STORIES AND NGURRA (COUNTRY): CREATIVE WRITING AND ABORIGINAL KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS Blaze Kwaymullina Student Number: 9554443 Bachelor of Arts, University of Western Australia, 2001 Master of Criminal Justice, University of Western Australia, 2002 This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of Western Australia School of Social and Cultural Studies 2012 1 2 Abstract This PhD combines two different kinds of stories that interrelate as expressions of Indigenous Knowledge. The first stories are two creative works in the form of short novels for children titled ‘The Were Kids’ and ‘Lizzy Lorry the Worm Ambassador’. The second story is a dissertation that critically examines underlying features of Indigenous knowledge systems, with some reference to the manifestation of these features in the creative works. Creative Works Both of the creative works deal with themes, issues and content important and related to Indigenous ways of knowing. The Were Kids follows the adventures of a number of young children who have the ability to transform into extinct or endangered Australian species. For example, the main character has the ability to transform into a Tasmanian Tiger. The story deals with themes of species extinction, animal rights, and more generally the attitude of human beings towards animals. The story employs a range of concepts from Aboriginal knowledge systems, such as respect for the role of animals in the world, and the idea of animals as family. More broadly, the story also deals with the importance of accepting yourself for who, and in this case what, you are. Similarly, Lizzy Lorry deals with human’s relationships with animals and their role in balancing the world. While the main character Lizzy cannot transform into an animal like the characters in Werekids, she plays a central role in helping a society of Worms with their responsibility in keeping the earth balanced. The relationship Lizzy has with animals in the story, reflects Aboriginal notions of animals as active agents in the world that follow their own Law; have their own methods of communicating to human beings; and of the interdependence species have with each other. Both Werekids and Lizzy Lorry have an implicit message about ecological sustainability and striving to find a balance in the human relationship with animals and the broader environment. They are designed to be fast paced action novels that will attract reluctant readers. Both works utilise an Aboriginal character as the main protagonist and deal with strong environmental themes, however these 3 elements are embedded with an action orientated narrative. I did not want to employ Aboriginal characters or themes in an obvious or stereotypical way. Dissertation The dissertation explores and examines the inspiration of the creative works, namely the features and processes that underlie Indigenous worldviews. There will be some reference to the creative works in the dissertation, but it is primarily an analysis of Indigenous creation stories and the knowledge systems that derive from them. The dissertation forms part of a more recent ‘second wave’ of Indigenous narratives – a series of communications by Indigenous peoples that seek to explain and interpret the complex ideas contained within our ancient systems and stories. At the heart of the dissertation is an examination of holistic processes in Indigenous knowledge systems exploring how to know the world, how to be in the world, and how to respect the world. A major feature of the dissertation is its methodology that centres on privileging Aboriginal voices and drawing upon Aboriginal stories as primary sources. This approach is done in order to counter the distorted lens in which Aboriginal stories are often viewed. A conscious choice has been made to reference Aboriginal voices and, with the occasional exception, omit non- Aboriginal references. The process is designed to speak from an Aboriginal centre and from that position reach out to a web of relationships. This means making space in the text for Aboriginal voices to speak, allowing room for their agency to operate, and respecting the position and authority from which they speak. This is not to say that non-Aboriginal sources and Western disciplinary constructs of Aboriginal knowledge are not important – because they are. However, in this dissertation they are employed as secondary, not primary sources. 4 Declaration This thesis does not contain work that I have published, nor work under review for publication. 5 Acknowledgements No expression of human creativity is ever truly formed in isolation. It is the relationships of life that fan the flames of the human spirit and imbue within us the desire to create, transform and remake the world in all that we are and in all that we do. This Dissertation is certainly no exception. I would like to thank my supervisor Professor Dennis Haskell who showed the true soul of what it means to be an academic –to possess a critical intellect, a passion for ideas and an unselfish dedication to the development of other minds. His editorial advice and our debates over content have, without a doubt, improved the quality of this work. I would also like to thank my family, in particular my mother and sister for all their editorial advice and for listening to me talk about my ideas for hours on end. Lastly, and most importantly, I would like to thank the Old People, those wise Elders and knowledge holders who continue to tell their stories. 6 Contents Creative Works The Werekids 9 Lizzy Lorry: The Worm Ambassador 99 Dissertation Introduction 172 Chapter 1 180 The Context of Aboriginal Stories Chapter 2 185 Methodology: Walking Between Two Realities Chapter 3 198 Knowing the World: Understanding a Holistic Reality Chapter 4 222 Being in the World: Process to uphold a Holistic Reality Chapter 5 232 Respecting the World: Sustaining a Holistic Reality Endnotes 238 Bibliography 242 7 8 The Were Kids 9 10 Chapter One Fooling Around I love fooling around. My teacher Mr. Smith, or Smitho, as I think of him, can’t stand it. Which means that in a strange kind of way we’re a match made in heaven. Smitho misses me and the other kids like me on the summer holidays because he has no one to pick on. When the other teachers are breaking their necks to say goodbye to the rundown asbestos buildings and the grubby, ‘rebellious’ students, Smitho thinks the world is coming to an end. The truth is, he has no life outside of school. He isn’t married and he doesn’t have a girlfriend or any mates. I reckon he lives alone in a flat without the company of a pet cat, dog, bird or fish. He probably has no hobbies and I bet he never travels further than the local supermarket. All poor Smitho has got are his lessons, which he keeps in neat plastic folders. But lessons are useless without a group of innocent students to inflict them on. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not an innocent student. At least, Smitho doesn’t think so. Actually he gives me far more credit than I deserve. I mean, you can’t be the bad guy all the time, right? The truth is, he enjoys singling me out. Especially in Maths. Maths are his thing. He’s a numbers man. He can tell you how many light bulbs there are in the school building, how many biscuits in the Staff Room, how many bristles on the average household toothbrush and probably even how many hairs there are on his puny chest. If anyone ever counted sheep in their sleep, it’s Smitho. His favourite students are all good at Maths, which makes it impossible for a kid like me to be in his good books. I’ll never grow up to be a Rocket Scientist, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have any talents of my own, it’s just that they lie in other directions. And believe it or not, Smitho is actually helping me to explore them. Take last week, for instance. I gave my usual performance on the weekly Maths test by scoring four out of twenty, so Smitho did his usual and attempted to ridicule me in front of the class. It’s a pattern we’ve fallen into over the last three years and I enjoy it because it gives me a chance to sharpen my wits. 11 ‘What will you be when you grow up, Dyson? A fool?’ ‘I hope so, Sir!’ The crestfallen look on his face when my classmates burst into laughter almost made me feel sorry for him, only I was too busy feeling sorry for myself. Where’s the challenge in demolishing him with one sentence? Summer depression, that’s what I put his poor performance down to. The holidays were looming and he wouldn’t see me or any of my wise cracking mates for three long months. For some reason, our little exchange captured other kid’s imaginations. The Fool story spread to the lower grades and overnight I became famous. Jason King’s little brother Toby even told it to his class for News, then he made his friends giggle by saying he wanted to be a Fool when he grew up too. By lunchtime kids were offering to pay me to teach them how to be a Fool. I’m a generous kind of guy, so I gave them all a few free lessons. You know the sort of thing - silly looks, fake hysterical laughter, how to fart with your mouth or fall off a chair without hurting yourself. By the afternoon break my fame had landed me in the Headmistress’ office.