Establishing an Authentic Aboriginal Voice in Picture books
If a strong literature based on Aboriginal forms is to develop, the place for this development is among people least affected by assimilation, and once an upsurge of literature begins it is only a matter of conjecture where it may lead. In fact, future Aborigines may look back on this present settlement literature as having lost simplicity, or a complexity only brought out through a deep reading of the text
(Mudrooroo 315). Developing an authentic and complex Aboriginal voice, separate from the ideals of the colony, may be an ongoing process for adult literature. However, the same struggle is less methodical for children 's picture books as Fanon 's three phases of establishing …show more content…
This creates an upsurge of culture, similar to that described by Mudgrooroo (315), by exploring the emotional trauma of the stolen generations through the eyes of a young girl experiencing dispossession. The repeated use of the pronoun "she" (Saffioti and MacDonald 1-25), rather than a character 's name, allows readers to envision the character as any young girl, such as themselves, their friends or their children, and to situate that figure within the unnamed mission. Her sense of loss and forlornness is reiterated by the inclusion of factual details on the cover page, providing a historical context to the book that was absent in The …show more content…
This can be seen within figure 3 as the frame appears to mimic the endless curves of an infinity symbol, implying that the girl 's spirituality and identity is static and cannot be changed, regardless of her situation. However, the watercolour illustrations of community and family life are vibrant, fluid and impressionistic, (much like Huxley 's) implying that she is free to explore and experience beauty within her home. This is contrasted against the stark, black images of the mission where the young girl is unable to speak her mother 's language or maintain a connection to her kin and land. This cohesion between the text and illustrations is not found within Look See, Look at Me and The Quinkins as the authors do not understand the complex social issues presented by their illustrators.
Thus, it can be seen that creating a picture book that preserves aspects of Indigenous culture must come from authors, illustrators and publishers with the same ethnicity and ideals. The alignment of their Fanonic tendencies allows picture books to establish a sense of harmony rather than inner conflict, which will aid the development of an authentic Indigenous voice within Australian children 's picture
If a strong literature based on Aboriginal forms is to develop, the place for this development is among people least affected by assimilation, and once an upsurge of literature begins it is only a matter of conjecture where it may lead. In fact, future Aborigines may look back on this present settlement literature as having lost simplicity, or a complexity only brought out through a deep reading of the text
(Mudrooroo 315). Developing an authentic and complex Aboriginal voice, separate from the ideals of the colony, may be an ongoing process for adult literature. However, the same struggle is less methodical for children 's picture books as Fanon 's three phases of establishing …show more content…
This creates an upsurge of culture, similar to that described by Mudgrooroo (315), by exploring the emotional trauma of the stolen generations through the eyes of a young girl experiencing dispossession. The repeated use of the pronoun "she" (Saffioti and MacDonald 1-25), rather than a character 's name, allows readers to envision the character as any young girl, such as themselves, their friends or their children, and to situate that figure within the unnamed mission. Her sense of loss and forlornness is reiterated by the inclusion of factual details on the cover page, providing a historical context to the book that was absent in The …show more content…
This can be seen within figure 3 as the frame appears to mimic the endless curves of an infinity symbol, implying that the girl 's spirituality and identity is static and cannot be changed, regardless of her situation. However, the watercolour illustrations of community and family life are vibrant, fluid and impressionistic, (much like Huxley 's) implying that she is free to explore and experience beauty within her home. This is contrasted against the stark, black images of the mission where the young girl is unable to speak her mother 's language or maintain a connection to her kin and land. This cohesion between the text and illustrations is not found within Look See, Look at Me and The Quinkins as the authors do not understand the complex social issues presented by their illustrators.
Thus, it can be seen that creating a picture book that preserves aspects of Indigenous culture must come from authors, illustrators and publishers with the same ethnicity and ideals. The alignment of their Fanonic tendencies allows picture books to establish a sense of harmony rather than inner conflict, which will aid the development of an authentic Indigenous voice within Australian children 's picture