YEAR 12 ATAR LITERATURE
Oodgeroo Noonuccal
(Oodgeroo Noonuccal plaque in Sydney Writers Walk, n.d.)
INTRODUCTION
Oodgeroo Noonuccal was a poet, an actress, writer, teacher and artist and campaigner for Aboriginal rights. She was the first Aboriginal Australian to have a book of poetry published. Her poetry speaks of hope and understanding and peace between black and white Australians.
*Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that some of the resources on these pages may contain images, voices or names of deceased persons in photographs, film, audio recordings or printed material.
Created by: Ms Bright | Last updated: Feb 1, 2021
QUICK LINKS
Not freely available on the Internet
Freely available
The Author
LIBRARY BOOKS
An illustrated biography of Oodgeroo Noonuccal.
A821.3 OOD
Shoemaker, A. (Ed.). (1994). Oodgeroo, a tribute. University of Queensland.
Including photographs and bibliographical guide, this is a collection of essays and reminiscences by friends, scholars and artists who give their views on the late Oodgeroo, her poetry and activism.
WEBSITES
Australian Poetry Library. (n.d.). Noonuccal, Oodgeroo. https://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/noonuccal-oodgeroo
This website provides biographical information of Oodgeroo Noonuccal and links to 162 of her poems to read online.
Writing NSW. (2018). Honouring Australian Writers / Oodgeroo Noonuccal. https://writingnsw.org.au/honouring-australian-writers-oodgeroo-noonuccal/
A collection of resources on Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s life and writing.
OOODEROO NOONUCCAL (KATH WALKER) (VIDEO)
Oodgeroo Noonuccal was the first Aboriginal Australian to have a book of poetry published. Her poetry speaks of hope and understanding and peace between black and white Australians
Oodgeroo Noonuccal 1920-1993 [Video]. (1996). ClickView.
480: The ANZACS – OODGEROO NOONUCCAL (VIDEO)
Oodgeroo Noonuccal was one of Australia’s leading Aboriginal poets. She helped her country during war time, a phase in her life which ultimately inspired her to change the world for her people.
Griffin, R. (Producer). (2012). 480: Oodgeroo Noonuccal [Video]. ClickView.
REWIND – OODGEROO NOONUCCAL (VIDEO)
Esteemed 20th Century Australian poet Oodgeroo Noonuccal was a descendent of the Noonuccal people of Minjerribah. Then known as Kath Walker, she spoke with the ABC in 1967 about her life, work and the importance of respect.
Oodgeroo Noonuccal 1967 [Video]. (n.d.). https://iview.abc.net.au/video/AC1726H037S00
The Poetry
POEMS ON THE LIBRARY SHELF
A821.3 OOD
Noonuccal, O. (1970). My People. Jacaranda Press.
Immerse yourself in the poetry of one of Australia’s foremost Indigenous artists My People is a compilation of the poetry of Oodgeroo, of the tribe Noonuccal, Custodian of the land Minjerribah. This collection of captivating poetry detailing the struggle of Australia’s Indigenous peoples is more relevant today than ever before. (New copy arriving soon)
POEMS – ONLINE
Australian Poetry Library. (n.d.). Noonuccal, Oodgeroo. https://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/noonuccal-oodgeroo
This website provides biographical information of Oodgeroo Noonuccal and links to 162 of her poems to read online.
Australian Poetry Library. (n.d.). The Dawn is at Hand. https://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poems-book/the-dawn-is-at-hand-0719000
A list of poems from second collection The Dawn is at Hand, first published in 1964.
Australian Screen (n.d.). “We are going” (1986). https://aso.gov.au/titles/spoken-word/we-are-going/clip1/
In this audio clip, Oodgeroo Noonuccal reads her poem ‘We Are Going’ in full to an appreciative audience at the Harold Park Hotel in Sydney in 1986.
THE POEMS – LITERARY CRITICISM
Copyright Council. (n.d.) Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Poems. https://readingaustralia.com.au/essays/oodgeroo-noonuccal-poems/
Highly Recommended. This website includes an essay and teacher resources to lead students through a close study of the poem ‘The past’. Other poems referred to include the following from her collection titled Kath Walker in China:
- ‘China…Woman’
- ‘Reed Flute Cave’
- ‘Entombed Warriors’
- ‘Visit to Sun-Yat-Sen Memorial Hall’
- ‘Sunrise on Huampu River’
- ‘A Lake Within a Lake’
See also: HSC Board of Studies: poems by Oodgeroo Noonuccal (PDF)
“THE DISPOSSESSED” (VIDEO)
In this clip Oodgeroo Noonuccal, recites her poem “The Dispossessed” and relates how her poetry emerged from the political activism she undertook on behalf of her people.
The original source of this video includes educational notes:
Wider Reading & Viewing
ERESOURCES – JOURNAL ARTICLES
Brewster, A. (1994). Oodgeroo: orator, poet, storyteller. Australian Literary Studies, 16(4), 92.
Examines the emergence of Australian Aborigine history in Australian Aborigine activist and writer Kath Walker’s (Oodgeroo Noonuccal) writing.
The article offers information on the works of of Aboriginal poet, activist and educator Oodgeroo Noonuccal, while using his legacy to offer support to Aboriginal Australians in the ongoing crisis of COVID-19 pandemic. It mentions that in her poems she celebrated Aboriginal people as the inheritors of a heroic culture, still fighting and surviving, as we have done since time immemorial.
Indyk, I. (1993). Pastoral and priority: the aboriginal in Australian pastoral. New Literary History,24 (4), 837.
Search these databases for more articles.
DARK SIDE OF THE DREAM
A820.9 HOD
Hodge, B., & Mishra, V. (1991). Dark side of the dream : Australian literature and the postcolonial mind.Allen & Unwin.
This book offers an assessment of Australian literature from a postcolonial perspective.
Hodge, B., & Vijay, M. (1991). Chapter Four. In Dark side of the dream: Australian literature and the postcolonial mind (pp. 105-136). Allen & Unwin. http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p162101/pdf/ch045.pdf
Chapter Four of this text examines representations of Indigenous women celebrated for their literary and filmmaking achievements, focusing in particular on Oodgeroo Noonuccal (formerly Kath Walker).
References
Oodergoo Noonuccal header portrait [Image]. (n.d.). https://www.qut.edu.au/about/oodgeroo/oodgeroo-noonuccal
Aboriginal dot painting [Image]. (n.d.). https://meditativemind.org/11-amazingly-beautiful-aboriginal-dot-art-wallpapers-for-your-phone/
Oodgeroo Noonuccal plaque in Sydney Writers Walk [Image]. (n.d.). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oodgeroo_Noonuccal_plaque_in_Sydney_Writer_Walk.jpg