Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker) Aboriginal poet, political activist, artist and educator
Historical Context The European and Aboriginal civilisations have lived side by side rather than mingling since the arrival of Captain Cook in 1770. There is still little understanding of the history of initial contact and also of the current state of affairs. At the time of arrival in 1770, there was a legal assumption that Australia was terra nullius, meaning empty of inhabitants. At the moment of annexation the Aborigines had become British subjects with the Europeans not of the view that they had invaded Australia. It is this idea of invasion that has set the tone for the events up to the present day. It took the Europeans over 100 years to penetrate through the whole country, setting up numerous colonies. Cultural misunderstandings continually erupted, resulting in widespread hostility and violence. Throughout the 1930’s, protests about worsening conditions for Aborigines were a frequent occurrence. It wasn’t until 1967 that Aborigines were allowed full Australian citizenship and gain the right to vote. In summary, throughout all of this hardship there were two main issues that were the main cause of protests;
Civil rights- relief from assimilationist policies, right to attend white schools, own property, buy land, drink in hotels and to integrate into white society A revival of a separate cultural identity
Biographical Profile Biographical Details of the Poet Oodgeroo Noonuccal was an Australian poet, political activist, artist and educator. Noonuccal was born on 3rd November 1920 on Stradbroke Island, Queensland , Australia. Throughout her childhood she remained on the island with her parents Ted and Lucy and the family of 6 children. At the height of the depression in 1933, she left school. She started off working as a domestic servant for a number of professional families in Brisbane. In December 1942, she married Bruce Walker who she had known for some time. It was around this time that her career kicked off, beginning as campaigner for aboriginal rights. This is displayed through her poetry for which she is best known for, becoming one of Australia’s highest selling poets alongside C.J Dennis. Contextual Information Noonnucal contributed during the war as a member of the Australian Womens Army Service. During the 1950’s, she became a member of the Communist Party, believing it offered the best opportunities for Aboriginals, She was also involved in a number of other political organisations. She was recognised for her contribution to politics through her role as the Queensland state secretary of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. During this time, Noonucal was a key figure in the campaign for the reform of the Australian constitution that brought about the 1967 referendum that led to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders being allowed full Australian citizenship. Details on her poetry in general There have been many different interpretations on Noonucals’s poetry by critics but she described it herself as “sloganistic, civil-writerish, plain and simple”. Many critics have spoken of their disturbance by the activism of the poems, classifying them as propaganda rather than real poetry, an
idea that Noonuccal has consequently embraced. Through writing poetry, Noonuccal aimed to convey pride in her Aboriginal heritage to a wide readership and looked to popularise equality and Aboriginal rights. She viewed poetry as potentially being a breakthrough for Aboriginal people due to their strong cultural links with story-telling and song making. Noonuccal opposed the policy of assimilation, but believed firmly in the cause of reconciliation between black and white Australia. Responses to the Poet’s work by critics Despite some of the criticism Noonuccal has received for some for her poetry, she has received wide recognition, especially in the post-war years. The most serious of her criticisms were the allegations as to whether she was the real author of some of her poems. One significant achievement was publishing her first book We Are Going (1964) which was to be the first ever published by an Aboriginal women. Noonuccal won several literacy awards in recognition of her poetry, some include the Mary Gilmore Medal (1970), Jessie Litchfield Medal (1975) and a Fellowship of Australian Writing Award. She was awarded an MBE in 1970, however returned it in 1987 in protest of the Australian Bicentenary celebrations. Kath Walker in China (1988), described in the Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English as a collection of verse that affirmed the author's "belief in the power of people to effect positive change."
Examples of some of her poems
We Are Going (1964) The Dawn is at Hand (1966) My People: a Kath Walker collection (1970) No more boomerang (1985) Kath Walker in China (1988)
Feature Poem Analysis 1: We Are Going
They came in to the little town A semi-naked band subdued and silent All that remained of their tribe. They came here to the place of their old bora ground Where now the many white men hurry about like ants. Notice of the estate agent reads: 'Rubbish May Be Tipped Here'. Now it half covers the traces of the old bora ring. 'We are as strangers here now, but the white tribe are the strangers. We belong here, we are of the old ways. We are the corroboree and the bora ground, We are the old ceremonies, the laws of the elders. We are the wonder tales of Dream Time, the tribal legends told. We are the past, the hunts and the laughing games, the wandering camp fires. We are the lightening bolt over Gaphembah Hill Quick and terrible, And the Thunderer after him, that loud fellow. We are the quiet daybreak paling the dark lagoon. We are the shadow-ghosts creeping back as the camp fires burn low. We are nature and the past, all the old ways Gone now and scattered. The scrubs are gone, the hunting and the laughter. The eagle is gone, the emu and the kangaroo are gone from this place. The bora ring is gone. The corroboree is gone. And we are going.'
Main Ideas (Contextual) The poem ‘We Are Going’ presents an Aboriginal perspective on colonisation in Australia and comments on the fears of the Aborigines. The poem can be viewed as a readily transmissible version of history, lamenting the effect of colonisation on traditional aboriginal ways but also confirming the continuance of Aboriginal culture. The poem creates a voice that presents the struggles of dispossession and through this has managed to reach a wide readership. It asserts that because nature will never be destroyed, the Aboriginals won’t either due to their strong connection with the land. Noonuccal described the poem as “a warning to the white people: we can go out of existence, or with proper help we could also go on and live in this world in peace and harmony, the Aboriginal will not go out of existence, the whites will”.
Poetic Techniques (Technical)
Structurally the poem is technically imperfect however the clear strong message that it contains makes up for this. It can be said that the message is held in higher regard then the aesthetics. Due to the flowing nature of the poem it is easy to recite, pleasing the reader but also a common point of dismay for the critic. Throughout the poem, Noonuccal uses the collective term ‘we’ in reference to the Aboriginal Australians. Noonuccal has chosen to do this because she is a part of this group and is using the poem to speak on behalf of them as a whole. Due to her indigenous background Noonuccal has incorporated many cultural terms and words and that may not be otherwise known to all readers. This gives the poem its indigenous classification and also an insight into the various aspects of the indigenous culture. An example of this being ‘bora ground’ which in Aboriginal culture is a significant site where initiation ceremonies are performed and a meeting place for a tribe. Repetition is a key component that is used to great effect by Noonuccal to cement the main message to the reader. Loss is major topic in this poem and this has been established through the use of repetition. The word ‘gone’ is used a total of six times which cements the idea of loss to the reader and especially the fact it is not ‘lost’ it is ‘gone’ shows that it can’t be recovered. Unusually there is an absence of metaphors and similes, a unique feature when it comes to poetry. This I think can be contributed to the Aboriginal writing style and maybe the lesser knowledge and experience with the English language. This poem and a large majority of Aboriginal literature have a strong focus on telling the story itself, meaning descriptive language does not play as big a role as you would usually find in a poem. I believe the choice of title is critical in developing the main message of the poem. I found that when read as just the title the main message grasped is the idea of mobilisation while when read in context in the last line it presents the emotional feeling of despair.
Personal Response Personally, I really enjoyed reading this poem and found the concepts and ideas really interesting when considered through this format. Despite not being a part of the Aboriginal culture I was still able to understand the feelings and main ideas that were being presented. I learnt a couple of new words and phrases that are an integral part of the Aboriginal language and their respective role in the culture of the Aboriginal race. I really enjoyed the clear description of their emotions and their opinion on a situation from a point of view I would never really consider.
Feature Poem Analysis 2: Integration-Yes! Gratefully we learn from you, The advanced race, You with long centuries of lore behind you. We who were Australians long before You who came yesterday, Eagerly we must learn to change, Learn new needs we never wanted. New compulsions never needed, The price of survival. Much that we loved is gone and had to go, But not the deep indigenous things. The past is still so much a part of us, Still about us, still within us. We are happiest Among our own people. We would like to see Our own customs kept, our old Dances and songs, crafts and corroborees. Why change our sacred myths for your sacred myths? No, not assimilation but integration, Not submergence but our uplifting, So black and white may go forward together In harmony and brotherhood.
Main Ideas (Contextual) Through the choice of title and themes presented throughout the poem the main idea that we can identify is integration. Integration can be defined as the intermixing of people or groups previously segregated. In this case, the two groups are the European Australian and the Aboriginals, the latter being the perspective from which Noonuccal was speaking from. Noonuccal speaks of integration in a positive light and supports the prospect, shown by the title in which her views could not be more clearly presented. Other ideas used by Noonuccal to work in conjunction with integration were brotherhood and harmony. She also contrasted integration with the idea of assimilation, which despite seeming to have similar definitions present two opposite situations. Integration is the intermixing of groups while assimilation is the uniting of groups which would in this situation result in a loss of culture and heritage. She states her disapproval marginally in this poem but in more detail in a separate poem similar to this one titled Assimilation-No!
Poetic Techniques (Technical)
Structurally, the poem is classified as free verse as it doesn’t contain rhyme and there isn’t a regular meter. This type of structure is very common for writing originating from the Aboriginal culture due to their story-telling backgrounds. Much like We Are Going the collective terms ‘we, us and our’ are used regularly throughout the poem. This shows that the views displayed in the poem are mutual across the Aboriginal culture and not just an individual opinion presented by just the poet. It also presents a sense of ownership and pride. In contrast, the term ‘your’ is used when addressing the European Australians reflecting the state of the two segregated groups and the lack of connection between the parties In the poem there is an example of a hyperbole. In describing the arrival of the Europeans on Australian shores it says ‘You who came yesterday’. This is obviously an exaggeration by Noonuccal as the Europeans actually arrived more than 200 years ago. However the term ‘yesterday’ can be understood when considered historically, as the Aborigines themselves were known to be living in Australia between 40,000 and 60,000 years ago. The rhetorical question ‘Why change our sacred myths for your sacred myths?’ is very effective in the context of this poem. This makes the reader consider what the poet is trying to say and is also an outlet in which the poet can question the other side of the topic. There is an example of symbolism in the poem when it gives the phrase “the price of survival”. The ‘price’ is symbolizing the amount of effort and the extent to which the Aboriginals will go to in the hope of integration.
Personal Response I really enjoyed ready this poem, especially viewing the topic of integration from an Aboriginal perspective. Usually when it comes to a topic of a racial nature, habitually I look at it from a European Australian perspective but in this case due to the Aboriginal background of the poet I got to listen to their perspective. I really liked the concepts of brotherhood and harmony and believe they portrayed a really strong message compounded by their location in the final line of the poem. I grew a respect for the Aboriginal culture and progressively learnt about the sacred aspects that are a part of it. Finally, I found the contrast between integration and assimilation really interesting and effective. Though seeming to have similar meanings, Noonuccal pointed out just how different they were in this situation and also how they could be in others of a racial nature.
Feature Poem Comparison
Main Ideas (Contextual) Similarities- The main contextual similarity between the two poems is they both portray the emotional feelings of the Aboriginals. Similarly, the main issue behind these feelings is the arrival of the Europeans on to Australian shores and the issues that they have confronted sparked by the arrival. Both of the poems speak of the Aboriginal culture in great detail and Noonuccal’s does this in great detail and a strong sense of pride and ownership. In both of the poems, the Aboriginals are in search of an ideal situation, one of them being to gain back some of their traditional land and the other being the state of integration. Both of the poems reach a wide readership and create a voice displaying the pain of dispossession to the reader . Differences- Contextually there is a couple of differences between the two poems especially the way in which the reader is meant to interpret the main ideas. Both of the two poems take a different approach when it comes to speaking of the Europeans. We Are Going doesn’t appreciate the arrival of the Europeans and there is no sense of respect while Integration-Yes displays an opinion that the Europeans can have a role in Aboriginal society however there are a number of critical barriers that will need to be crossed first. In finishing reading the poems, both leave with contrasting final statements. We Are Going finishes with a concrete statement where it appears that a final decision has already been reached amongst the Aboriginals however Integration-Yes finishes with a sense of hope where you feel as if there is more to come in the story, in this case being the push towards integration.
Poetic Techniques (Technical) Similarities- Structurally both poems could be considered technically imperfect with neither containing a regular meter nor any rhyme and rhythm. Consequently both poems are classified as free verse and or propaganda. In both poems, Noonuccal decides to use the collective term ‘we’ to show she is speaking on behalf of the Aboriginals and also to show a sense of pride and ownership. ‘Us’ and ‘our’ are other terms that serve the same purpose. Both poems display traditional language which individually holds great importance in the Aboriginal culture. Words like ‘bora ground’ and ‘corroboree’ are examples of this with the latter being used in both poems. Repetition of certain words and phrases were also evident in both poems. Differences- Technically the differences in poetic techniques between the two poems are very minor. It is only single literary techniques that can be identified as structurally they are both the same format. Each of the following techniques was found in only one of the poems so could therefore not be classified as a similarity;
Rhetorical question Symbolism Hyperbole Jargon
Experimenting with the poet’s style
Below is a poem that has been written by myself in the style of my poet Oodgeroo Noonuccal. It addresses the topic of aboriginal rights and incorporates some of the techniques that are evident in Noonuccal’s poems. I have used the ideas addressed in We Are Going as a template and have tried to emulate many of the concepts. Listed below are some of the concepts and techniques that I incorporated in my poem;
Collective terms like ‘we’, ‘our’, etc Rhetorical questions Free verse, no rhythm or rhyme Repetition No metaphors or similes A strong final statement that summarises the main message More of storyline then deep description
We stood as one What would he grace us with today? Our hero Our saviour The uplifting spirit Who saved our souls Pushed for our rights And gave us a presence Leading for freedom Prepare yourself Australia Lead by one, arm in arm We are coming