Mr Don T Scratch My Rolex By Lisa Bellar

In his collection of poems Broken Teeth, author Tony Birch explores Melbourne’s past from British Settlement to the present day. Within his poems “‘My Words’, Beruk (Ngamajet) -1835”, “Beruk Watches Melbourne from the Sky -1945” and “Visiting”, Birch creates a connected image of the city’s past through exploring snapshots of different time periods within Melbourne’s rich, diverse history. Birch’s poems also identify the strong links between the city’s past and its present, reviving the strong historical and cultural factors that influenced Melbourne’s creation. Tony Birch’s Poem “‘My Words’, Breuk (Ngamajet)- 1835”, depicts the history of the colonisation of Melbourne, as told through the eyes of prominent Indigenous leader William Barak

Bennett connects “art and politics” possibly depicting “Australian history and identity” being overlapped to convey the idea of the suppression of a rich Aboriginal culture further symbolized by red etchings of paint in the background

This proposes that Watson is bestowing the audience with an exploration of the world she personally connects with. Whereas, with the usage of natural materials and the positioning of them this also creates a representation of fragility and temporariness, once again suggesting that what is depicted is fugitive, reminding all of us about the beauty and delicacy of the environment. Something that stands out about this piece is the cotton tree leaves that have been used, they have been marked with intricate patterns consisting of both lines and dots. The markings symbolise traditional ceremonies held by Indigenous Australians who make scars on their skin, demonstrating that Watson has used the cotton tree leaves metaphorically to represent the scarring Indigenous Australians have faced from

In Lee Maracles’s interview with Context: Beyond the Headlines, Maracle explains the healing properties of literature and how expression through poetry has helped her advocate for Indigenous people. The medicinal properties of literature are a sacred belief of the Stó:lō peoples. The power of poetry helps relieve the chronic wounding created by the colonizers. Maracle begins by addressing how the movement of colonialism caused irreversible intergenerational trauma among the Indigenous communities. She shames the Canadian government because none of the real people who evoked the damage had ever faced confrontation.

To start off, Alicia Elliot illustrates in this particular section of her book how everything was taken away from the indigenous peoples, as well as the children that took no part in the disagreements happening between the two parties. In this chapter, we notice how the children in this story are being used, treated terribly, overworked as well as “[stolen]”... from their “families, language, and culture” (146). The story described in the text demonstrates how the children of the Indigenous people face dispossession as their childhood was being ripped from their hands as well as being taken away from their families leading to

Context: The source was written nearly 130 years after the rebellion, during a time when historical analysis was more distinguished and could draw from a wider range of sources and perspectives. Purpose: Blainey's purpose is to critically evaluate the rebellion's significance in the trail of Australian nationhood and assess whether it genuinely drove the development of a more equal

Black Diggers is a play written by Tom Wright about the indigenous Australians who fought in World War II and their previously forgotten stories. The Ideas and themes involved in the text circle around two main points. The first is the inferiority of non-indigenous Australians in the play which can be seen by all the non-indigenous characters who aren’t called by their names. The second is the injustice shown towards non-indigenous soldiers due to discrimination and violence throughout the play. These arguments are evident in the old soldier’s monologue which was set in 1956.

You tell me, and I won’t put it down on the form, No-one will know but you and me”. It’s obvious that the author, Thomas King, is trying to make awareness about the treatment of Aboriginals are facing in

It is clear that the poet’s intention is to express that the abuse of Aborigines is a lot similar to a carthorse. It is obvious that Oodgeroo’s poem Municipal Gum shows the mistreatment of the Aboriginal people through the use of emotive language and poetic devices. Resent is developed throughout the content of the poem, with emotive language used to convey the mistreatment of

Tracey Lindberg’s novel Birdie is narratively constructed in a contorting and poetic manner yet illustrates the seriousness of violence experience by Indigenous females. The novel is about a young Cree woman Bernice Meetoos (Birdie) recalling her devasting past and visionary journey to places she has lived and the search for home and family. Lindberg captures Bernice’s internal therapeutic journey to recover from childhood traumas of incest, sexual abuse, and social dysfunctions. She also presents Bernice’s self-determination to achieve a standard of good health and well-being. The narrative presents Bernice for the most part lying in bed and reflecting on her dark life in the form of dreams.

The poem My Mother The Land by Phill Moncrieff poetically describes the struggles the aboriginal people faced with loss of their country, culture, identity, people and place at the hands of the European people and colonisation throughout history. Overall the poem effectively positions the reader to feel sympathy and empathy toward the aboriginal people and strong antipathy towards the European people furthermore it helps the reader understand the importance of country, culture, identity, people and place to the aboriginal

You can see the development of housing and the deterioration of the surrounding bushland. The tone of this piece is upsetting due to the inhumane ways that the indigenous people and their land have been known to be treated in the past. This persuades the audience to be conscious of the sadness that the first Australians would've felt while witnessing their homes being taken away. However, this source could also make the audience perceive that the British had the most power in this situation due to them taking the land and making it their property. This has been proven by ‘Derrimut, leader of the Boon Wurrung’, who states ‘you have all this place, no good have lubra, me tumble down and die very soon now’, this refers to the British settlers.

Loss is a sadness that lingers in claims of silence where all memories have been buried. Two texts that involve readers looking at the theme of loss which are explored in Richard Wagamese’s novel "Indian Horse" and in Thomas King's poem "I’m Not The Indian You Had In Mind" respectively. The authors illuminate on the effects of loss and how colonization has impacted the characters and cultural identities, offering struggles faced by the Indigenous peoples. The narrative elements demonstrate a convergence and powerful inspection of colonization in the characters journey as to the struggles they had gone through. Along with the effects on cultural appropriation highlighting the identities forced to leave on Indigenous people.

The narrator describes how the Indigenous Australians in the area were forced to leave their land, saying, "The black people are gone, and so are the dingoes" (Ottley, 2007, p. 5). This quote highlights the displacement of Indigenous Australians by white settlers, as well as the impact of their absence on the environment. Moreover, the artwork in the text portrays the Indigenous Australians as dark and shadowy, emphasizing their marginalization and exclusion from mainstream society. Together, these examples demonstrate how power imbalances are present not only between humans, but also between humans and animals, and between different racial groups. The text serves as a commentary on the

Within the narrative, the author shows the significance of preserving one's Indigenous heritage while simultaneously embracing the transformative power of change. These dynamics are brought to life, showcasing the challenges and conflicts in these relationships. In one scene, the characters express their exasperation, with one remarking, “‘He’s such a tool.’ ‘Yeah. There’s always one in the family.’”