Why Warriors lie down and die Review

Why Warriors lie down and die

Book Reviews

Glasshouse Country News

Reviewed by Pam Innes 5/7/01

The sub-titles are 'Djambatj Nala' (sic) (words which speak of the great past deeds and abilities of the Yolngu of Arnhem land and their potential for the future) and 'Towards an understanding of why the Aboriginal people of Arnhem Land face the greatest crisis in health and education since European contact." It is written by Richard Trudgeon (sic) - a white fella".

This is a book, which should be compulsory reading for everyone in authority who may need to deal with people of Aboriginal race - doctors, law administrators (from policeman to a judge) teachers and politicians. Mainly, the tribal Aboriginals are mainly discussed but it also gives a greater understanding of what the most advanced and sophisticated of Aboriginal people have had to overcome to get where they are.

Yolngu is a word used specifically in the book to identify Aboriginal people in north-east Arnhem land - the equivalent of 'person' or 'peoples' but it is now used to identify Aboriginal people as opposed to non-Aboriginal. Other identifying names are Koori (in the south) and Murri (in Queensland) etc. Balanda refers generally to non-Aboriginal or European people and will be used throughout.

To simplify, hopefully correctly, the message of this book it is that from the beginning the Balanda concluded that Aboriginal people were unintelligent because they couldn't understand. They couldn't understand any more than we can in a foreign country of which we don't know the language. The one big difference is that in most foreign countries there are English speaking people to help and signs are often in English.

Richard Trudgeon (sic) says the Balanda attitude was, and in many cases still is, one of "Naming, Blaming, Lecturing" - "naming them or their ways of life with derogatory terms, expressions or names, blaming them or their culture though they possess some genetic or degenerate defect, thereby creating the crisis by the fact of who or what they are and lecturing them on how they should 'just change' and then everything will be all right.'

Paulo Freire, the Brazilian adult educator is quoted: "Self-depreciation is another characteristic of the oppressed, which derives from their internalisation of the opinion the oppressors hold of them. So often do they hear they arte good for nothing, know nothing and are incapable of learning anything - they are sick, lazy and unproductive - that in the end they become convinced of their own unfitness." (This was a similar situation with dyslectic children until it was understood).

"In a world so keen to make sure plant species are not destroyed in case some genetic material is lost, little attention is given to the loss of intellectual ability that occurs when language disappears. Yolngu and other Aboriginal languages are complex, sophisticated languages, something acknowledged by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Affairs in 1992.

Referring to development in European countries it is pointed out that Arnhem Land "…a different environment isolated from the social changes and the microbiological pool that developed in Europe…" which"…over the years became a cesspit of disease through its trading network and the development of cities, but Yolngu have really only experienced the microbe invasion in the last century…they are having to live through the stages of development that took Europeans many centuries."

"Due to their different cultural mores, communication between Balanda and Yolngu is blocked and both parties just sit there and look at each other. This is not the fault of either party: in fact both are unsure why communication is not happening." In referring to the particular difficulty of doctors with no knowledge of their language treating a Yolngu who is sick: "What are bacteria" a (Yolngu) health worker asked when we discussed this subject at a workshop in Gove in 1997. "I've been a health worker for twenty five years but I still don't know what bacteria are. I have all the names for them but in my mind I don't know what they are."

"My colleagues and I believe there is nothing Yolngu cannot learn. The only limitation is the capacity of the teacher to teach."

In the chapter on Welfare and Dependency and their Effect on the people, Richard Trudgeon (sic) quoted an old colleague, friend and teacher John Djastjamirrilil. He had been asked to give his mind picture of wulula - name of the people's traditional hell. "Living in a community is like wulula", he said. "We sit with sad faces, with nothing to do except watch the Balanda running around doing everything for us. Yolngu and Balanda don't say hello to each other any more like in the old days. We just sit around with nothing to do. That's what wulula is like. It's like living in a (present day Arnhem land Aboriginal) community."

Further on Richard Trudgeon (sic) summarises, "It's important to understand what dependence really is and how it destroys people. As we have seen, dependency is a product of learned helplessness. Learned helplessness occurs when the people lose their economic independence and become dependent on welfare programs. Through these programs they experience loss of roles, loss of mastery and hopelessness. These in turn translate into destructive social behaviour, including neglect, self-abuse, homicide, incest and suicide." And institutionalised violence he describes as "…the worst form of violence. It is subtle and almost hidden, wrapped up in the ethnocentric paternalism of the dominant culture. Welfare and the dependency it creates is the worst form of violence. It has created a living hell."

"For (any) people involved in factory closures, loss of meaningful employment can lead to loss of work skills mastery, loss of optimism, loss of control and self-esteem, and heightened levels of anger. These are causes of poor health. And Yolngu face them all." Seventeen secondary symptoms of the lack of control of their lives are listed and forty-three factors contributing to this, all of which began with contact with Western society.

Unfortunately space does not allow for the many important extracts that should be quotes (sic) but the final chapter begins, "Although many of the issues realised in this book are complex, in the end they come down to simple basics. Good health is not just a state of an absence of disease. It has a great deal to do with how people feel like feeling there is something worth living and fighting for"…"Yolngu must be empowered before they can take control of their own destiny. This will only happen if the dominant culture sees things in a totally new way"…"it is time to actively create 'Yolngu-friendly' environments so that the Yolngu of Arnhem Land are empowered. Then they can become - great warriors once more." There are many examples throughout the book of how, through effort and patience on the part of members of the "dominant culture", difficulties were overcome with gratifying results - and much less expenditure than if band-aid hand outs were used! (Glue (sic) sniffing has been beaten at Ramingining).

The book is published by the Aboriginal Resource and Development Services Inc. to which all proceeds from its sale will go for community development and community education work.

$29.95 AUD

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