‘Heroes, Rebels and Innovators’ honours seven Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heroes and heroines from the eighteenth through to the twentieth century. The large format book offers simple and striking images of people which capture the essence of each person’s achievements. These stories offer perhaps unknown or recount and reveal inaccurate interpretations of interactions between the original inhabitants and the newcomers to Australia. These historical people include Patyegarang, Bungaree, Tarenorerer, Yarri and Jacky Jacky, Mohara Wacando-Lifu, David Unaipon and Fanny Balbuk Yooreel. Each character’s story is presented twice. The first story captures the person as an individual, their achievements and is a succinct retelling of their role in history. A second retelling records information from the historical record. Both work effectively together.
There are accounts of collaboration, such as Patyegarang’s willingness to teach William Dawes her local language, or Bungaree and Cora Gooseberry mingling with Sydneysiders in the 1790s. Some of the figures were warriors, including the armed freedom fighter Tarenorerer of Van Diemen’s Land around 1800. Heroes Yarri and Jacky Jacky rescued nearly seventy people from floods at Gundagai in 1852. They did this on their bark canoes, and have been remembered as Wiradjuri heroes with a statue in modern day Gundagai. Many of these important historical people and their achievements have been forgotten or neglected.
This book thus is an important addition to existing histories of Australia. Of note is the terminology used throughout such as white settler, coloniser and invader. These are essential to the truth-telling about these people and this history. These stories may inspire pride and increase interest in history among young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers while simultaneously informing those of different cultures.
The author, Karen Wyld, was born on Kaurna yerta in South Australia. She is of Martu descent, the people of the Pilbara region in Western Australia. Jaelyn Biumaiwai is an illustrator of Mununjali and Fijian descent. She based each of her 14 portrait and narrative illustrations on a brief about each person and links to journal articles about their lives.
Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Resource
