And the Clock Struck Thirteen
This fascinating story about an Aboriginal elder of the Kaurna mob is told with great humanity.
And the Clock Struck Thirteen.
Lewis O'Brien, who took the traditional name "Yerloburka" meaning "old man of the sea", is an elder of the Kaurna mob in South Australia. In 1997 he became Aboriginal Elder of the Year. This is his story as told to the linguist and academic Mary-Anne Gale. From her interviews with O'Brien she finds a way to convert the casualness of conversation, with its asides and ruminations, into something structured and compelling. The result is a story about O'Brien, but also about the difficulties faced by Aborigines in South Australia since the 1850s.
The success of the book lies in the quality of the research. It is amazing what the South Australian archives still hold, with the records of O'Brien's time as a ward of the state still accessible.
The book's other fascinating dimension is that O'Brien's great-great-grandmother was Kudnarto, a Kaurna woman, who was the first Aborigine to officially marry a white man in South Australia. At the time the marriage was approved by the government and Kudnarto was given land near Clare.
Not surprisingly, the family history is essentially a story of broken promises and a constant struggle against racism and poverty. When Kudnarto died, her husband could not inherit her land and it returned to the government while the family were moved to the mission at Poonindie near Port Lincoln ... click here to read more
Book Review And The Clock Struck Thirteen: The life and thoughts of Kaurna Elder Uncle Lewis Yerloburka O'Brien as told to Mary-Anne Gale ... CLICK HEREThe book's other fascinating dimension is that O'Brien's great-great-grandmother was Kudnarto, a Kaurna woman, who was the first Aborigine to officially marry a white man in South Australia. At the time the marriage was approved by the government and Kudnarto was given land near Clare.
Not surprisingly, the family history is essentially a story of broken promises and a constant struggle against racism and poverty. When Kudnarto died, her husband could not inherit her land and it returned to the government while the family were moved to the mission at Poonindie near Port Lincoln ... click here to read more
- BOOK FOR SALE AT WAKEFIELD PRESS ... CLICK HERE
- BOOK FOR SALE AT AMAZON ... CLICK HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment