Oodgeroo Noonuccal, otherwise known as Kath Walker, is a celebrated Aboriginal Australian poet, who intricately weaves together poetic devices and vibrant imagery in her poem "Minjerriba" to depict the profound repercussions of human intervention on North Stradbroke Island's environment and indigenous legacy. This poetic masterpiece endures as a poignant reminder, sparking contemplation on the far-reaching impacts of environmental degradation and cultural erasure that reverberate globally. By challenging the moral implications of colonial actions and underscoring the intrinsic link between land, culture, and identity, Noonuccal's work serves as a compelling clarion call for environmental stewardship and the preservation of indigenous wisdom …show more content…
Oodgeroo Noonuccal's masterful use of poetic devices in "Minjerriba" profoundly shapes its emotional impact. Through the technique of personification, Noonuccal breathes life into the island, presenting it as a majestic entity adorned with a "green back coated with cyprus and gum." This personification not only humanizes the island but also elicits empathy from readers, urging them to perceive it as a living being vulnerable to exploitation. Furthermore, the vivid imagery of the island's "belly brimming with waters so cool" juxtaposed with the depiction of its desecration by settlers creates a poignant contrast between its past magnificence and its current state of desolation. By skillfully intertwining personification and vivid imagery, Noonuccal not only conveys the environmental degradation of the island but also underscores the profound impact of human actions on the natural world and indigenous …show more content…
In a contemporary landscape where issues of land exploitation and cultural erasure persist, Noonuccal's exploration of these themes strikes a chord with the ongoing challenges faced by indigenous communities globally. The ethical quandaries illuminated in the poem parallel the real-life struggles of indigenous peoples striving to safeguard their lands and protect their rich heritage from encroachment and neglect. By shedding light on these enduring issues, Noonuccal's message transcends time, serving as a poignant reminder of the interconnectedness between environmental conservation, cultural preservation, and social justice. Through "Minjerriba," readers are prompted to reflect on the urgent need for collective action in addressing these pressing concerns and honoring the intrinsic bond between land, culture, and identity. "Minjerriba" by Oodgeroo Noonuccal delves deeply into the ethical quandaries surrounding the impact of European settlers on North Stradbroke Island, offering a powerful critique of colonialism's destructive
The Grassy Narrows (Asubpeeschoseewagong) First Nation is an Ojibwa First Nation located north of Kenora, ON. The community has been fighting against environmental injustices imposed on them from various actors over the last 40 years (Rodgers, 2009, para. 10), involving issues with mercury poisoned fish (para. 1) clear cutting of their lands (para. 27) and subsequent degradation of their land, water and food sources. This essay will detail the environmental justice struggles of the Grassy Narrows First Nation, point out the unfair treatment and environmental racism they have been subject to and will also question the role that authority, power and litigation have played within the community.
The places in which we live are an integral and inescapable aspect of who we are, as they largely determine culture, community, and determine the outlook that one has on the rest of the world. In the American South, physical and cultural geography has played a particularly important role in the historical and modern contexts of racial relations. The dynamic between enslaved peoples and the natural landscape is a complex one that offers innumerable interpretations, but inarguably serves as a marker of the wounds created by institutional racism and human enslavement. In her collection of poems entitled Native Guard, Natasha Trethewey utilizes external features of the natural environment in the South in order to communicate the repressed grief, both personal and collective, which can arise as a result of inflicted systemic violence. Through comparing part one of Native Guard, which focuses on
The systematic racism and discrimination in America has long lasting effects that began back when Europeans first stepped foot on American soil is still visible today but only not written into the law. This racism has lead to very specific consequences on the Native people in today’s modern world, and while the racism is maybe not as obvious it is still very present. These modern Native peoples fight against the feeling of community as a Native person, and feeling entirely alone and not a part of it. The poem “The Reservation” by Susan Cloud and “The Real Indian Leans Against” by Chrystos examine the different effects and different settings of how their cultures survived but also how so much was lost for them within their own identity.
As European domination began, the way in which the European’s chose to deal with the Aborigines was through the policy of segregation. This policy included the establishment of a reserve system. The government reserves were set up to take aboriginals out of their known habitat and culture, while in turn, encouraging them to adapt the European way of life. The Aboriginal Protection Act of 1909 established strict controls for aborigines living on the reserves . In exchange for food, shelter and a little education, aborigines were subjected to the discipline of police and reserve managers. They had to follow the rules of the reserve and tolerate searchers of their homes and themselves. Their children could be taken away at any time and ‘apprenticed” out as cheap labour for Europeans. “The old ways of the Aborigines were attacked by regimented efforts to make them European” . Their identities were threatened by giving them European names and clothes, and by removing them from their tra...
...ed on Australia's working women and Oodgeroo Noonuccal's life is featured as one of the exhibitions. The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English wrote, "Overall her work, and life, was a passionate and articulate expression of wrongs inflicted upon Australian Aboriginal people and of the Aboriginal's indomitable will not only to survive but to flourish." Oodgeroo's seemingly timeless popularity is a testament to both her survival and her prosperity.
LaDuke, Winona. All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life. Cambridge, MA: South End Press, 1999. Print.
Wendy Rose’s poetry portfolio has a wide spectrum. Her personal identity poems and, more broadly, poems about native identity (some about tribes which, ironically, she has no direct connection to) are all works that reflect the journey many natives are on to discover who they are and their place in the world. Her quest to return to her Hopi ancestral roots in her personal poems, while sharing and understanding identity from native tribes far different from her own, are encapsulated in a selection of three poems: “Oh Father”, “Truganinny”, and “Throat Song: The Whirling Earth.” “Oh Father” is a reflection on meeting with her estranged father, a significant missing link to her Hopi ancestry. “Truganinny” and “Throat-Song” are native identity poems that discuss, respectively, the effects of stolen culture from a Tasmanian perspective and the importance of Inuit cultural identity.
It acts as a mechanism to re-live the past and embrace their spiritual and emotional connection with the land and re-store faith in their future. Readings of their lives and traumas they faced together instead of alone is also a way to look past the shame and embarrassment (Episkenew, 16). “Tribal relations” are also a vital part of their healing and cultural identity that is able to be re-kindled through Indigenous storytelling even theatrical productions. The priority being to heal their mental and emotional health and with the support of each other, this cohesive community stands a better chance at
Within the Aboriginal ways of knowing it is suggested that “land is the heart of Creation, a realm where humans are among a vast array of creatures” (Belanger, 2014, p. 7). In essence, the Aboriginal people have looked upon the earth as a source of resources that may be utilized but must be honored. This is further substantiated by Belanger when he states that “human beings began to measure their existence in terms of how well they ensured the land’s health and safety, as opposed to how well they acquired wealth and personal gain” (Belanger, 2014, p. 8). As a result of this deeply ingrained relationship between the Aboriginal person and Creation, it comes as no surprise to learn that the Aboriginal people of Canada have decided to revolt against what they consider to be an insult to both their ways of knowing and Creation; earth itself. Thus, on November 10, 2012 the Idle No Movement began ("Timeline," 2013). For the purpose of this paper, this student will discuss how the Idle No More movement began, what the movement entailed, and whether or not the message of Idle No More was heard.
Adaptation is the source and story of a species’ survival. Human beings’ journey across and habitation of the earth’s surfaces demanded resilience to change. As a result each race is a product of the land in which they inhabited. We have grown with the land. Our physical traits tie us to a particular region, a particular place, but what of our emotions? Are they another link to our homelands or do they orphan us, forcing us to seek refuge? Terry Tempest Williams’ Refuge, is the story of her adaptation to change, her struggle to weather changes. The emotional maturity of her relationship with the Great Salt Lake is a subset of her wider community’s relationship to their homeland. This emotional separation from the land is characteristic of modern societies, not the archaic ones. For a Native American tribe like the Sevier-Fremont, the land is ---. In order to successful adapt to the changes in her life, Williams combines the present day idea of ownership of the land with the Sevier-Fremont people’s example of reaction to changes in the land to form the skills necessary for her survival.
Since this text is recent text, the perspective of the text becomes more central and considerate to Indigenous. Though resentment remains present to the settlers and government for their laws, there is more consideration to Indigenous about their lifestyles and how culturally they are viewed. They are able to act their cultures without the laws bidding them down.
In the essay “The Way to Rainy Mountain” by N. Scott Momaday, honors the Kiowa culture and describes its traditions.The author employs a wistful tone, to convey his expression towards the lost of his heritage. Through the use of rhetorical devices, the author conveys his thesis precisely. Diction also plays a vital role in expressing tone. N. Scott Momaday in his reminiscence demonstrates nostalgic longing for a time that cannot be salvaged and is gone forever. The author reminds us of lost tribes, lost religions and lost hope as well as how important a person's heritage is to them.
“ ( 149). Every member of the town is affected by the country's colonial practices which include land theft, displacement, and the disconnection with indigenous people and their respective native languages. In the face of a crisis, the tiny Anishinaabe community faces the solid truth that the impact of
“The Reservation” by Susan Clouds demonstrates the ways in which the speaker protected her sense of identity as a Native person, but also how it was complicated. Even though at the time everyone around her attempted to assimilate entire, through speech, but also the way they sat and their appearance. “Torturing their
It is to “legitimately settle – not simply occupy a particular place or to exploit its resources but to become integral to the regularities and harmonies of its dynamic systems” (Allen, 2012). As illustrated by the Centennial Fountain plaque, primitive notions of settlement were enacted through markings that unilaterally communicated dominant versions of land ownership. In a post-structural, post-colonial era we are moving to new epistemologies as a result of transnational movements and deterritorialized cultures. Rita Wong asks, “What happens if we position Indigenous people’s struggles instead of normalized whiteness as the reference point through which we come to articulate our subjectivities?” (2008). This is a powerful query and rightfully posed with regards to Canadian identity. No truthful foundation can be generated without acknowledging Indigenous realities as well as those of every other foot that graces this land. Wong discusses becoming Canadian in relation to whiteness and an alliance of those groups who were “excluded by the Canadian nation in historically specific, racialized, gendered and classed ways” (2008). If the first step is to admit that something is wrong, then Four Boats Stranded is an excellent propellant towards the next steps. As a disruption of dominant, colonial frameworks, the red and yellow, black and white boats in full view for publics to engage