Singing Saltwater Country: Journey To The Songlines Of Carpentaria

Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book Singing Saltwater Country: Journey To The Songlines Of Carpentaria by John Bradley with Yanyuwa families, Allen & Unwin
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John Bradley with Yanyuwa families ISBN: 9781742372419
Publisher: Allen & Unwin Publication: August 1, 2010
Imprint: Language: English
Author: John Bradley with Yanyuwa families
ISBN: 9781742372419
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Publication: August 1, 2010
Imprint:
Language: English
John Bradley's compelling account of three decades living with the Yanyuwa people of the Gulf of Carpentaria and of how the elders revealed to him the ancient songlines of their Dreaming. At twenty John Bradley was sent to teach Aboriginal children in a school at remote Borroloola, on the Gulf of Carpentaria in far north Australia. But it is the teacher who is educated by the Yanyuwa elders and their families. Over three decades he learns their language and their country, becoming intimately drawn into other ways of being, both practical and spiritual. With passion and pride they teach him their songlines, relating what they know and value - ancestors, kin, allegiances; places, plants, animals; seasons, ceremonies, stories - and the spirit that sustains all. As we follow John Bradley on his journey, we begin to see that the songlines are keys to the authority and continuity held by Aboriginal Law. We begin to understand why, when country can no longer be sung, the Yanyuwa feel it so deeply. And what such loss means to us all. 'A rare diary of devotion... sometimes humorous, sometimes very sad, revealing the extraordinary personal commitment needed to gain insight into Aboriginal connections to country... a moving tale of an urgent quest.'- Professor Jon Altman, Australian National University. 'This book strikes chords with the work of William Stanner and Donald Thomson, while evoking the poetic resonance of Barry Lopez's writing about the Inuit.' - Dr Nonie Sharp, author of 'Saltwater People'. 'A rare book that attunes us to ways of Yanyuwa dwelling, belonging and being in an intimate relatedness that does not separate thinking from feeling, history from experience, authority from caring, solemnity from humour, and meaning from the life in which this knowledge is embedded.' - Dr Franca Tamisari, Ca' Foscari University of Venice and University of Queensland.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
John Bradley's compelling account of three decades living with the Yanyuwa people of the Gulf of Carpentaria and of how the elders revealed to him the ancient songlines of their Dreaming. At twenty John Bradley was sent to teach Aboriginal children in a school at remote Borroloola, on the Gulf of Carpentaria in far north Australia. But it is the teacher who is educated by the Yanyuwa elders and their families. Over three decades he learns their language and their country, becoming intimately drawn into other ways of being, both practical and spiritual. With passion and pride they teach him their songlines, relating what they know and value - ancestors, kin, allegiances; places, plants, animals; seasons, ceremonies, stories - and the spirit that sustains all. As we follow John Bradley on his journey, we begin to see that the songlines are keys to the authority and continuity held by Aboriginal Law. We begin to understand why, when country can no longer be sung, the Yanyuwa feel it so deeply. And what such loss means to us all. 'A rare diary of devotion... sometimes humorous, sometimes very sad, revealing the extraordinary personal commitment needed to gain insight into Aboriginal connections to country... a moving tale of an urgent quest.'- Professor Jon Altman, Australian National University. 'This book strikes chords with the work of William Stanner and Donald Thomson, while evoking the poetic resonance of Barry Lopez's writing about the Inuit.' - Dr Nonie Sharp, author of 'Saltwater People'. 'A rare book that attunes us to ways of Yanyuwa dwelling, belonging and being in an intimate relatedness that does not separate thinking from feeling, history from experience, authority from caring, solemnity from humour, and meaning from the life in which this knowledge is embedded.' - Dr Franca Tamisari, Ca' Foscari University of Venice and University of Queensland.

More books from Allen & Unwin

Cover of the book Keating by John Bradley with Yanyuwa families
Cover of the book Shahana: Through My Eyes by John Bradley with Yanyuwa families
Cover of the book Gourmet Hot Dogs by John Bradley with Yanyuwa families
Cover of the book Angel: Through My Eyes - Natural Disaster Zones by John Bradley with Yanyuwa families
Cover of the book It's True! Animals are electrifying (11) by John Bradley with Yanyuwa families
Cover of the book Are You My Bottom? by John Bradley with Yanyuwa families
Cover of the book The Intimacy of Death and Dying by John Bradley with Yanyuwa families
Cover of the book Tashi and the Golem by John Bradley with Yanyuwa families
Cover of the book Mothers and Sons by John Bradley with Yanyuwa families
Cover of the book The Colony by John Bradley with Yanyuwa families
Cover of the book The Lightkeeper's Wife by John Bradley with Yanyuwa families
Cover of the book Food for Good by John Bradley with Yanyuwa families
Cover of the book The One and Only Jack Chant by John Bradley with Yanyuwa families
Cover of the book Maisie Moo and Invisible Lucy by John Bradley with Yanyuwa families
Cover of the book It's True! Frogs are Cannibals (2) by John Bradley with Yanyuwa families
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy