For Australia’s First Nations people Connection to Country is integral to their lives, to their very existence. ‘Country’ by Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson, is a lyrical ode to Country’s essential and embracing place in Australia’s Indigenous Culture.
The writing is simple and direct, and its poetic tones are reverential in conveying the richness, beauty and complexity of Country. It underlines the many significant aspects of Country: past, present and future and the all-encompassing nature of Country in providing guidance to Culture and showing our responsibilities in caring for each other and all that Country contains.
The artwork in its earthy tones is reflective of the text and the nature of Country. The use of various Indigenous Australian art styles such a dot-painting and cross-hatching depict scenes from treetops to oceans and a range of animal and plant life providing a complete picture of what ’Country‘ is. It tells us that ‘Country is all of us’ and ‘When we care for Country. Country is strong and healthy. Then we are strong and healthy too.’
Readers are given a simple yet very meaningful message of the depth and significance of Country to Indigenous Australians and one to be taken to heart. This book may prove useful in discussion about what ‘Country’ entails and its physical, spiritual and mental importance to Australia’s First Nations’ People.
Aunty Fay Muir AO is a senior Boon Wurrung and Wamba Wamba Elder, First Nations community leader and Koori Court Elder. She has written a number of books on Indigenous Australian Culture. Sue Lawson has written for children and young adults and co-authored several books with Aunty Fair Muir.
Cheryl Davison is a leading artist from the NSW South Coast. Her mother’s family are Walbanga people from Eurobodalla and the Ngarigo people in the Snowy Mountains region. Davison has inherited deep cultural knowledge from her family and is a recognised artist and cultural leader and has exhibited nationally and internationally.
Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Resource
