POSTCOLONIAL RESISTANCE IN ABORIGINE SOCIETY
REPRESENTED BY ‘I’ CHARACTERS IN WONGAR’S
THE TRACK TO BRALGU
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
ENG ONNY LAWATY Student Number: 034214136
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
i
POSTCOLONIAL RESISTANCE IN ABORIGINE SOCIETY
REPRESENTED BY ‘I’ CHARACTERS IN WONGAR’S
THE TRACK TO BRALGU
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
ENG ONNY LAWATY Student Number: 034214136
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
iv
JESUS
Now and Forever!
“YOU are the LORD
who reigns upon the earth and the heaven the ONE who really cares for me
and YOUR JOY is my strength to the ONE that I will always turn to
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Dedicated to
My beloved FATHER,
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma : Nama : ENG ONNY LAWATY
Nomor Mahasiswa : 034214136
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul :
POSTCOLONIAL RESISTANCE IN ABORIGINE SOCIETY
REPRESENTED BY ‘I’ CHARACTERS IN WONGAR’S
THE TRACK TO BRALGU
beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, me-ngalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Yogyakarta, 02 Maret 2009
Yang menyatakan
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My special thanks to JESUS for giving me strength to finish the writing of my undergraduate thesis. It is a part of the long journey I have with HIS companionship. With HIM, I share my joy, tears and laughter.
My deep thanks to my BPR and GTY-ers for their accompany in the journey to know HIM more and the LOVE they share to me to heal my authism ( can not recognize and accept HIS LOVE or deliver IT ). So, I can say that JESUS is my MUSIC and sing Can’t Smile Without YOU and Kenny Rogers’ YOU Decorated My Life with all of my heart.
For my big family thanks for giving me the support on many things with all you got. To my mom who never stops praying for her children and my father who really loves me, it is a pleasure to have both of you as my parents. To my brothers and sister who have made big sacrifice on funding my education, sorry for giving you so many breath taking times.
To my advisor and my co-advisor, Mr. Fajar and Ms. Tata in the writing process of this undergraduate thesis. Thank you, for lending me the book, giving me advice and patiently reading my writing before the approval. It has been quite a long journey on working on this undergraduate thesis. Both of you are still the real thinkers.
Last but not the least, thanks to ‘PBI and English Letters little sisters and brothers’ who I know, all the lecturers I know and my thesis defense examiners.
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CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION……… 1
A. Background of the Study………. 1
B. Problem Formulation ……….. 3
C. Objectives of the Study……… 4
D. Definition of Terms………. 4
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW………... 5
A. Review on Related Studies……….. 5
B. Review on Related Theories……… 8
1. Theory on Character and Characterization ………... 8
2. Theory on Postcolonial Resistance ……….……… 10
3. Review on Aborigine Society ………..……….. 12
C. Theoretical Framework ………... 15
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY……….. 16
A. The Object of the Study.. .……….………. 16
B. Approach of the Study ……… 17
C. Method of the Study ……… 18
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ……… 20
A. The Characterization of ‘I’ Characters in “Mogwoi, The Trickster,” “Jambawal, The Thunder Man,” “Poor Fellow Dingo,” and “The Tracker”……… 20
1. Mogwoi, The Trickster ……….. 20
2. Jambawal, The Thunder Man ………... 22
3. Poor Fellow Dingo ………... 26
4. The Tracker ………. 31
B. The Aborigine Society Represented by ‘I’ ………. 36
1. Mogwoi, The Trickster ………... 37
2. Jambawal, The Thunder Man……….. 38
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4. The Tracker ……….. 42
C. The Postcolonial Resistance of Aborigine Society ……… 44
1. The Representation of The Colonized and The Colonizer in The Four Stories……… 45
a. Mogwoi, The Trickster ……… 45
b. Jambawal, The Thunder Man ……….. 46
c. Poor Fellow Dingo ………... 47
d. The Tracker ……….. 48
2. The Struggle of The Colonized Within Colonization Time……….. 49
a. Mogwoi, The Trickster……….. 49
b. Jambawal, The Thunder Man ……… 51
c. Poor Fellow Dingo ……….... 53
d. The Tracker ……… 55
3. The Means Used by The Colonized for Their Resistance………….. 57
a. Mogwoi, The Trickster……… 57
b. Jambawal, The Thunder Man ………... 60
c. Poor Fellow Dingo ………... 62
d. The Tracker ………. 64
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ………. 66
ix ABSTRACT
Eng Onny lawaty (2008). Postcolonial Resistance in Aborigine Society represented by ‘I’ characters in Wongar’s The Track to Bralgu. Yogyakarta: Departement of English Letters, Sanata Dharma University.
This study analyzes a novel written by B.Wongar entitled the Track to Bralgu. The novel is about the struggles of Aborigine in the colonization period. The novel also contains the culture load of the Aborigine society’s in Australia that the author is interested in.
The purpose of this study is to examine the postcolonial resistance done by the Aborigines using their mind set. In the process, at first, the writer discusses characterization of four ‘I’ characters, the way of the ‘I’ characters represents the Aborigine society, and how the ‘I’ characters represent the postcolonial resistance of Aborigine society.
The writer makes a library research in doing this study. The writer takes the postcolonial approach to analyze the three problems. The theories used in this study are theory on character and characterization, postcolonial resistance and a review on Aborigine society.
x ABSTRAK
Eng Onny lawaty (2008). Postcolonial Resistance in Aborigine Society represented by ‘I’ characters in Wongar’s The Track to Bralgu. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Tulisan ilmiah ini membahas tentang novel berjudul The Track to Bralgu yang dikarang oleh B. Wongar. Novel ini bercerita tentang perjuangan masyarakat Aborgin di masa kolonisasi. Novel ini juga berisi muatan budaya masyarakat Aborigin di Australia yang menjadi minat si pengarang.
Tujuan dari studi ini adalah untuk mengetahui perlawanan pasca koloni yang dilakukan oleh masyarakat Aborigin dengan menggunakan pola pikir mereka. Dalam prosesnya, penulis membahas terlebih dahulu tentang penokohan dari empat tokoh ‘I’, bagaimana tokoh ‘I’ mewakili masyarakat Aborigin, dan bagaimana tokoh ‘I’ menunjukkan perlawanan masyarakat Aborigin pada pasca kolonisasi.
Penulis menggunakan metode penelitian pustaka dalam mengerjakan studi ini. Penulisan memilih pendekatan postkolonial dalam menganalisa tiga permasalahan tersebut. Sementara teori yang digunakan dalam studi ini adalah teori tentang tokoh dan penokohannya, teori perlawanan pasca kolonisasi, dan sebuah ulasan tentang masyarakat Aborigin.
1 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Literature is usually found in written form, and reveals the events related to human experiences. One of them is the experience of colonization. Literature that concerns with colonization experience and anti-colonial expression is called post-colonial literature. The Empires Writes Back notes this common characteristic of post-colonial literature:
What each of these literature has in common beyond their special and distinctive regional characteristics is that they emerged in their present form out of the experience of colonization and asserted themselves by foregrounding the tension with the imperial power, and by emphasizing their differences from the assumptions of the imperial centre (Ashcroft, Griffiths and Tiffin,1991:2).
Postcolonial literature appears as the realization of the colonized’s objection on the suffering they must bear because of the colonization. The objection continues up to the time after independence (postcolonial), then, it can be seen from works that are presenting common topic e.g resistance. The works meant here are, for example, Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, Hyllus Maris and Borg’s Women of the Sun, James Joyce’s Evelyne, and Wongar’s The Track to Bralgu. These works present how the colonized
resist the colonizer’s dominance over them.
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thesis is The Track To Bralgu. This novel presents non-physical struggle of resistance done by the colonized. The writer calls it non-physical struggle because it is about the struggle without violence. This is the reason why the writer is interested in the novel. The writer wants to see how the colonized apply their mind set to struggle. In this undergraduate thesis the writer will examine the postcolonial resistance of the Aborigine society. The writer takes the samples of Aborigine society from four ‘I’ characters and each of them tells one story. The four ‘I’ characters here are chosen because they can show their resistance using a means that is their mind set. Also, these ‘I’ characters can show the Aborigine society characteristics that result in depiction of varieties in Aborigine society. The four ‘I’ characters that the writer means are the ‘I’ characters from the story of “Mogwoi, the Trickster”, “Jambawal, the Thunder Man”, “Poor Fellow Dingo” and “The tracker.” The Trickster is a story
about the wandering spirit that takes revenge to the living whites. Jambawal is a story about the cyclone caller who wants to protect the Aborigine land. Poor Fellow Dingo is a story about the widow of the Aborigine man. The Tracker is a story about the Aborigine tracking expert.
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here usually related to the Aborigine society’s reliance to the nature, its well acquaintance with its bush, and its belief in Aborigine myth.
The four ‘I’ characters of Aborigine society in the novel represent postcolonial resistance. Their resistance can be seen in representation of the colonized and colonizer, in the colonized’s struggle within colonization time, and in the colonized’s means for their resistance. In the colonized and the colonizer representation part, the writer discusses the comparison of the colonized and the colonizer’s characteristics. In the colonized’s struggle part, the writer discusses how the colonized suffers in the colonization time. In the last part of the analysis the writer discusses the colonized’s means to fight against the colonization without violence.
B. Problem Formulation
1. What are the characteristics of ‘I’ characters in “Mogwoi, The Trickster”,“Jambawal, The Thunder Man”, “Poor Fellow Dingo”, and “The
Tracker”?
2. How does each ‘I’ character represent Aborigine society?
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C. Objective of the Study
This study is done to find out what are the characterizations of ‘I’ characters in “Mogwoi, The Trickster”, “Jambawal, The Thunder Man”, “Poor Fellow Dingo”,
and “The Tracker”, to see how each ‘I’ character represents the Aborigine society, and how each ‘I’ character represents postcolonial resistance of Aborigine society.
D. Definitions of Terms
1. Postcolonial: this term is used to cover all the culture affected by imperial process from the moment of colonization to the present day. ( Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin, 1991: 2) Postcolonialism or post-colonialism is the resulted culture and societies after colonization. Post-colonial is post independence era. ( Ashcroft. Et al, 1998:186)
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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
This undergraduate thesis analyzes a novel entitled The Track to Bralgu written by B. Wongar which was published by Harper Collins Publisher in 1992, while the first was in 1978. The novel consists of 186 pages and it is the second edition. This novel uses backward and forward mixture narrative (plot).
The novel consists of twelve sub-stories. They are “Mogwoi, The Trickster”, “Jambawal, the Thunder Man”, “Willy-Willy Man”, “Poor Fellow Dingo”, “The Miringu”, “The Tracker”, “Buwad, the Fly”, “Girigiri, the Trap”, “Goarang, the
Anteater”, “Balanda Mob”, “Maramara”, and “Mogo, the Crocodile Man”. The
stories are narrated by character ‘I’ (the first person point of view).
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Aborigines are accompanied by the ancestors, nature and animals. The Aborigines within the perspective of ‘I’ can not be defeated no matter what happened. All Aborigines will be gathered in eternity in their water hole, a place where they will have their reunion without the colonizer intervention.
There are terms that the writer uses in the analysis related to most presented ideas in the novel. They are ideas about mortality, nature acquaintance and competence. Mortality here means what the Aborigine myth taught about the life after the Aborigine died. The Aborigine will live not as human, but lives in other form. Because they have the option to decide their form by choosing where they want to go: to join the ancestor in Bralgu (the world where all Black ancestors gather), to wait to reborn in the sacred water hole, or to wander as trickster spirit in the country. While nature acquaintance here means the nature power that is capable to destruct, such as flood and cyclone. Third, competence here means the skill and the knowledge of the Aborigine to survive.
B. Approach of the Study
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wash the ‘colonialist ideology’ which was not so influential in the past (Barry, 1995:191).
The reason of using this approach is to examine the resistance of the oppressed in their custom which can be seen from the perspective of character ‘I’. This approach is suitable to see the diversity of postcolonial writing, especially on resistance. Here, the novel offers its prominent value presenting certain Aborigine society perseverance in holding their tradition.
C. Method of the Study
This undergraduate thesis is a library research. There are two important books in doing this research. They are The Post-Colonial Reader and The First Australians. Before coming to conclusion, there are some steps to do, they are:
First, the writer finds out what the characteristics of ‘I’ are. In order to find out the characterization, the writer uses a characterization theory of M.J. Murphy about the characterization. All points of characterization in the characters chosen are noted to get more precise Aborigine characterization.
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answer the third question in the problem formulation. While the character I’s differences to Aborigine society remark varieties of the society.
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CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
A. The Characterization of ‘I’ Characters in “Mogwoi, The Trickster,”
“Jambawal, The Thunder Man,” “Poor Fellow Dingo” and “The Tracker”
In this characterization part the writer discusses about the characterization of ‘I’ characters in the four different stories. These ‘I’ characters are the narrator of the story, and they become the important factors because their characterizations are the steps to find out the characteristics of a person in each story.
1. Mogwoi, The Trickster
The character ‘I’ in this story is a Christian priest whose name is Gurg. This can be seen in his thought.
Reverend George (born Gurg) of Riratjingu had died, the papers all over and the country could write, they might even print a photo, of me; … (p.3).
And other character admits his Christianity. This is shown in character as seen by others.
“I am Christian.”
“Are you indeed! …” (p.5).
He comes from traditional family background. His parents are only illiterate tribal people. This can be seen from his thought.
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He is inferior. He compares himself to other people to get the confidence that he is actually better on bringing many souls to Christianity. This can be seen in his thought.
You see, I did not do so badly in church, better than any other blackfellow; even many whites would envy me. Think of all those new souls I brought to Christianity; scores of them (p. 7).
He wants equality among races. He sees that it is pity that the blacks have no access to be known as saints in present time, or in the future. He regrets that there is discrimination over the blacks in the world. The writer sees his awareness in his thought.
What a pity there are no black saints and it looks as though the world will be without them (p. 9).
He has sense of belonging to his tribal land and people. His sense of belonging is reflected in his thought that he feels responsible for what happened to his tribal land and people, and his fear of going and seeing his ancestor in Bralgu. His fear is caused by his thought that he will be sent to Bralgu and join the ancestor.
No, they would not have me in Bralgu. It is better that way. After all that has happened to Riratjingu land and the people it would not be easy to face the ancestor (p.12).
He believes in myth. The writer sees it in his thought that he decides to be Mogwoi, the trickster spirit that wanders around the world.
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His decision is made based on what the Riratjingu elders said. Their sayings make him believe if the trickster spirit is one of the options of the spirits have. Trickster spirit is the one who wanders around the country. Other options are joining the ancestor in Bralgu and waiting to be reborn in the bottom totemic water hole. This can be seen in his thought.
The Riratjingu elders say often when a man dies his spirit splits in three part: one goes to Bralgu to join his ancestors, another sits on the bottom of the totemic water hole and waits to be reborn; while the third, the Mogwoi, they call it, wanders around tribal country (p.12).
So, the characteristic of character ‘I’ in this story is a man whose job is Christian priest and who has traditional family background. Therefore he becomes inferior and wants equality among races. Inspite of admitting Christianity as his religion, he still holds his belief in myth, and has sense of belonging to his tribal land and people.
2. Jambawal, The Thunder Man
Character ‘I’ in this story is a Jambawal caller, who invites Jambawal by dancing and singing at the island peak. This can be seen in his thought.
Sometimes I climbed to the island peak, high, like an anthill there, and looking toward Bralgu I danced and sang to Jambawal -- … (p.14).
He believes in myth. He believes that the creation of the banyan tree by Djanggawul to shelter his tribe from the hot sun. This can be seen in his thought.
The banyan tree – now that was planted by Djanggawul to shelter our people from the hot sun. … (p.14).
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support his tribe’s living. Therefore it is not surprising that he also believes about Jambawal, the cyclone, which has destructive characteristic as the nature’s phenomenon and the one that may help him to sweep the whites’ town and houses. This can be seen in his thinking.
I knew if I called, and waited long enough, Jambawal would rise from Bralgu to sweep across the sea in such a rage that when he hit town the white man and his house flutter like leaves in the air (p. 14).
Because he believes that Jambawal is mightiest of all and Jambawal protects his tribe from being harmed by the whites. From his thought, it is seen from how he likes the Jambawal’s intervention on protecting his tribe from the whites’ disturbance. This is seen in his thought.
After the night of the storm even the whites must have learned that Jambawal is stronger than any of us, that to harm him or his people is to risk his anger. The white man may have guns, and dynamite to blast the rocks, but Jambawal is mightiest of all (p. 17).
and he thinks that Jambawal has helped him to snatch back his country.
Jambawal has left me behind again, in a strange country which ceased to be mine long ago (p.22).
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Cook and his dinghy are high on such huge boulders that I wonder how they could have been moved into the town, to roll such rocks could take the sweat of hundreds of prisoners (p.19).
He has sense of belonging to his tribal land and people. His sense of belonging to his land can be seen whenever he is separated from the native’s settlement, where his tribal people settled. This is shown in his thought.
I always hope – if they let me go away from here – to live there in the native settlement hidden in the thick bush, and sheltered by banyan trees (p.21). His sense of belonging to his tribal people can be seen from his helplessness to see his land flattened by the whites’ bomb and to be separated from his tribal people. This can be seen from his thought.
Captain Cook is still riding the stone waves to the shore, as safe as he was in the war when bombs flattened everything around him. That’s when I should have gone to Bralgu with my father and the rest of our people. I’ve stayed too long (p.18).
In relation with his sense of belonging to his tribal land, he concerns about his tribe existence. He still concerns for the preservation of his tribal land for the next descendants. The preservation of his tribal land is related to the society’s existence in the future, because its descendants stay in the territory as the proof of its existence. That is why he wants his tribal’s descendants to inherit the tribal’s land. That is why he calls for Jambawal and feels sorry when it comes late. His regret can be seen as solidarity among tribal people that is his hope for the continuation of his people’s living. This can be seen in his thought.
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might have been something or the black man’s land left for the young ones --… (p. 14).
He is well acquainted to his territory. Though he wanders across the bush area, where it is difficult to remember a site for it looks the same. He can note and memorize the sites in his territory such as the pool of water. This can be seen in his thought that shows his recognition on the exact location of the most ever-lasting water pool.
That pool of water … It used to be here, just below those boulders, and held a little water after rain when all else had dried on these rocky slopes. … (p.21). He digs out and carries his food. He thinks that the colonizers’ eagerness on digging and carrying the rocks as the same thing with his food gathering activity. The similarity lies in the idea of urgency of getting something that is very important from the nature as if the thing is their basic needs. The writer sees it in his thought.
You’d think the whites must eat rocks, they’re so keen to dig them out and carry them away (p.19).
He depends on the natural resources. His dependency on natural sources can be seen in his thinking whenever he is far away from the pound and there is no possibility for him to reach it. He thinks about the availability of grasses, frogs, and the bark of bottle trees. This means that he is used to depend on these natural resources. These natural resources from which he usually get water also means that he is a master of finding (getting) water from many natural sources. This can be seen from his thought.
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moisture … If I could find a frog buried in the sand there’d be water in his belly; a cut in the bark of a bottle tree gives a man drink – but here are only rocks for company and no chance to wet my tongue (p.19).
He utilizes what is provided at his surrounding. He utilizes, eventually, the shade of the statue to take a rest. This is shown in his thought.
The first time they locked me up … yes, I drank the water cascading over the boulders under Cook’s dinghy. The statue made a fine shade to rest in but I hardly had time to explain that at the same spot has been the sacred water hole of my tribe, the Larrakeah people (p. 20).
So, the characteristics of character ‘I’ in this story is a person who is still believes in myth and works traditionally because he depends more on his physical strength than using modern equipment. His traditional ways of living are also seen in his dependency to natural resources, his mastery of finding water from natural resources, his well acquaintance with his territory, and his ways to get his food (digging and carrying). When it is necessary, he will utilize everything provided at his surrounding for his convenience. Beside his ways of living, he also has sense of belonging to his tribal land and people.
3. Poor Fellow Dingo
Character ‘I’ in this story is a devoted wife because she does not leave her husband after he is reincarnated into a dingo. She is obedient to her husband. She does what her husband likes. This can be seen in her thought.
Kua hated the place and often made complaining noises, and if there had been a choice I would have left the town to please him (p. 32).
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She appreciates the life. She disagrees with the dingoes hunt that endangers the dingo’s living. She appreciates the dingo’s soul and disagrees with the white’s celebration over the dingo’s death. She appreciates the living of the creatures. This can be seen in her thought.
The whites have an eye on everything, so the stockmen were already tossing away their beer cans and readying themselves for the dingo hunt. A hunt always begins and ends with booze though I’ve always wonder at such cheer when death was all about – … (p.31).
She may lie whenever something disturbs her interest. She lies to the colonizer to protect the dingo from the whites’ capture. The dingo’s security and his presence near her become her interest. Therefore she will do anything to keep him safe, including deliberately giving wrong information. This can be seen from her speech.
”Which way did he go, the yellow devil,” yelled the head stockman. “To Bralgu maybe,” I said
“We are after a dingo, not one of your mob this time (p.31).
She is close related to her tribal people. The closeness is seen in her trust to her tribal people. She and her tribal people have good understanding to one another. They also share the same faith that a person may reincarnated into a dingo. This can be seen in her thought.
Even if I tried to explain what happened to my husband the whites would not believe a word of it. ... Tribal people, the elders, they could have understood it, but now even the last of those has gone. Pingal, the Moon, is the only one still around (p. 29).
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She depends on the nature. Her survival depends on what is provided in the nature. Whenever there is something not found, she would substitute it with anything else that is also provided in the nature. This can be seen in her reaction.
There was hardly any wood around to keep the campfire going; We went to sleep early, shoveling a pit in the sand and huddling together in it against the cold, Kua and me on the ends, and the children between. We had no roof to shelter us from the open sky and the night breeze would freeze the bones inside of you (p. 29-30).
She believes in myth. She believes that one might change into a tree, or an animal. This is seen in her thought.
This morning, in Kua’s place lay a dingo coiled in a knot and pressing against the children. The three children asked no questions though the eldest of them a boy, is hardly ten. They all seemed, silently, to understand. Perhaps when they were born they already knew that one might change into a tree or animal (p. 30).
From what she believes on people’s reincarnation, she thinks that a person will keep his mannerism, eventually after he is reincarnated. The reincarnated will still follow their old ancestor’s guidance. This is seen in her thought.
Night fell, the mongrels stopped their howling, and pingal, the Moon, sneaked out from behind a cloud to light the Pound. Kua jumped suddenly, scrambled over the fence and followed his shining ancestor out of the enclosure. No white man – no dog – saw him go (p. 34).
The reincarnated will also possess his logical consideration for his safety. He will not acting foolishly to take a risk that may endanger his living in facing a problem. This means that he will put his emotional aside for safety.
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After all, she believes that someone will not loose his talent because the talent will be well preserved in his soul. When someone has the talent, it will always be his, though he already reincarnated. This is seen in her thought.
He was very good at the gungi, the rainmaking ceremony. None of us could help much, and he had to do it all himself – rearing his back legs and, as he danced, knocking the claws of his front paws together to make the sound of clapping sticks. It was not possible for him to play the didjeridu, so he made growling noises sounding much the same as that instrument (p.35).
Beside the myth on reincarnation, she also believes about Aborigine’s ability on performing gungi, the rainmaking ceremony. She admits that only an Aborigine who can perform the best gungi. The Aborigine’s mastery can cause flood in the country. This is seen in her thought.
… when a blackfellow dances just right then his voice and sound of the dance float up to the sky and wake Pingal. The Moon answers with splashing water – the louder you sing and dance the more rain will fall, and if you are very good, the whole country could be flooded (p. 36).
She believes about one’s ability to outwit the colonizer. She believes that someone’s good skill can overcome the colonizers with equipment. He will make the colonizers tired of chasing them. This is seen in her thought.
…, for whether you are human or animal, the whites will not chase you indefinitely. If you are clever enough, whichever way they follow you, on foot or horseback, or Land Rover, they finally tire of the game and withdraw unless there is a very high price on your head (p.31).
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I have never been out of the bush before and have not heard much about the place the whites call “town.” It is a huge anthill, with so little room to move around the people bump against the other. I cannot see what such a big mob must be together; perhaps they have grown afraid to live alone (p. 32).
She utilizes what is provided in her surrounding. She will utilize anything as the substitution of the necessary things that can not be found. This can be seen in her reaction.
We camped in a huge sewer pipe dumped at the outskirts of town, for we need shelter; not from rain, for that fell so little that we almost forgot how it looked. No we needed shelter from the dust. A vast plain; almost all the country sight, was an open mine – where the whites dug rocks day and night and seemed never to be sick of them, and a cloud of dust; as thick as the night, hung over the town (p.32).
She hunts her food from the bush. She hunts her bush food by collecting and carrying it to her home. Her gathering food activity still continues whenever there is no bush food around, for she gathers her food from rubbish bins. This can be seen in her reaction.
There was no bush food to be found around. From the mangled dusty earth even the insects had vanished. Now and then Kua would drag home a large bone from the rubbish dump, but there was seldom much left to chew from these. We had more luck with the rubbish bins. Late at night we would tour the streets with Kua leading the way, sniffing each bin and whinning if there was any food inside worth pulling out (p.33).
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reincarnation, and her close relationship with her tribal people stimulate herself to accept her tribal people whenever they are reincarnated. Last, she lives in the bush with her family and hunts her food from the bush. Her survival depends on the nature, and she also utilizes what is provided in her surrounding.
4. The Tracker
Character ‘I’ in this story is well acquainted to his territory. As a person who settles in desert territory, he knows his territory borders well.
We’ve almost crossed Dead Adder People country, a dry waterless stretch, with the boiling sun sitting on our heads all day (p.47).
He prefers to stay out of the shade and feel the warmth of the sun, though the territory is a desert with its boiling sun. This can be seen in his thought.
The whites have crowded in the shade of a tree, but I’d rather stay out in the sun than bunch up with that mob. The sun doesn’t bother me. If you’re born in the country, and your skin is dark, the sun is like the touch of a mother’s hand (p.48).
Adapting well in such desert area, he has good physical endurance. He always walks bare feet which show his physics is well trained. He walks through the rocky grounds. He thinks that his well trained feet have better endurance than the boots. This can be seen in his thought.
Bare feet are best for walking. They’ll carry you to the end of the country, and the white man can follow only till his boots wear out; that’s not far, either, on this rocky ground (p.49).
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some water from the frog’s belly which can help him whenever he is on the run. This can be seen in his thought.
He must have water, for he seems fresh for another go. A blackfella never dies of thirst – not in his country. If you dig in the sand in a riverbed you’ll come across a frog or two; spear his belly and water will splash out doesn’t taste the best, but if you’re on the run you’re not too fussy (p. 50).
Related to his traditional skill, he knows how to make fire in hard way. As a person who usually camps while wandering across the territory, he is able to make fire traditionally when it is needed. The fire can be made by holding the sticks straight and true against the wood below.
Fool, he hasn’t bothered to smooth the stick and you can’t slide your palms down the stick as you spin it if you leave it rough. He made a fire all right, but he’ll have two handfuls blisters, for sure (p.51).
He is an expert on tracking. He is admitted for his success on tracking. This can be seen in the conversations of others.
“Couldn’t you find anyone better for the job?” “He’s never failed yet (p.48).”
In his tracking expertise, he does his tracking cautiously for he does not miss any steps. He can also tell how good a catch will be, and to which way the catch runs.
He made a campfire there, at the bottom of the dry water hole, and you’d miss it even if you passed by just a few step away. There’s a jump of sandstone nearby – steep and quite high. Yes, he’s climbed there; good boy – you never sleep close to the campfire when you on the run. (p.50)
He also can predict whenever the target can be found or not found. This can be seen in his thought.
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will be, if it’s worth chasing and which way it will run. If it’s a man you’re trailing you can even judge if he’ll be caught, and when (p. 48).
He may use his obligation to fulfill personal interest. In his confidence on tracking expertise, he still concerns about his pride, so that he does not hunt a man, but an animal or a snake. In his attitude as the tracker, he does not like being forced to do the contrary. This is seen in his thought.
They shouldn’t have made me track Malu – even a dingo doesn’t hunt his own breed, but the white … they got no such pride (p.53).
To fulfill his interest he takes for granted any way he takes, so that the colonizer will not be superior over him. Intentionally he does not follow the track any longer. This is seen in his thought.
We’re not following the tracks any longer, but the boss men haven’t noticed – they’re so sure I won’t go wrong. …They’ll go mad, those white men, when they know they’re no way back (p.53).
He believes in myth. He believes when people died, their spirits go to rest at the bottom of the water hole, and they wait to reborn as trees, or birds or stars. This is seen in his thought.
Behind that rocky ridge there’s deep water hole of the Dead Adder People; when anyone of us dies, the spirit goes to rest at the bottom of that hole, waiting to come to life again. All of my people are reborn, not as men, but as trees or birds or stars (p.55).
In his belief in myth, he believes about the spirits. The spirits do not loose their contact with the living. They may come to the living in the dream. This can be seen in his thought.
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tracking so many, but it must be right – the spirit always tell the truth. It’ll be good to tell them that my turn has come, and I’m coming -- … (p.52).
He speaks native language. This can be seen in the conversation of others. ”Seems he doesn’t talk either.”
“He mumbles a few native words now and then (p.48).”
He preserves his tribal custom. He wants the custom to be well preserved as long as the people live in the country. That is why he teaches a traditional practice that is how to make fire traditionally to the next descendant. This can be seen in his thought.
He was a small boy when I taught him the way to make fire; we went walkabout together through the Dead Adder People country and made a camp somewhere near here … We had no matches then (p. 51).
He also teaches about the sacred water hole to his tribal descendant. The place is important in his custom for it is believed as the place where their people will have their reunion in eternity. This can be seen in his thought.
Malu must have passed the sacred water hole by now – he knows the water hole is there. I showed it to him when I taught him about the sacred places of our people; just as he will teach his son when the time comes, and that boy, his son when the time comes, and that boy, his son. That’s the way it will be as long as the black man lives in this country, and one day when we are all animals and birds, we’ll meet at the water hole to drink. Deep between those boulders the white man will never find us (p.55).
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… and I can close my eyes and imagine I’m alone in the bush with the animals and the birds – they do no harm to mankind. … I can even sometimes hear the bull-roarer calling me from the far-Dreaming. … yesterday – I saw myself dancing at the water hole in the hills. All the Dead Adder People were there, the old men and the young blokes, and we danced so hard that a cloud of dust rose up and blotted out the sun till it was dark in the middle of the day. It was good to see my old mates -- … (p. 51).
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B. The Aborigine Society Represented by ‘I’
Before the writer goes to how the Aborigine society represented by ‘I’ characters in the novel, the writer will summarize from what the writer had in the review on the Aborigine society. From the review, the writer can conclude that the Aborigine society has certain characteristics: they are dark-skinned people who wear little or no clothing and speak tribal language.
Human beings, moreover, dark in skin color, who wear little or no clothing, carry simple weapons, behave in a fashion that does not conform to our recognized and established patterns, speak languages that we do not understand, dance and sing in ways that our untuned ears and untrained eyes find exotic, barbaric and even primitive (Berndt, 1954: 19).
These people carry only the important traditional tools, live at and wander across the bush. Therefore they are very familiar and they have emotional bond with their environment, as Berndt paraphrased from A.P Elkin’s Australian Aborigines.
… , each man, woman and child has a strong and even passionate bond with his own country, the ‘eternal’ home of his spirits (1954: 35).
Though they wander across the bush, they still have the sense of belonging to their people. They are also well adapted to their environment and they are well known for their mastery of finding water.
And all over the world they are famed for their skill in finding fresh water; in dry regions, however barren the prospects may seem to stranger, in hollow trees in frogs which have stored their water supply within trees, in frogs which have stored their water supply within their bodies, and in native soaks and wells (p. 44).
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They are semi-nomadic hunters and collectors, wandering across the land or fishing for their food, wandering across the land or fishing for their food, … (p. 27).
Along with their traditional way of living, these people still believe in their myth. The Aborigines believe that death is only a matter of the end of the body, but not the spirit. Last, the Aborigines hold their moral adult standard in their behavior.
In this part the writer discusses the similarities and differences that character ‘I’ has in the comparison with the Aborigine society. Whenever the characteristics are similar then it will be called as the characteristics of Aborigine society, otherwise they will be regarded as personal characteristic of character ‘I’. These personal characteristics can be regarded as the varieties in Aborigine society presented by character ‘I’.
1. Mogwoi, The Trickster
From the characteristics of character ‘I’ in the story, he has similarity with the characteristics of Aborigine society’s in the review. His characteristic is similar to the society characteristic in the case of his belief in Aborigine myth. Because he believes if his spirit lives eternally.
I am going to be Mogwoi, the trickster spirit, moving around this world, … (p.12).
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The Riratjingu elders say often when a man dies his spirit splits in three parts: one goes to Bralgu to join the ancestors; another sits on the bottom of the totemic water hole and waits to be reborn; while the third, they call it, wanders around tribal country (p. 12).
Second, Because he comes from a traditional family background that fulfills its living needs with yams, something that the nature produces. He is similar to the Aborigine society’s characteristics in the case of dependency to the nature.
I presume this is as far as one can go if one has sprung from an illiterate tribal chief and a mother who for her whole life hardly knew anything more than to plunge her buidjub, the digging stick, into the ground in search for yams (p.3). Third, he is similar in the case of his sense of belonging to his land and people because the Aborigine society has strong emotional bond with their land or country. This emotional bond leads to the feeling of responsibility to the ancestor.
No, they would not have me in Bralgu. It is better that way. After all that has happened to Riratjingu land and the people it would not be easy to face the ancestor (p.12).
While the personal characteristics of character ‘I’ is he is an inferior man who wants equality among races by becoming a Christian, and eventually a priest.
2. Jambawal, The Thunder Man
From the characteristics of character ‘I’ in the story, character ‘I’ has similarity with the characteristics of Aborigine society in the review. He is the same as the Aborigine society characteristics in some cases. One of them is seen in what he holds as his religion that is Aborigine myth, the myth that also tells about natural features.
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His second characteristic that reflects the society’s characteristic is his well acquaintance with his territory. Because he knows about the exact location of the pool of water, which means he is familiar with the sites of his territory.
That pool of water … It used to be here, just below those boulders, and held a little water after rain when all else had dried on these rocky slopes … (p.21). His third characteristic that is similar with the Aborigine society is his sense of belonging to his Aboriginal land and people. The Aborigine society’s attachment to their land means that they actually have the willing to preserve the land as their home, and to inherit it to their society’s descendants.
It’s not for myself that I am sorry for Jambawal came late, but for young fellows like Tommy and Wonbri. If Jambawal had heard me sooner there might have been something or the black man’s land left for the young ones --… (p. 14).
His fourth characteristic that is similar to the Aborigine society is hunting (digging and carrying) activity to get his food. He is patterned to see if someone so eager to dig and carry something, then he will presume it as the activity of getting food.
You’d think the whites must eat rocks, they’re so keen to dig them out and carry them away (p.19).
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Cook and his dinghy are high on such huge boulders that I wonder how they could have been moved into the town, to roll such rocks could take the sweat of hundreds of prisoners (p.19).
His sixth characteristic that is similar to the Aborigine society’s characteristic is their dependency of their daily needs on the natural resources, and his mastery of finding water.
…; I must have water soon. My mouth is already dry – perhaps I won’t reach the pool. There are no leaves or grasses to squeeze for a drop or two of moisture … If I could find a frog buried in the sand there’d be water in his belly; a cut in the bark of a bottle tree gives a man drink – but here are only rocks for company and no chance to wet my tongue (p.19).
He is not similar to Aborigine society characteristics in way utilizing everything provided in his surrounding for his convenience. This characteristic is different from the Aborigine society’s because they depend on natural resources, but not use everything available in their surrounding. Moreover, the example is the usage of the water cascading over the boulders under Cook’s dinghy. This example is an effect of adaptation to the colonizer’s settlement in the forced Aborigine’s.
3. Poor Fellow Dingo
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Poor Kua, My poor husband. It would help if he only could say something – tell me what to do or where to go – but since morning he has spoken no word to me or to the children, and will not speak ever again I think. I wonder how he feels now he’s a dingo (p.29).
Second, she is similar to the Aborigine society in the way of holding Aborigine adult moral characteristic. The Aborigine people insist in their interest and therefore may misuse their obligation. The same way also does by her, because she lies to protect the life of her reincarnated dingo.
“Which way did he go, the yellow devil,” yelled the head stockman. “To Bralgu maybe,” I said.
“We are after a dingo, not one of your mob this time (p.31).”
Third, she is similar to the Aborigine society in her belief in Aborigine myth. She believes that an Aborigine may reincarnate into animals or trees. This is similar to the idea of Aborigine society’s myth about the continuation of spirit’s life.
Perhaps when they were born they already knew that one might change into a tree or animal (p. 30).
Fourth, she is similar to the Aborigine society’s characteristic in her living in the bush and making her living by hunting her food. She still hunts her food, she gets it not from bush, but rubbish bins because there is no bush food around.
We had more luck with the rubbish bins. Late at night we would tour the streets with Kua leading the way, sniffing each bin and whinning if there was any food inside worth pulling out (p.33).
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There was hardly any wood around to keep the campfire going; … We went to sleep early, shoveling a pit in the sand and huddling together in it against the cold, Kua and me on the ends, and the children between. We had no roof to shelter us from the open sky and the night breeze would freeze the bones inside you (p.30).
Sixth, her similarity with the Aborigine society characteristic is she has sense of belonging to the Aborigine people.
Even if I tried to explain what happened to my husband the whites would not believe a word of it. ... Tribal people, the elders, they could have understood it, but now even the last of those has gone. Pingal, the Moon, is the only one still around (p. 29).
From the characteristics of character ‘I’ there is one different characteristic that does not belong to the characteristics of Aborigine society that is she believes if a clever enough Aborigine with his skills can overcome the colonizer’s well equipment.
If you clever enough, whichever way they follow you, on foot or horseback or Land Rover, they finally tire of the game and withdraw unless there is a very high price on your head (p. 31).
4. The Tracker
From the characteristics of character ‘I’, there are similarities between characteristic of character ‘I’ and the characteristics of Aborigine society in the review. The similarities are found in first, his well acquaintance with his territory which means he knows the details of his territory very well, includes its borders. Since Aborigine people are really familiar with their territory, so that they know their territory’s borders and sites.
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Second, his similarity with Aborigine society’s characteristics is his acquaintance to his territory and his well adaptation to his territory, which leads to his mastery of finding water resources to survive in such desert area where thirst becomes the common problem.
If you dig in the sand in a river bed you’ll come across a frog or two, spear his belly and water will splash out. It doesn’t taste the best, but if you’re on the run you’re not too fussy (p.30).
Third, his characteristic that is similar to the Aborigine society’s characteristic is he speaks tribal language.
He mumbles a few native words now and then (p.48).
Fourth, his characteristic that is similar to the Aborigine society’s characteristic is his belief in Aborigine myth. He believes about the eternity of a spirit.
Behind that rocky ridge there’s deep water hole of the Dead Adder People; when anyone of us dies, the spirit goes to rest at the bottom of that hole, waiting to come to life again. All of my people are reborn, not as men, but as trees or birds or stars (p.55).
Fifth, he is similar to Aborigine society characteristic in the way of misusing his obligation whenever his personal interest is violated. As the expert of tracking, his obligation is to show to which direction the target is really going, but it violates his personal pride, therefore he intentionally misleads the hunt.
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Sixth, his similar characteristic to Aborigine society’s characteristic is seen in his sense of belonging to the Aborigine people. This can be seen in how he misses his people.
It was good to see my old mates – all of them gone long time ago. They disappeared like the stars in the morning sky – it’s hard to remember what happened to each one. But now and then you bump into a wandering spirit and reminds you that all of us belong to Dead Adder Family (p. 52).
The characteristic of character ‘I’ that is different from the characteristics of Aborigine society are character I’s mastery on tracking, and his willing to preserve the Aborigine tradition. Because in the review it is only told that not all Aborigines are the master on tracking, but it is stated in the review that the capability on tracking can be obtained by practicing continuously. So, the character I’s tracking expertise is personal capability. In character I’s personal idealism on tracking, character ‘I’ will not miss any single step that will lead to the failure in the tracking. With character I’s expertise on tracking, character ‘I’ is able to tell how good a catch will be, and to which way the catch runs. Also, he can predict whenever the target can be found or not found.
You don’t have to track for long before you know who you’re after. When you track an animal – even a lizard – you can always tell how good a catch will be, if it’s worth chasing and which way it will run. If it’s a man you’re trailing you can even judge if he’ll be caught, and when (p. 48).
C. The Postcolonial Resistance in Aborigine Society
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representation of the colonizer and the colonized. The struggle of the colonized presents within colonization time and the means that is used by the colonized to make any intended resistance toward the colonizer.
1. The Representation of The Colonized and The colonizer in The Four Stories
In this representation section, the writer discusses about how the Aborigine society (the colonized) is represented in the four stories. As the writer said before the Aborigine society here is represented by ‘I’ characters who are identified as the member of Aborigine society because they have the similarity with the Aborigine society’s characteristics. From the representation, the writer can see how the colonized are actually depicted to have concern on humanity in order to show their self privilege over the colonizer. From their self privilege the colonized can be seen as people who really concern on the colonizer’s cruelty in the colonization time.
a. Mogwoi, The Trickster
The colonized in the story is presented by a man whose name is Gurg and whose job is Christian priest.
Reverend George (born Gurg) of Riratjingu had died; the papers all over the country would write, they might even print a photo, of me; … (p. 3).
He is an inferior who wants to be equal with the colonizer, but still holds the myth, and has sense of belonging to his land and people.
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… there was only one white man in the district – the Ranger (p.4) … To us the Ranger was a big boss – if you did not do what he told you to; or you raised your voice , he would bring in the big mob of whites and they would finish off the whole tribe (p.5).
The colonizer is represented in ignoramus local whites.
… the local whites in the settlement are ignorant, even worse than blacks. They never see things the way you would like them to. Even if you beg and plead all you life, you are born a black, have to die as one, and worst of you are buried differently from the way you wanted them to be (p.4).
The colonizer is also represented in a white man who discriminates the colonized. He regards that the colonized will never be a saint and does not deserve to be buried at any room in the courtyard.
I whispered: “What about the church, there is plenty of room in the courtyard.”
“One has to be a saint to be buried there. Sorry we could not bend the rules (p. 9).”
b. Jambawal, The Thunder Man
The colonized in this story is represented by a member of Larrakeah people. I tried to explain that at the same spot had been the sacred water hole of my tribe, the Larrakeah people – … (p.20).
He is a man who sometimes calls for Jambawal and he believes in myth. He also has dependency to the nature, and has sense of belonging to his land and people.
Otherwise the colonizer is represented in the white people who snatch the colonized’s country.
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The colonizer is represented in the white who is hypocrite. He is religious, but loves violence.
Jambawal struck late at night – the best time to surprise the white man, knock down his house, to scatter him frightened and half asleep with a bible in one hand and a gun in the other (p.15).
The colonizer is also represented in cruel white people. They like to make the colonized suffers.
In the old days the whites would chain you to a tree and leave you alone – you could stay there for days, for weeks maybe, with no food and still be happy. … Now they put the sledgehammer in your hands, and bully you to swing it against the rocks from dawn till dark. When night comes and you’re pushed into the lockup, you lie down without the strength to sigh or swear (p.15).
c. Poor Fellow Dingo
The colonized in the story is represented by an Aborigine’s wife whose husband has reincarnated into a dingo.
Poor Kua, My poor husband. It would help if he only could say something – tell me what to do or where to go – but since morning he has spoken no word to me or to the children, and will not speak ever again I think. I wonder how he feels now he’s a dingo (p.29).
She appreciates the life, believes about the preserved identity in Aborigine’s soul and the sense of belonging of her people. She also believes about the capability of well- skilled Aborigine.
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without showing any mercy. They are hunters who eventually celebrate the reincarnated people’s death by drinking booze.
The colonizer is represented in the fortune seeker whites who hunt Aborigine’s head for reward. The people will not stop hunting the Aborigine only for big reward, no matter how clever the Aborigine escapes from their pursuit. Also, the colonizer is represented in the whites who take for granted their action for the sake of humanity. The whites do their ‘humanity action’ without considering others’ interest. The white separates the dingo from character ‘I’ without noticing if the character ‘I’ regards the dingo as her husband’s reincarnation. This can be seen in the colonizer’s speech.
We’ve gotta have that dog,” yelled his mate. “It’s a case of emergency. Most of the country is still under terrible drought. Stock re dying, men are starving (p.37).
d. The tracker
The colonized is represented in an Aborigine man, a member of Dead Adder society.
But now and then you bump into a wandering spirit and it reminds you that all of us belong to the Dead Adder family (p.52).
The colonized in the story is represented in an Aborigine man who is an expert in tracking. He is physically well adapted to his territory who misuses his obligation to fulfill his personal interest (holds the Aborigine’s moral adult characteristic). He also has sense of belonging to his people.
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thinks it as violating his pride as an Aborigine. The colonizer is presented as a hunter who seeks for reward. Their subject is the reward, without considering who or what the target is.
“I just want to get him, and collect that bloody reward,” says the glasses (p.51).
The colonizer is presented as a fool. This can be seen in the conversation of two whites. These whites do not know that the Aborigine eats frog’s leg for his tucker, and think that their understanding is already correct, but the Aborigine knows that they are wrong.
“Those Abo’s they’re as clever as dingoes in country like this,” offers the stockman by way of excuse. “Look here, he’s had a cockatoo for his tucker.” “That’s the leg of a lizard, not a bird.”
They’re both wrong – that’s a frog leg. Malu’s had food and water from the owner of that leg, so he’s going all right (p.51).
The colonizer represented as white men who are physically weak. They easily die in the waterless area.
We’ve almost crossed Dead Adder People country, a dry waterless stretch with boiling sun sitting on our heads all day. It doesn’t bother me much; I’m good for weeks more of it, but the whites behind me – the sergeant, the stockman and that fella in the dark glasses – are already getting for every breath they take. Another day or two walking will be the finish of them (p.47).
2. The struggle of The Colonized Within Colonization Time
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of colonized’s rivalries in the novel, and also supports the colonized’s self privilege over the colonizer.
a. Mogwoi, The Trickster
In the story, first the colonized struggles to get his right as a Christian that is to be buried in Christian grace. Instead, his corpse was placed in the coffin and seems to be neglected.
… -- now four days have gone by and I am still in the coffin, locked in the back room of the church (p. 4).
As a human, the colonized thinks that anybody deserves it if they were Christians. … -- no, they would not let me be buried in the ground with a descent Christian service. Every human creature on the earth is allowed that (p.4). So, there is no excuse for not giving the room because of skin color.
Second, the colonized has to fight against whites’ negative thinking about the Aborigines. Since the whites think that the Aborigines are rebellious,
… -- if you did not do what he told you to, or if you raised your voice, he would bring in the big mob of whites and they would finish off the whole tribe (p.5).
materialist and
”I only want …”
“More royalty, we presume (p. 11).” the savages.
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Third, he struggles for being a decent parishioner, despite his inferiority about his condition as a poor native who could not give anything to the Lord.
The natives are poor and innocent; they have nothing to offer the Lord except their poverty (p.7).
So, he struggles to be admitted as a good Christian priest who brings new souls. Last, he struggles on determining where to go after he dies. He can decide neither to go to Bralgu nor to the totemic water hole. He can not go to Bralgu because he is embarrassed to face the Aborigine ancestor there. He thinks that he failled on preserving the Aborigine land. He can not go to the totemic water hole because he worries that it is already polluted.
“It has been polluted with the sewerage and chemicals ever since you opened that mining plant (p.11).”
He also struggles for he must bear the responsibility for Aborigine people and land because he lets the colonizer build the mining in whole district.
It is useless to ring on their conscience. Not one of one wants to say. Let our brother be buried, in the name of Christian dignity; he only needs three feet by six feet – after all he gave us all those mining fields of bauxite, the whole district. No, not one of them has the guts to speak; such a responsibility would be a heavy burden on your shoulder (p.6).
b. Jambawal, The Thunder Man
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They have already cleaned the bush and bulldozed the black man’s land. They have built their houses and made their graveyard – the country I knew well is ugly and strange (p.14).
The colonized, who depends on natural resources in the bush, has to struggle to maintain their society’s survival to the next descendant (the youngsters). The colonizer’s destruction toward the natural resources also effect the nature’s ability to support the colonized’s living.
That pool of water … It used to be here, just below those boulders, and held a little water after rain when all else had dried on these rocky slopes. The white man and his dynamite have been here since I last climbed the peak, though, and where the pool should be is a heap of shattered rock. I might have known that it couldn’t survive the man’s ruin – just as the sacred caves and tribal places have been spoiled wherever his hand has lain (p.21).
The colonized has to struggle when they saw their members suffer, so they hope for the members’ suffer to be ended.
I left my shirt, soaked in seawater, around his head but it might be hours before I get back with my billy full of fresh water. Poor bugger – he’s held on, in spite of what he must be suffering, for so long; I hope he lasts till I get back (p.17).
Second, the colonized struggles to maintain the existence of Aborigine’s bush to next Aborigine generation. Since the existence of the next Aborigine generation in the Aborigine land means the survival of the Aborigine society.
It’s not for myself that I am sorry Jambawal came late, but for young fellows like Tommy and Wonbri. If Jambawal had heard me sooner there might have been something or the black man’s land left for the young ones – but here in jail they don’t give you much time to call on your ancestors and ask for help (p. 19).
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Sometimes I climbed to the island peak, high, like an anthill there, and looking toward Bralgu I danced and sang to Jambawal – not so loud as to annoy him, but gently; just enough to remind him that he must come (p.14). This leads to the consequence of taking time to wait Jambawal to come.
I knew if I called, and I waited long enough, Jambawal would rise from Bralgu to sweep across the sea in such a rage that when he hit the town the white man and his houses would flutter like leaves in the air (p. 14).
After Jambawal comes, the colonized has to undergo the feeling of being alienated in their own land because it is now ugly and strange.
The machines will begin to roll; rattle and roar and the town will begin to rise again; it will grow again like a forest; but such an ugly forest of concrete and steel; growing out of heaps of junk and rubbish (p.13).
The land has loose its meaning because the destruction of their ancestor sites, and the sacred water hole has been changed into the sites of the colonizer’s.
No black man now can point to a place and say: “Here, at the bottom of this water hole (please don’t disturb), lies the spirit of our ancestor. That emu, see it, was once a black woman who burned her hands and became an earth bound bird (p.14).
The colonized also struggles for the colonizer bullies them to work to build the colonizer’s settlement and puts them in jail afterward.
The whites have changed their ways, though, and it’s hard to call the Dreaming. Now they put a great sledgehammer in your hands, and bully you to swing it against the rocks from dawn till dark. When night comes and you’re pushed into the lockup, you lie down without strength to sigh or swear (p.15).
And the colonized feels of longing to go home to the native settlement.
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c. Poor Fellow Dingo
The colonized in the story struggles to survive for there is no longer bushfood to support her survival. She has to work harder on gathering her food from the colonizer’s rubbish bins,
There was no bush food to be found around. From the mangled dusty earth even the insects had vanished. Now and then Kua would drag home a large bone from the rubbish dump, but there was seldom much left to chew from these. We had more luck with the rubbish bins Late at night we would tour the streets with Kua leading the way, sniffing each bin and whining if there any food inside worth pulling out (p. 33).
and she has to deal with cold at night without any wood to keep her warm.
We went sleep early, shoveling a pit in the end and huddling together in it against the cold, Kua and me on the ends, and the children between. We had no roof to shelter us from the open sky and the night breeze would freeze the bones inside you (p.30).
This is a difficult time to survive and she may die at any time because of these two problems. Second, she has to deal with her grieve after her husband death.
Even if I tried to explain what happened to my husband the whites would not believe a word of it. ... Tribal people, the elders, they could have understood it, but now even the last of those has gone. Pingal, the Moon, is the only one still around (p. 29).
Then, she has to struggle alone for she lives separated from her tribal people. This condition makes her unable to share her thought and feelings for she is just accompanied by her two small children and a reincarnated husband in form of dingo.
