The Experimental Gentleman

$25.00 AUD

Category: Indigenous

Lowitja: The Authorised Biography of Lowitja O'Donoghue by Stuart Rintoul; Lowitja O'Donoghue

$45.00 AUD

Category: Indigenous

The profoundly moving biography of a truly great Australian who, against the greatest of odds, became one of Australia's most respected and recognisable Indigenous leaders. 'I am sometimes identified as one of the "success stories" of the policies of removal of Aboriginal children. But for much of my ch ildhood I was deeply unhappy. I feel I had been deprived of love and the ability to love in return. Like Lily, my mother, I felt totally powerless. And I think this is where the seeds of my commitment to human rights and social justice were sown.' - Lowitja O'Donoghue Lowitja O'Donoghue is a truly great Australian. She is arguably our nation's most recognised Indigenous woman. A powerful and unrelenting advocate for her people, an inspiration for many, a former Australian of the Year, she sat opposite Prime Minister Paul Keating in the first negotiations between an Australian government and Aboriginal people and changed the course of the nation. But when Lowitja was born in 1932 to an Aboriginal mother and a white father in the harsh and uncompromising landscape of Central Australia the expectations for her life could not have been more different. At the age of two, she was handed over to the missionaries of the Colebrook Home for Half-Caste Children and cut off completely from her people and her culture. She would not see her mother again for another thirty years and would have no memory of her father. In 2001 a bitter controversy arose over whether Lowitja was 'stolen' as a child. In search of a past she did not remember, Lowitja went back to Central Australia accompanied by journalist Stuart Rintoul. This ground-breaking and long-awaited biography completes that journey into Lowitja's life and the challenging history of her times. It is a remarkable work about an extraordinary woman. 'A remarkable Australian leader. A leader whose unfailing instinct for enlargement marks her out as unique.' - Paul Keating 'If there is one woman that you would identify as being someone that inspires you, that terrifies you, that is a symbol of possibility, it would be Lowitja. The dignity, I think, is the thing that you remember the most.' - Linda Burney, first Aboriginal woman to be elected to the House of Representatives 'The greatest Aboriginal leader of the modern era . . . the rock who steadied us in the storm. Resolute, scolding, warm and generous, courageous, steely, gracious and fair. She held the hardest leadership brief in the nation and performed it bravely and with distinction.' - Noel Pearson 'She changed the course of Australian history. She literally seized the day.' - Robert Tickner, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs 1990-96 ...Show more

Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe

$22.99 AUD

Category: Indigenous

Dark Emu argues for a reconsideration of the 'hunter-gatherer' tag for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians and attempts to rebut the colonial myths that have worked to justify dispossession. Accomplished author Bruce Pascoe provides compelling evidence from the diaries of early explorers that suggests that 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. ...Show more

Moli Det Bigibigi (Molly the Pig) ( Australian Reading Hour Special Edition) by Karen Manbullo

$2.99 AUD

Category: Indigenous

Written in Kriol and English, this is the story of Molly, a little pig who is rescued from the bush. She's taken back to the community where she finds a happy home. Happy, that is, apart from the local dogs who keep chasing and frightening her. Moli is greatly loved in her community, but what she loves most is Weet Bix. She loves it so much that it's not too long before little Moli is a very big pig indeed. So big, she now chases and frightens the local dogs. All in good fun, of course. The illustrations are an absolute delight, and watching Molly grow and grow and grow will bring a smile to readers' faces and outright laughter at the end. ...Show more

Indigenous Australia For Dummies by Larissa Behrendt

$39.95 AUD

Category: Indigenous

A comprehensive, relevant, and accessible look at all aspects of Indigenous Australian history and culture  What is The Dreaming? How many different Indigenous tribes and languages once existed in Australia? What is the purpose of a corroboree? What effect do the events of the past have on Indigenous pe oples today??Indigenous Australia For Dummies, Second Edition answers these questions and countless others about the oldest race on Earth. It explores Indigenous life in Australia before 1770, the impact of white settlement, the ongoing struggle by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to secure their human rights and equal treatment under the law, and much more.  Celebrating the contributions of Indigenous people to contemporary Australian culture, the book explores Indigenous art, music, dance, literature, film, sport, and spirituality. It discusses the concept of modern Indigenous identity and examines the ongoing challenges facing Indigenous communities today, from health and housing to employment and education, land rights, and self-determination.  Explores significant political moments—such as Paul Keating's Redfern Speech and Kevin Rudd's apology, and more  Profiles celebrated people and organisations in a variety of fields, from Cathy Freeman to Albert Namatjira to the Bangarra Dance Theatre and the National Aboriginal Radio Service  Challenges common stereotypes about Indigenous people and discusses current debates, such as a land rights and inequalities in health and education  Now in its second edition, this book will enlighten readers of all backgrounds about the history, struggles and triumphs of the diverse, proud, and fascinating peoples that make up Australia's Indigenous communities. With a foreword by Stan Grant, Indigenous Australia For Dummies, Second Edition is a must-read account of Australia’s first people.     ...Show more

Truth Telling: History, Sovereignty and the Uluru Statement by Henry Reynolds

$34.99 AUD

Category: Indigenous

If we are to take seriously the need for telling the truth about our history, we must start at first principles. What if the sovereignty of the First Nations was recognised by European international law in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries? What if the audacious British annexation of a whole conti nent was not seen as acceptable at the time and the colonial office in Britain understood that 'peaceful settlement' was a fiction? If the 1901 parliament did not have control of the whole continent, particularly the North, by what right could the new nation claim it? The historical record shows that the argument of the Uluru Statement from the Heart is stronger than many people imagine and the centuries-long legal position about British claims to the land far less imposing than it appears. In Truth-Telling, influential historian Henry Reynolds pulls the rug from legal and historical assumptions, with his usual sharp eye and rigour, in a book that's about the present as much as the past. His work shows exactly why our national war memorial must acknowledge the frontier wars, why we must change the date of our national day, and why treaties are important. Most of all, it makes urgently clear that the Uluru Statement is no rhetorical flourish but carries the weight of history and law and gives us a map for the future.   ...Show more

Biggest Estate on Earth by Bill Gammage

$39.99 AUD

Category: Indigenous

Across Australia, early Europeans commented again and again that the land looked like a park. With extensive grassy patches and pathways, open woodlands and abundant wildlife, it evoked a country estate in England. Bill Gammage has discovered this was because Aboriginal people managed the land in a far more systematic and scientific fashion than we have ever realised. For over a decade, Gammage has examined written and visual records of the Australian landscape. He has uncovered an extraordinarily complex system of land management using fire and the life cycles of native plants to ensure plentiful wildlife and plant foods throughout the year. We know Aboriginal people spent far less time and effort than Europeans in securing food and shelter, and now we know how they did it. With details of land-management strategies from around Australia, The Biggest Estate on Earth rewrites the history of this continent, with huge implications for us today. Once Aboriginal people were no longer able to tend their country, it became overgrown and vulnerable to the hugely damaging bushfires we now experience. And what we think of as virgin bush in a national park is nothing of the kind. ...Show more

Welcome to Country by Marcia Langton

$39.99 AUD

Category: Indigenous

Marcia Langton: Welcome to Country is a curated guidebook to Indigenous Australia and the Torres Strait Islands. In its pages, respected Elder and author Professor Marcia Langton offers fascinating insights into Indigenous languages and customs, history, native title, art and dance, storytelling, and cu ltural 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. ...Show more

My Tidda, My Sister: Stories from Australia's First Women by Marlee Silva

$29.99 AUD

Category: Indigenous

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and society has existed on this continent for millennia. It is a culture that manifests as the ultimate example of resilience, strength and beauty. It's also a culture that has consistently been led by its women. My Tidda, My Sister shares the experiences of many Indigenous women and girls, brought together by author and host of the Tiddas 4 Tiddas podcast Marlee Silva. The voices of First Nations' women that Marlee weaves through the book provide a rebuttal to the idea that 'you can't be what you can't see'. For non-Indigenous women, it demonstrates the diversity of what success can look like and offers insight into the lives of their Indigenous sisters and peers. Featuring colourful artwork by Goreng Goreng artist Rachael Sarra, this book is a celebration of the Indigenous female experience through truth-telling. Some stories are heart-warming, others shine a light on the terrible realities for many Australian Indigenous women, both in the past and today. But what they all share is the ability to inspire and empower, creating a sisterhood that all Australian women can be part of. Also features foreword by Leah Purcell and illustrations by Wiradjuri, Ngiyampaa woman Charlotte Allingham. ...Show more

My People by Oodgeroo Noonuccal

$24.95 AUD

Category: Indigenous

Oodgeroo's writing is often a provocative and passionate plea for justice. My People is a collection of poetry and prose and a reminder of Oodgeroo's contribution to indigenous culture and the journey to reconciliation.

Warren Mundine in Black and White: A great, untold Australian story by Nyunggai Warren Mundine AO

$49.99 AUD

Category: Indigenous

Overcoming segregation, discrimination, personal hardship and political betrayal - Nyunggai Warren Mundine tells it all in black and white. Warren 's raw, intimate success story shines a bright and inspiring light showing there is no limit to what you can achieve. His curriculum vitae runs into pages of honours, appointments and awards. So it 's extraordinary to consider that, as an Aboriginal boy in the 1950s, he was a second-class citizen, born into a world of segregation and discrimination that few Australians today are truly aware of. From the poverty of a family living in a tent beside a river, to the depths of depression and an attempted suicide, to the heights of political power as National President of the Australian Labor Party and advisor to five prime ministers, both Labor and Liberal, this is a stirring story of an Indigenous family woven into the very fabric of Australia and its politics. Arguably the most controversial and influential of all Aboriginal leaders, Warren challenges conventional wisdom. One of eleven children in a poor Catholic family, Warren has been on a remarkable journey, from his early life in country NSW, with only one pair of shoes and a single bed shared with three of his brothers, to today where he frequents the highest echelons of power and business. Once an outsider, now an insider, Warren is regarded by many as one of Australia 's national treasures. Warren is one of the most significant and engaging personalities in today 's political spectrum. He offers an insider 's perspective on behind-the-scenes betrayals during his time as advisor to five prime ministers, with startling reveals, exclusive insights and a controversial take on the differences between Liberal and Labor. His memoir, an optimistic and inspirational tale, speaks to a changing Australia, answering a big question on everyone 's minds- what 's next' Warren Mundine in Black + White is the book that makes you proud to be Australian. ...Show more

Took the Children Away by Archie Roach

$24.99 AUD

Category: Indigenous

Archie Roach AM's deeply personal song, 'Took the Children Away', from his 1990 debut album, Charcoal Lane, was the first song ever to receive a prestigious Australian Human Rights Award. Its impact was immediate, shining a stark light on Australia's shameful past practices of removing children from the ir families. The song also speaks of love and reconnection and has travelled across seas into the hearts of First Nations communities everywhere. One dark day, when Archie was just two years old, big black government cars came to his home at Framlingham Aboriginal Mission in southwest Victoria. They forcibly took Archie away from his mother, father and family - everything he had ever known. They took away thousands of other Aboriginal children, right around Australia. Powerful people had decided that these children would be better off living and learning all the white man's ways. Frightened and alone, they grew up in institutions and foster homes. They became known as the Stolen Generations.  Ruby Hunter was one of those children, too, only eight when she was taken from the loving arms of her grandmother living on the Coorong in South Australia. Archie and Ruby met and fell in love as homeless teenagers and Archie started writing songs to help ease his pain. Archie's songs, loved by fans worldwide, tell a powerful story of survival and renewal, and the healing power of music.   In this special 30th anniversary edition, Archie's iconic lyrics sit alongside evocative illustrations by his beloved soulmate and musical collaborator, Ruby Hunter. Also included are Archie's recollections of his family and rare historical photographs. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that this book contains images of people who are deceased or who may now be deceased.     ...Show more