as told through her paintings, as part of the Ngaalim-Ngalimboorro Ngagenybe exhibition created for the 2018 National Portrait Gallery exhibition So Fine: Contemporary women artists make Australian history. The exhibition will be rehung, in Gallery 1, to coincide with the launch of My Story, along with a series of cultural engagement activities based on My Story. This is the first book in the Kimberley Art Centre Series. The series focuses on developing the skills of Kimberley Aboriginal artists in children’s picture book storytelling and illustration.
Bold Australian Girl – Jess Black
Do you know what my Mum whispers as she straightens out a curl? You can do anything. Youre my bold Australian girl. This delightful picture book encourages girls to do anything…. Focusing in a nurturing relationship between a young Indigenous girl and her mum, this book celebrates everything from football to friendship, reading to surfing.
Main Abija = My Grandad – Karen Rogers
‘Dijan buk gada ola memri ai bin abum gada main abija from wen ai bin lilgel til imin libu wi. Imin titjim mi loda tings bla koltja en bla kantri. Mi hepi ba pasim det stori la main femili en bla pudum la dis buk. This book has the memories I had of my grandfather from when I was small until he left us. He taught me many things about culture and country. I’m happy to pass this story on to my family and to put it in this book.’ With luscious artwork and a lyrical text in Kriol and English, celebrated Ngukurr artist Karen Rogers evokes the world of her childhood in a remote part of the Northern Territory. Her story is a beautiful celebration of a special relationship, showing how culture is passed on from generation to generation. ‘My grandfather touched my heart. I hope everybody can have a chance to love one grandparent that way.’
Wilam : A Birrarung Story – Aunty Joy Murphy and Andrew Kelly
As ngua rises, Bunjil soars over mountain ash, flying higher and higher as the wind warms. Below, Birrarung begins its long winding path down to palem warreen. Wilam – home. Yarra River keeper Andrew Kelly joins Aunty Joy Murphy and Lisa Kennedy to tell the Indigenous and geographical story of Melbourne’s Yarra river, from its source to its mouth; from its pre-history to the present day.
Sorry Day – Coral Vass and Dub Leffler
There was a hum of excitement. Flags flickered in the breeze as Maggie’s heart danced. Maggie holds tight to her mother as they await the long anticipated apology. A retelling of the day when the then Prime Minister of Australia acknowledged the sorrows of past and said sorry to the generation of children who were taken from their homes.