Ngayawanj Began-Nggul, Ngayawanj Barra Barra-Nggul: We Belong to the Land, We Belong to the Sea

Vincentia High School with Kirli Saunders and Jaz Cor, Ngayawanj Began-Nggul, Ngayawanj Barra Barra-Nggul: We Belong to the Land, We Belong to the Sea, Indigenous Literacy Foundation, August 2024, 45 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922592781

Don’t let the slimness of this volume let you fool you – this glorious collection of poems and stories in Dhurga and English, accompanied by spellbinding artwork all by students from Vincentia High School will stay with you long after you finish reading.

Created over the course of two workshops involving storytelling and painting and cultural learning, led by artist and proud Gunai Woman, Kirli Saunders and Jaz Corr, artist, visual arts teacher and proud Dharawal woman, the Indigenous students from Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 have shared their deep affinity with the land and the sea. Each poem or story tells about culture, nature and connection, and can be read as stand-alone entries or as an intertwining volume. With a variety of writing and poetry styles, the personalities of the students leap from the pages, and the beautiful blues of the illustrations are inspiring, telling their own stories.

An extensive glossary deepens readers’ knowledge of the various Dhurga words which are used throughout the poems. With teachers’ notes available from the Indigenous Literacy Foundation giving lesson overviews and curriculum links, every school library, primary and secondary will find an audience for this title.

Reviewed by Kay Oddone

 

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