Print and digital resources on First Nations issues and topics may be located in the Hutchins Library collections.
Any of the issues discussed in this LibGuide may be used as search terms in the Library Catalogue. Digital resources can be located by searching OverDrive or ClickView directly, or by checking the relevant tabs along the top of the results list in the library catalogue. (E.g. Search for 'Indigenous Australians' in the Library, OverDrive, or ClickView)
Listed on this page are some of the non-fiction print resources available from the Hutchins Library collections. Hover on the 'info' icon to see a description of each resource. To find more on these, and other, First Nations topics use the library catalogue or visit the Nettlefold or Stephens libraries.
Australia's Aboriginal Heritage by
The continent of Australia is an ancient landscape with unique flora and fauna. Through the mists of centuries long past and gone, it has also been home to a unique people - the Aboriginal people. These people, with their adherence to the spiritual rituals of their Dreaming, the guiding presence of their totem ancestors and their mystical tie with the natural world, have given Australia a powerful and enduring heritage.
This heritage has survived, faint at times yet somehow strangely forceful, through the desperate clashes that followed the arrival of white colonists. In spite of the near genocide inflicted in the nineteenth century, the timeless essence of Aboriginality continues to encompass this land and affect all Australians.
This book gives a factual, thought-provoking insight into the heritage of the Aboriginal people through an instructive, general coverage of Aboriginal lifestyle and history, both traditional and transitional. It is the story of the Aboriginal people, a people of faith and fervour, whose destiny is linked irretrievably and unconditionally with that of Australia.
Dark Emu: Aboriginal Australia and the Birth of Agriculture by
History has portrayed Australia's First Peoples, the Aboriginals, as hunter-gatherers who lived on an empty, uncultivated land. History is wrong. In this seminal book, Bruce Pascoe uncovers evidence that long before the arrival of white men, Aboriginal people across the continent were building dams and wells; planting, irrigating, and harvesting seeds, and then preserving the surplus and storing it in houses, sheds, or secure vessels; and creating elaborate cemeteries and manipulating the landscape. All of these behaviors were inconsistent with the hunter-gatherer tag, which turns out have been a convenient lie that worked to justify dispossession. Using compelling evidence from the records and diaries of early Australian explorers and colonists, he reveals that Aboriginal systems of food production and land management have been blatantly understated in modern retellings of early Aboriginal history, and that a new look at Australia's past is required -- for the benefit of all Australians.
** Author Bruce Pascoe discusses Dark Emu in this TEDx Talk
Design: Building on Country by
Aboriginal design is of a distinctly cultural nature, based in the Dreaming and in ancient practices grounded in Country. It is visible in the aerodynamic boomerang, the ingenious design of fish traps and the precise layouts of community settlements that strengthen social cohesion. Alison Page and Paul Memmott show how these design principles of sophisticated function, sustainability and storytelling, refined over many millennia, are now being applied to contemporary practices. This book issues a challenge for a new Australian design ethos, one that truly responds to the essence of Country and its people.
Farmers or Hunter-Gatherers? The Dark Emu Debate by
An authoritative study of pre-colonial Australia that dismantles and reframes popular narratives of First Nations land management and food production. Australians' understanding of Aboriginal society prior to the British invasion from 1788 has been transformed since the publication of Bruce Pascoe's Dark Emu in 2014. It argued that classical Aboriginal society was more sophisticated than Australians had been led to believe because it resembled more closely the farming communities of Europe. In Farmers or Hunter-gatherers? Peter Sutton and Keryn Walshe ask why Australians have been so receptive to the notion that farming represents an advance from hunting and gathering. Drawing on the knowledge of Aboriginal elders, previously not included within this discussion, and decades of anthropological scholarship, Sutton and Walshe provide extensive evidence to support their argument that classical Aboriginal society was a hunter-gatherer society and as sophisticated as the traditional European farming methods. 'Farmers or Hunter-gatherers?' asks Australians to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal society and culture.
The First Astronomers by
'The First Astronomers' is the first book to reveal the rich knowledge of the stars and the planets held by First Peoples around the world. Our eyes have been drawn away from the skies to our screens. We no longer look to the stars to forecast the weather, predict the seasons, or plant our gardens. Most of us cannot even see the Milky Way. But First Nations Elders around the world still maintain this knowledge, and there is much we can learn from them. These Elders are expert observers of the stars. They teach that everything on the land is reflected in the sky, and everything in the sky is reflected on the land. How does this work, and how can we better understand our place in the universe? Guided by six First Nations Elders, Duane Hamacher takes us on a journey across space and time to reveal the wisdom of the first astronomers. These living systems of knowledge challenge conventional ideas about the nature of science and the longevity of oral tradition. Indigenous science is dynamic, adapting to changes in the skies and on earth, pointing the way for a world facing the profound disruptions of climate change.
First Australians by
First Australians, the companion book to the epic SBS TV series, is the dramatic story of the collision of two worlds that created contemporary Australia. Told from the perspective of Australia's first people, it vividly brings to life the events that unfolded when the oldest living culture in the world was overrun by the world's greatest empire. Through a vast collection of images and historic documents, seven of Australia's leading historians reveal the true stories of individuals-both black and white-caught in an epic drama of friendship, revenge, loss and victory in Australia's most transformative period of history. Their story begins in 1788 in Warrane, now known as Sydney, with the friendship between an Englishman, Governor Phillip, and the kidnapped warrior Bennelong. It ends in 1993 with Koiki Mabo's legal challenge to the foundation of Australia. By illuminating a handful of extraordinary lives spanning two centuries, First Australians reveals, through their eyes, the events that shaped a new nation.
Jandamarra and the Bunuba Resistance by
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A tiny outpost of colonial administration is planted on the desolate mudflats of King Sound, at Derby. Leases are marked on a map covering huge areas, and the push into the north begins. Vast herds of cattle and sheep move across the land and with it, a new future. In the remote Kimberley, in the late nineteenth century, on the ancient lands of the Bunuba, the last stages of an invasion are about to be played out. Amidst the ensuing chaos and turmoil, extraordinary relationships grow. The thrilling story of the great warrior, Jandamarra, who turned from police assistant to resistance fighter. Thought to be unstoppable, he led the Bunuba against the forces invading their land. A legend, forever etched into the history of the Kimberley, Jandamarra's courage and fighting spirit made him one of the region's most wanted men.
The Little Red Yellow Black Book by
The new edition of The little red yellow black book updates this successful and widely used introduction to contemporary Indigenous Australia, now with new stories and images. Written from an Indigenous viewpoint, The little red yellow black book is a competitively priced and enjoyable resource on subjects as diverse as languages, education, governance, sport, arts, resistance and activism. The little red yellow black book has established itself as the bestselling standard introduction to Indigenous Australia. It is being read and used by tourists, schools and adults, as well as being extensively used across state and Federal departments, authorities and NGOs for reconciliation plans and cross-cultural training. Providing something for everyone: from sport to education, arts and theatre to governance, history to Indigenous tour operators, native title to health, and lots more, The little red yellow black book facilitates understanding, respect and reconciliation between all Australians. An updated website with extra materials (and some free downloads) and educational resources including with free downloadable teachers notes covering both state and national curriculums will be launched in October. AIATSIS (the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies) is the worlds premier institution for information and research about the cultures and lifestyles of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It affirms and raises awareness of the richness and diversity of Australian Indigenous cultures and histories.
The Other Side of the Frontier: Aboriginal Resistance to the European Invasion of Australia by
The publication of this book in 1981 profoundly changed the way in which we understand the history of relations between indigenous Australians and European settlers. It has since become a classic of Australian history. Drawing from documentary and oral evidence, the book describes in meticulous and compelling detail the ways in which Aborigines responded to the arrival of Europeans. Henry Reynolds’ argument that the Aborigines resisted fiercely was highly original when it was first published and is no less challenging today.
Telling the Truth about Aboriginal History by
One of Australia's leading Aboriginal historians takes us to the heart of the 'history war' over our Aboriginal past. Bain Attwood argues that controversy over interpretations of our Aboriginal past has never been so intense, and never mattered more.
This Whispering in Our Hearts by
A different history of Australia through the eyes of remarkable and largely forgotten people
Whitewash: On Keith Windschuttle’s Fabrication of Aboriginal History by
An important reply to Keith Windschuttle's, The Fabrication of Aboriginal History, Volume One. Whitewash provides not only a demolition of Windschuttle's revisionism but also a vivid and illuminating history of one of the most famous and tragic episodes in the history of the British empire – the dispossession of the Tasmanian Aborigines. Contributors include: Henry Reynolds, Cassandra Pybus, Lyndall Ryan and Martin Krygier.
Young Dark Emu: A Truer History by
Bruce Pascoe has collected a swathe of literary and awards for Dark Emu and now he has brought together the impeccable research and compelling first-person accounts in a book for younger readers. Using the accounts of early European explorers, colonists and farmers, Bruce Pascoe compellingly argues for a reconsideration of the hunter gatherer label for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians. He allows the reader to see Australia as it was before Europeans arrived, a land of cultivated farming areas, productive fisheries, permanent homes, and an understanding of the environment and its natural resources that supported thriving villages across the continent. Young Dark Emu, A Truer History asks young readers to consider a different version of Australia's history pre European colonisation.
Don't Take Your Love to Town by
Nearly twenty years ago, Ruby Langford Ginibi's remarkable talent for storytelling grabbed the attention of both white and black Australians when she released 'Don't Take Your Love to Town', which has one on to become a bestseller and is now a seminal work of Indigenous memoir. This is the story of courage in the face of poverty and tragedy. Ruby recounts losing her mother when she was six, growing up in a mission in northern New South Wales and leaving home when she was fifteen. She lived in tin huts and tents in the bush and picked up work on the land while raising nine children virtually single-handedly. Later she tells of the struggles to keep her family fed in the Koori areas of Sydney. Ruby is an amazing woman whose sense of humour has endured through all the hardships she has experienced. This brilliant memoir will open your eyes and heart to an extraordinary woman's story.
Eddie Gilbert: The True Story of an Aboriginal Cricketing Legend by
Possibly the fastest bowler of his era, Eddie Gilbert's story includes three legendary encounters with the incomparable Don Bradman. But this story transcends cricket. It is the powerful, tragic experience of an Aboriginal Australian struggling to succeed in racist Queensland of the 1930s.
Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia by
What is it like to grow up Aboriginal in Australia? This anthology, compiled by award-winning author Anita Heiss, attempts to showcase as many diverse voices, experiences and stories as possible in order to answer that question. Each account reveals, to some degree, the impacts of invasion and colonisation - on language, on country, on ways of life, and on how people are treated daily in the community, the education system, the workplace and friendship groups.Accounts from well-known authors and high-profile identities sit alongside newly discovered voices of all ages, with experiences spanning coastal and desert regions, cities and remote communities. All of them speak to the heart - sometimes calling for empathy, oftentimes challenging stereotypes, always demanding respect.This groundbreaking anthology aims to enlighten, inspire and educate about the lives of Aboriginal people in Australia today.Contributors include: Tony Birch, Deborah Cheetham, Adam Goodes, Terri Janke, Patrick Johnson, Ambelin Kwaymullina, Jack Latimore, Celeste Liddle, Amy McQuire, Kerry Reed-Gilbert, Miranda Tapsell, Jared Thomas, Aileen Walsh, Alexis West, Tara June Winch, and many, many more
Gurrumul by
This unique Indigenous man is one of the most inspiring music stories of our generation. From concert halls to recording studios and into Aboriginal heartlands, this is the story of Australia's Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. This unique Indigenous man is one of the most inspiring music stories of our generation. Part road trip, part biography, Robert Hillman's account of Gurrumul's life and music offers rare insights into the sources of his inspiration. The book includes interviews with family and friends, song lyrics and exclusive photographs. His story is one of a great talent revealed and of an astonishing musical gift that has left audiences all over the world spellbound. Part road trip, part biography, Robert Hillman's account of Gurrumul's life and artistry takes you behind the scenes and offers rare insights into the sources of his inspiration. In interviews with family and friends, Gurrumul emerges as a man of his people, shaped by the beliefs, rites and ceremonies of a richly engaging culture.
Kayang and Me by
Award-winning novelist Kim Scott and his elder, Hazel Brown, have created a monumental family history of the Wilomin Noongar people. Kayang & Me is a powerful story of community and belonging, revealing the deep and enduring connections between family, country, culture and history that lie at the heart of Indigenous identity.
Old Man's Story by
Old Mans story shares the remarkable story of one of Australias most respected elders and traditional land owners, Big Bill Neidjie. This new title from Aboriginal Studies Press is available from 1 July 2015. The last remaining speaker of Gaagudju language, Neidjie was committed to sharing his story with future generations as well as educating the wider community about Aboriginal culture, even breaking tradition to do so. He was instrumental in the establishment of Kakadu National Park (along with allowing public access) and its inclusion onto the UNESCO World Heritage list. Before his passing in 2002, over a period of two years Neidjie allowed photographer Mark Lang the rare opportunity to record his thoughts which explore his views on culture, family, community and country, offering beautifully nuanced stories in his own words and rhythms. These stories are accompanied by Langs stunning landscape photographs of the locations the old man speaks about. Structured in the cycle of the seasons, Old Mans story provides readers with insights into the annual transformation of landscape that were so integral to Neidjies life story. Told with great affection and respect for country, Old Mans story is an important read for those seeking to learn more about Indigenous history and culture, and to understanding the significance of living on and looking after country.
Riding the Black Cockatoo by
The inspiring true story of one man's reconciliation journey. All through his growing-up years, John Danalis's family had an Aboriginal skull on the mantelpiece; yet only as an adult did he ask where it came from and whether it should be restored to its rightful owners.
The Songlines by
The late Bruce Chatwin carved out a literary career as unique as any writer's in this century: his books included In Patagonia, a fabulist travel narrative, The Viceroy of Ouidah, a mock-historical tale of a Brazilian slave-trader in 19th century Africa, and The Songlines, his beautiful, elegiac, comic account of following the invisible pathways traced by the Australian aborigines. Chatwin was nothing if not erudite, and the vast, eclectic body of literature that underlies this tale of trekking across the outback gives it a resonance found in few other recent travel books. A poignancy, as well, since Chatwin's untimely death made The Songlines one of his last books.
Songlines and Fault Lines by
Visitors to the Red Centre come looking for the real Australia, but find a place both beautiful and disturbing. There is wilderness, desire and an Aboriginal philosophy of home. But there is also the confusing countenance of the Australian frontier, a meeting place between black and white, ancient and modern. Songlines and Fault Lines explores the Red Centre through the eyes of those who have walked it, in six remarkable stories that have shaped our nation. It follows Aboriginal Dreamtime Ancestors along a songline, trudges with John McDouall Stuart as he crosses the continent, and walks the Finke River in the footsteps of anthropologist T.G.H. Strehlow. It keeps pace with conservationist Arthur Groom as he reimagines the country's heart as tourist playground, ponders a philosophy of walking with British travel writer Bruce Chatwin, and then strolls the grog-troubled streets of Alice Springs with Eleanor Hogan. Retracing time-worn pathways and stories of Australia's centre, Glenn Morrison finds fresh answers to age-old queries.
The Tears of Strangers by
A family memoir charting the political and social changes of Aborigines over the past 40 years. Stan Grant was born in 1963 into the Wiradjuri people -- a tribe of warriors who occupied the vast territory of central and southwestern New South Wales. For 100 years the Wiradjuri waged a war against European invasion and settlement. This war has largely been ignored by historians and politicians but will be burnt into the hearts and minds of the Wiradjuri forever. By the time Grant was born, the war against invasion had largely been lost and remnants of the Wiradjuri were scattered among mission camps and the fringes of rural towns. The Wiradjuri people found themselves waging a new war -- this time against alcoholism, poverty, abuse and neglect. It was against this backdrop that the Grant family waged its very own struggle: a life-and-death battle for survival. In the 1980s Stan Grant would begin a career in journalism that would take him to a position of national prominence. As a reporter he has travelled all over the world, interviewing the likes of Arafat, Clinton, Blair, Adams and Saddam. He has seen despots and tin-pot revolutionaries; madmen and saints; the glory of the Olympics and the despair of hundreds of years of conflict in Ireland and the Middle East. Yet always he is a storyteller, just as his father's father's father was before him. And now he turns to the biggest story of his career: that of his people, the Wiradjuri.
Untold Stories: Memories and Lives of Victorian Kooris by
Jan Critchett presents a series of moving Aboriginal biographies from the Western District of Victoria. She draws both on the oral tradition of local Koori elders and on official records. 'I'm your half-brother and I'm here to stay. This is my home.' With these words Wilmot Abraham sought refuge with his white relations. Wilmot was the best-known Aboriginal in the Warrnambool district of Victoria, a man who maintained the old way of life long after his people were dispossessed. Local farmers spoke of him as 'the last of his tribe'. Few were aware that his father had been a white lad working as a boundary rider on the Western District frontier; and only the Aboriginal community knew that Wilmot had barely escaped with his life from the violent seizure of his mother's people's country. In Untold Stories, Jan Critchett presents a series of moving Aboriginal biographies from the Western District of Victoria, drawing both on the oral tradition of local Koori Elders and on official records. Wilmot's is one of the many untold stories that appear here for the first time. Untold Stories opens our eyes to a number of remarkable individuals who managed to make a life for themselves in the interstices of the society that had dispossessed them. Their long-running battle to maintain their culture and their connection to country, in the face of a regime that seemed bent on denying their humanity, is both humbling and inspiring.
Up From the Mission: Selected Writings by
From firebrand to conservative, or something else entirely? Up from the Mission charts the life and thought of Noel Pearson, from his early days as a native title lawyer to his position today as one of Australia's most influential figures.This is writing of great passion and power, which introduces a fascinating man and a compelling writer. Many of the pieces included have been hard to find until now. Gathered together in a cohesive, broadranging book, they show a key Australian thinker coming into being.Pearson evokes his early life in Hopevale, Queensland. He includes sections of his epoch-making essay Our Right to Take Responsibility, which exposed the trap of 'passive welfare' and proposed new ways forward. There are pieces on the apology; on Barack Obama and black leadership; on Australian party politics - Keating, Howard and Rudd; and on alcoholism, despair and what can be done to mend Aboriginal communities that have fallen apart.
Aboriginal Tasmanians by
The extinction of the Tasmanian Aborigines has long been viewed as one of the great tragedies resulting from the British occupation of Tasmania. This book demonstrates that the Aborigines in Tasmania, although dispossessed, did not die out then or at any other period in Tasmania's history. Some eight thousand descendants remain today. In examining the myth created by nineteenth-century historians and scientists that Aborigines could not survive invasion, Lyndall Ryan investigates the nature of that invasion, Aboriginal resistance, and white Tasmanian policies towards the Aborigines after dispossession. The Aboriginal Tasmanians then follows the emergence of a new Aboriginal community outside the boundaries of white society yet denied Aboriginal identity. In this new edition, Lyndall Ryan explores the fortunes of the present day community in their quest for landrights and social justice. Tasmania was the cradle of race relations in Australia in the nineteenth century. It retains this position on the 1990s. In telling the story of the Aboriginal Tasmanians' struggles for a place in their own country, Lyndall Ryan provides special insights into the past and present of Aboriginal people nationwide.
The Black War by
The Black War presents a compelling and challenging view of our early contact history, the legacy of which reverberates strongly to the present day. 'At its core, The Black War is a story about two peoples who just wanted to be free of each other . . . sooner or later Europeans and Aborigines were bound to clash, but it was Tasmania's unique circumstances that turned this encounter into a 'war of extermination'.' Between 1825 and 1831 close to 200 Britons and 1000 Aborigines died violently in Tasmania's Black War. It was by far the most intense frontier conflict in Australia's history, yet many Australians know little about it. The Black War takes a unique approach to this historic event, looking chiefly at the experiences and attitudes of those who took part in the conflict. By contrasting the perspectives of colonists and Aborigines, Nicholas Clements takes a deeply human look at the events that led to the shocking violence and tragedy of the war, detailing raw personal accounts that shed light on the tribes, families and individuals involved as they struggled to survive in their turbulent world. The Black War presents a compelling and challenging view of our early contact history, the legacy of which reverberates strongly to the present day. Foreword by Henry Reynolds
Fate of a Free People by
In March 1847, Queen Victoria was presented with a petition signed by eight Tasmanian Aborigines living at Wybalenna settlement on Flinders Island. This is the document at the heart of Henry Reynolds' exciting reassessment of black/white conflict in colonial Tasmania. Long misrepresented as an unequal struggle between civilisation and childlike savages, the 'Black War' is shown to be much more complex. The white settlers, at odds among themselves about the legality of their claim to the land, were unable to impose military defeat. The Aborigines defended their ancient homelands with bushcraft and guerilla tactics, but realised there was only one solution - a treaty guaranteeing peace in return for recompense and a limited exile. George Robinson's 'Friendly Mission' was successful because the Aborigines had this clear political objective. Not prisoners on Flinders Island but 'a free people', the negotiators kept their promises though the colonial government did not. Even now the black and white fallen of Tasmania's patriotic war are largely unacknowledged. Reynolds challenges us to face our colonial history and accord it the same honour as Australia's conflicts overseas.
A History of Tasmania by
This captivating work charts the history of Tasmania from the arrival of European maritime expeditions in the late eighteenth century, through to the modern day. By presenting the perspectives of both Indigenous Tasmanians and British settlers, author Henry Reynolds provides an original and engaging exploration of these first fraught encounters. Utilising key themes to bind his narrative, Reynolds explores how geography created a unique economic and migratory history for Tasmania, quite separate from the mainland experience. He offers an astute analysis of the island's economic and demographic reality, by noting that this facilitated the survival of a rich heritage of colonial architecture unique in Australia, and allowed the resident population to foster a powerful web of kinship. Reynolds' remarkable capacity to empathise with the characters of his chronicle makes this a powerful, engaging and moving account of Tasmania's unique position within Australian history.
The National Picture: The Art of Tasmania’s Black War by
Benjamin Duterrau and his National picture project are at the core of this publication because he was the colonial artist most interested in Tasmania's Aboriginal people, and the only artist who chose to depict, on a substantial scale, their conciliation or pacification by George Augustus Robinson. While Duterrau's weaknesses as an artist are obvious, his limited skill largely saved him from bombast - a recurrent problem with history painting of his era. Despite the disappearance of much of his work, Duterrau also left us with a rich array of often striking images of individuals and subjects of great enduring significance, where there otherwise would be none. They provide us with a vital means of conjuring the past. For Tasmanian Aboriginal people today, Duterrau's paintings provide a tantalising and rare visual record of the unique culture practice of their ancestors. Robinson's journals offer written descriptions of activities, such as spear-making and throwing, kangaroo hunting and ceremonial dance, accompanied by only a scattering of small, often crude sketches, which are vitally important firsthand observations. But it was Duterrau, alone among colonial artists in Van Diemen's Land, who painted these scenes on a large scale. His anatomical modelling may be poor, but Duterrau's paintings have a sense of life that is not found elsewhere, and reflect his well-documented sympathy for Aboriginal people at the hands of a violent invading force. This publication is also framed around an image conceived by Tasmania's Surveyor-General George Frankland almost three years before Duterrau arrived in Hobart. The catalyst was Frankland's discovery that Aboriginal culture included a visual language. On a visit to the island's far north-west, he encountered drawings on trees and inside huts that included depictions of colonists. Words having manifestly failed because of the settlers' ignorance of Aboriginal languages, Frankland thought art could provide a novel means of communication and created a series of drawings that he described as depicting 'the cause of the present warfare' and the 'real wishes of the government' towards Aboriginal people: 'the desired termination of hostility'. His plan was that these drawings be reproduced and distributed around the bush, fastened on trees, where Aboriginal people were most likely to see them. He was so excited by this idea that, in February 1829, he wrote about it twice in the course of a week - to the colony's Lieutenant-Governor George Arthur, and to a member of the Colonial Office in London, advocating this use of pictures as an experiment worth trying since 'everything ought to be tried to accomplish a reconciliation'
Tasmanian Aborigines by
The story of the Aboriginal people of Tasmania, from the arrival of the first whites to the present. While it contains much that is tragic, it is also a story of resilience and survival in the face of great odds.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health by
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples live about 10 years less than non-indigenous Australians. Since 2006, the Closing the Gap campaign has been pursued in collaboration between government and health, welfare and rights agencies to try and close the health and life expectancy gap within a generation. The health disadvantages experienced by indigenous Australians are shaped by history and the broader social and economic conditions in which they live; progress has been slow and mixed. This book evaluates the progress made towards closing the gap. How can indigenous outcomes be improved across a range of key social and economic determinants of health and wellbeing?
Black Politics by
Drawing on extensive interviews with activists and politicians, Black Politics explains the dynamics of Aboriginal politics. It reveals the challenges and tensions that have shaped community, regional and national relations over the past 25 years.
Contested Ground by
Traces the various disputes involved in relationships between Aboriginal and white Australians since 1788, and explores both the dispossession of Aboriginal peoples and their continuing activism in the search for improving relations.
Defending Country by
Defending Countryis an important addition to Australia's military history studies and offers a fascinating insight into little-known wartime experiences. Few Australian realise the extent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in the military. Many enlisted before they had the right to vote, to drink alcohol or even to receive equal wages. Defending Country is the first book to document the unique experiences of Indigenous Australian men and women since the Second World War. Using compelling personal narratives and rigorous archival research, it explores how military service impacted the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recruits. It also reveals how their involvement in Australia's defence contributed to the advancement of Indigenous rights. Historians Noah Riseman and Richard Trembath examine what motivated Indigenous people to sign up, their experiences of racism in the armed forces, the challenges in returning to civilian life and the role of the Australian Defence Force in promoting Reconciliation. Defending Country is an important addition to Australia's military history studies and offers a fascinating insight into little-known wartime experiences. 'First World War, Second World War, Vietnam, Korea - Indigenous soldiers were there, and it's good because we're defending our country, which has always been our country.' Private James Wood, North-West Mobile Force
Edward Koiki Mabo by
He was in the best sense a fighter for equal rights, a rebel, a free - thinker, a restless spirit, a reformer who saw far into the future and far into the past.' Dr Bryan Keon - Cohen, plaintiffs' barrister in the Mabo litigation. Here, largely in his own words, is the incredible story of Edward Koiki Mabo, from his childhood on the Island of Mer through to his struggle within the union cause and the black rights movement. Tragically, Mabo died just months before the historic High Court native - title decision that destroyed forever the concept of terra nullius. Originally published by UQP in 1996, this new edition has been updated by Mabo's long - time friend historian Noel Loos. New photographs and a preface by esteemed film director Rachel Perkins give this book the new life it deserves.
Finding the Heart of the Nation: The Journey of the Uluru Statement towards Voice, Treaty and Truth by
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.
In the Age of Mabo by
Discusses the profound cultural and political consequences of 'Mabo' which will shape Australia's future beyond the end of this century.
It's Our Country by
Why should Indigenous people have a direct say in the decisions that affect their lives? Australia is one of the only liberal democracies still grappling with such a fundamental question. The idea of constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians has become a highly political and contentious issue. It is entangled in institutional processes that rarely allow the diversity of Indigenous opinion to be expressed. With a referendum on the agenda, it is now urgent that Indigenous people have a direct say in the form of recognition that constitutional change might achieve. It's Our Country- Indigenous Arguments for Meaningful Constitutional Recognition and Reform is a collection of essays by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander thinkers and leaders including Patrick Dodson, Noel Pearson, Dawn Casey, Nyunggai Warren Mundine and Mick Mansell. Each essay explores what recognition and constitutional reform might achieve--or not achieve--for Indigenous people.
Recognition and Rights of Indigenous Peoples by
Recognition and Rights of Indigenous Peoples has been developed especially for senior secondary students of History and is part of the Nelson Modern History series. This text explores two distinct yet related experiences, those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and the New Zealand Maori and their respective struggles for civil, social and indigenous rights. Both case studies consider the impact of European settlement, dispossession and the denial of political and cultural rights. The emergence of modern rights movements in Australia and New Zealand and the struggle to secure land rights are also addressed in this journey of self-determination.
Alice's Daughter by
'My story is not about blame. It's about sharing history that belongs to all of Australia. I needed a push, but I am happy to finally give little Rhonda a voice, so that my words will live on after I leave this world.' In 1954, aged three, Rhonda Collard-Spratt was taken from her Aboriginal family and placed on Carnarvon Native Mission, Western Australia. Growing up in the white world of chores and aprons, religious teachings and cruel beatings, Rhonda drew strength and healing from her mission brothers and sisters, her art, music and poetry, and her unbreakable bond with the Dreaming. Alice's Daughter is the story of Rhonda's search for culture and family as she faces violence, racism, foster families, and her father's death in custody; one of the first deaths investigated as part of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. Written in Rhonda's distinctive voice, Alice's Daughter is fearless, compelling and intimate reading. Coupled with her vibrant and powerful paintings and poetry, Rhonda's is a journey of sadness, humour, resilience and ultimately survival.
The Last Daughter by
When she was two years old, Brenda and her siblings were taken from their parents. For the next five years she was a much-loved daughter in a white family, a happy child in a country town on the outskirts of Sydney, unaware of the existence of her Aboriginal family or how hard her parents were fighting for her return - unaware of her Aboriginal identity. Then, suddenly, she was reunited with her birth family, the last daughter to come home. Decades later, Brenda searches for her foster family and her beloved white sister. Along the way she uncovers long-buried secrets and government bungling, and finds a deep connection to her Aboriginal culture. The Last Daughter is an account of Brenda's journey to discover the truth about her past - and to unite her two families.
Nowhere People by
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, people of mixed Aboriginal and European ancestry - half-castes - were commonly assumed to be morally and physically defective, unstable and degenerate. They bore the brunt of society's contempt, and the removal of their children created Australia's stolen generations. Nowhere Peopleis a history of beliefs about people of mixed race, both in Australia and overseas. It explores the concept of racial purity, eugenics, and the threat posed by miscegenation. Award-winning author Henry Reynolds also talks for the first time of his own family's search for the truth about his father's ancestry, and gives a poignant account of the contemporary predicament facing people of mixed heritage. Highly personal and moving, Nowhere Peopleis essential reading from one of Australia's most influential and respected historians.
The Stolen Children: Their stories by
A collection of stories and perspectives about the removal of indigenous children from their families and responses to the revelation of the practice.
Stolen Generations and the Way Ahead by
It has been over twenty years since the release of the landmark Bringing them home report and more than a decade since the national apology was delivered by then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to Stolen Generations survivors - Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander Australians who have suffered as the result of past government policies and practices of forced child removal and assimilation. Acknowledging the wrongs of the past was a significant milestone in the history of our nation, but there is still much work to be done to heal the enduring trauma experienced by survivors, families and communities. After two decades, the majority of the Bringing them home recommendations have not been implemented, adding to ongoing distress. In the meantime,this inaction fails to address the escalating national crisis involving continuing removal of Indigenous children from their families. What is the nation's plan for healing this pain; are we any closer to needs-based funding and a financial redress scheme, dealing with intergenerational trauma and establishing an appropriate policy response? What is the way ahead for 'unfinished business' in the long journey towards healing?.
Talking to My Country by
An extraordinarily powerful and personal meditation on race, culture and national identity. In July 2015, as the debate over Adam Goodes being booed at AFL games raged and got ever more heated and ugly, Stan Grant wrote a short but powerful piece for The Guardian that went viral, not only in Australia but right around the world, shared over 100,000 times on social media. His was a personal, passionate and powerful response to racism in Australia and the sorrow, shame, anger and hardship of being an indigenous man. 'We are the detritus of the brutality of the Australian frontier', he wrote, 'We remained a reminder of what was lost, what was taken, what was destroyed to scaffold the building of this nation's prosperity.' Stan Grant was lucky enough to find an escape route, making his way through education to become one of our leading journalists. He also spent many years outside Australia, working in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa, a time that liberated him and gave him a unique perspective on Australia. This is his very personal meditation on what it means to be Australian, what it means to be indigenous, and what racism really means in this country. Talking to My Country is that rare and special book that talks to every Australian about their country - what it is, and what it could be. It is not just about race, or about indigenous people but all of us, our shared identity. Direct, honest and forthright, Stan is talking to us all. He might not have all the answers but he wants us to keep on asking the question: how can we be better?
Tell Me Why: For Young Adults by
Archie Roach tells the story of his life and his music. Only two when he was forcibly removed from his family, and brought up by a series of foster parents until his early teens, Archie's world imploded when he received a letter that spoke of a life he had no memory of. It took him almost a lifetime to find out who he really was.
Tell Me Why: The Story of My Life and My Music by
A powerful memoir of a true Australian legend: stolen child, musical and lyrical genius, and leader. No one has lived as many lives as Archie Roach - stolen child, seeker, teenage alcoholic, lover, father, musical and lyrical genius, and leader - but it took him almost a lifetime to find out who he really was. Roach was only two years old when he was forcibly removed from his family. Brought up by a series of foster parents until his early teens, his world imploded when he received a letter that spoke of a life he had no memory of. In this intimate, moving and often shocking memoir, Archie's story is an extraordinary odyssey through love and heartbreak, family and community, survival and renewal - and the healing power of music. Overcoming enormous odds to find his story and his people, Archie voices the joy, pain and hope he found on his path through song to become the legendary singer-songwriter and storyteller that he is today.