Post-colonial Literature for Children EDU32PLC Week 4 - Lecture 6 Aboriginal voices in Australian Literature - Authority © La Trobe University, David Beagley 2005

References Bradford, C. (2002) Wielding a Black pen: aboriginality in literature. Idiom, 38(2) September: Heiss, A. (2002) Writing about Indigenous Australia - some issues to consider and protocols to follow: a discussion paper. Southerly. 62(2) Summer: McDonald, M. (2001) Bridging Cultures [online]. Available:

The Questions Who has the right to tell Aboriginal stories? Who has the authority to “own” them? What are Aboriginal stories?

Memoirs, autobiographies, testimonies and reminiscences Sally’s Story, My Girragundji, Tucker, Do not go around the edges Stradbroke Dreamtime, Rabbit Proof Fence, As I grew older, Maybe Tomorrow, Binna Binna Man, Minah, The shack that dad built, A is for Aunty Very strong focus on childhood memories Clear, open portrayal of identity and “cultural markers” Largely written for younger audience

Childhood memories Celebrate the fun and innocence of childhood, before bad times of adulthood Restore that past, start again Personal and private world, unaware of outside “noise” Symbolic of return of pre-colonial days Affirms identity by clear sense of self and shows what can be.

Identity and cultural markers Use of language – grammar, vocabulary, personal voice – “Kriol”, fullas Place, setting and landscape – “fringe dwellers” Family and relationship patterns Activities, seasons and “circle of life” Belief systems and religion Relationship to European communities

Younger audience “Softer” representation, less confronting and enabling identification with key characters Emphasis on essential innocence of children - both as speaker and audience Illustrations often in “naïve” style as if drawn by children Does this emphasis on Childhood and Children avoid the essentially political context of the situation of Aboriginal Australia?

Political Context Does this emphasis avoid the essentially political context of the situation of Aboriginal Australia? All literature is political because it reflects its social context The softer focus of childhood highlights the positive aspects of Aboriginal life, rather than the negative aspects of European treatment Therefore, the attempt to “protect” children actually reaffirms the identity, dignity and survival of Aboriginal culture

European stories and story telling Structural and contextual elements Linear history - focus on sequence of events, causes and consequences Individual characters - independent of each other and “negotiating” their relationships Setting and place - background against which the human drama takes place Are there distinct cultural voices that create different ways of telling stories?

European perspectives In telling Aboriginal stories, are Europeans: Telling of their own role in the shared history Coming to terms with the negative aspects Appropriating the stories and their cultural roles Reaching towards a shared understanding Mediating and interpreting the “foreign” Recognizing the integrity of Aboriginal culture Are European versions European stories or Aboriginal stories?

Protocols for European writers Language Vocabulary – Aboriginal / European Idiom Voice Consultation Local, contextual Mutual creation – mixed voice for mixed audiences Research

Protocols for European writers Respect Ownership of story, context and detail Use of terminology and address Representation – individuals, events, beliefs Perspective and purpose