No More Boomerang Poem Analysis

Change

How the indigenous experience has been affected by white Australia

Indigenous Australian poet Oodgeroo Noonuccal was a well respected author whom reflected the experience of the Indigenous Australian community through her work as a poet, activist and politician. Noonuccal’s use of many literary devices allows her to effectively judge the affects white Australia's cultural change has had on the wellbeing of Indigenous australians.

Through the poem ‘No More Boomerang’, Noonuccal reflects the capitalist lifestyle of modern Australia and it’s obvious conflicting interests with Indigenous Australians. Alliteration is used to provide emphasis towards the vast differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous culture and how cultural destruction caused by forced capitalistic lifestyle changes of the Indigenous Australians has affected their wellbeing.

“No more sharing/ What the hunter brings/ Now we work for money/ Then pay it back for things” is a quote from the third stanza which incorporates both cultural loss and modern Australia's capitalistic money hungry ideals. The phrase “we work” from the above quote shows a true sense of westernisation that along with it’s profound capitalistic ideals has affected the wellbeing and happiness of all Indigenous Australians. The forcefulness of this phrase is used to convey a sense

of anger and frustration shared by the wider Indigenous community.

Secondly this poem conveys how the anti socialism of white Australia has been responsible for the loss of many Indigenous Australian customs and cultures. Symbolism is used to reflect the poets conflicting ideals to those of anti social Australia and how the socialism of Indigenous Australian culture was frowned upon and hated by the new and “improved” white Australia.
“No more corroboree/ Gay dance and din/ Now we got movies/ And pay to go in” is a quote from the second stanza, which reflects the indigenous Australian communities disgust at the anti socialism that has been forced into their lives as a part of cultural adjustment.
‘Now we got movies’ is a quote that uses the silence of a movie cinema as a contrast to the loud corroboree. This scrutinises the anti socialism of white Australia and also forces the reader to realise that the forced cultural adjustment Indigenous Australians faced has only had a negative outcome in which much of their culture and happiness has been destroyed. Through ‘No More Boomerang’ the poet is able to successfully maintain a theme of change to accurately document the experience she has had with cultural change through her life and how this has affected her “Indigenous experience”.

Through the poem then and now the poet tackles yet another element of cultural injustice when she reflects on the environmental change she has experienced throughout her life. The poet uses personification as a way of drawing the readers attention to the the loss of land and in turn culture that have been experienced due to the white australians forced environmental change.
“I have seen corroboree/ Where that factory belches smoke/Here where they have memorial park
One time lubras dug for yams;” is a reflective phrase taken from the second stanza of the poem used to produce a sense of sadness and anger at the loss of land as a part of white Australia's forced cultural change.

“The factory belches smoke” personifies the factory as a polluting machine of white corporate “social organisation” which with its capitalistic ideals has differing views to those of indigenous australians. This further links idea of native land title through her reflective statements “No more woomera, no more boomerang/ No more playabout, no more the old ways”. These display the sadness seen at both the loss of land and of

culture.

Furthermore noonuccal tackles the issue of displacement amongst the new and ever-changing white Australia. Through then and now she attempts to present the challenges change had in her ever-changing indigenous experience. The poet uses alliteration to further reflect on her personal loss and sadness at the sight of the life she would have led if not for the unfortunate cultural and environmental intervention by the European immigrants. “Now I am civilised and work in the white way,/ Now I have a dress, now I have shoes/ ‘Isn't she lucky to have a good job!’/ Better when I had only a dillybag./ Better when I had nothing but happiness” is a quote from the final stanza in which the personal effects cultural change has had were noticed. “Work in the white way” is used to draw the attention of the reader to the final stanza, this stanza is a personal struggle with the author and wanting to identify as an indigenous Australian. She identifies her past life and how all she has achieved was social acceptability. This truly incorporated the idea of change and how it has affected the well-being of indigenous Australians. Throughout the poem Then and Now Noonuccal successfully confronts the idea of native land title to educate the reader on the issue of environmental change throughout indigenous culture and how this has affected her indigenous experience.

In conclusion I believe that Noonuccal’s use of many literary devices has allowed her to effectively judge the affects white Australia's cultural change has had on the wellbeing on Indigenous Australians. Through her use of Verse, she has been able to document both the environmental and cultural change to her life and how this has affected her ‘Indigenous experience’.

By Jacob Walker