These are identity, connection to the land and to ancestors, and a palpable desire to make a peace with post-colonial white Australia.Īnita Heiss came to national attention as one of the nine Aboriginals who sued Andrew Bolt in 2009 under Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act for two articles he published in the Herald Sun – ‘It’s So Hip to be Black’ and ‘White Fellas in the Black’, in which he had challenged their Indigenous identity. Redemption is a powerful feature of many of these stories, but other common themes also emerge. not one of victimhood: it is one of strength and resilience, of pride and inspiration, demonstrating the will to survive and the capacity to thrive against the odds. In her introduction Heiss talks about the collective impact of the stories: ‘My Father’, a piece by Tony Birch, includes three poems as he tells of his early life: ‘As much as he likes to sing and dance, my father is an angry and violent man.’ There is much beautiful writing in this collection, from the poetry of Arulen and Jack Latimer to the yarns of the elders who grew up in the inner suburbs of our big cities, recounting their knockabout lives If I am honest: as I push the boundaries of my thirties and head into my inevitable forties, I still feel like I am ‘growing up Aboriginal’.Įvelyn Arulen’s ‘Finding Ways Home’ is beautifully evocative as she describes her shifts to and from the Aboriginal world and her understanding that she lived in ‘two worlds pressing in on each other’. Liddle is now a respected opinion writer and public speaker with a strong media profile. ‘Black Bum’ by Celeste Liddle recounts the moment she first realised she was different at 15.
Still we have survived and continue to revive our culture each day by passing on our Dreamtime stories, songs and dances to our younger generation, but still a lot of healing has to be done.Īfter the second essay I read I had to stop and digest. This is a devastating personal tale of loss and hardship at a time of harsh and paternalistic government policies regarding Aboriginal people. ‘Different Times’ by Doreen Nelson, a Noongar woman born in 1947, tells a story of growing up on the native reserves. In collating and editing these memories, she has again added to our understanding of the diversity of Aboriginal identity and the strong connection to land.Ĭollections invite dipping into. This collection of reminiscences of Indigenous childhoods begins with a moving and beautifully written introduction by editor Anita Heiss. Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia will do much to aid the understanding and commonality between different Australian communities. Tags: Andrew Bolt/ Anita Heiss/ Australian Indigenous writing/ Celeste Liddle/ Don Bemrose/ Doreen Nelson/ Evelyn Arulen/ Ian Dudley/ Jack Latimer/ Jason Goninan/ Tony Birch/ Zachery Penrith-Puchalski ANITA HEISS (Ed.) Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia.
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