Gurindji school children worked with artist Peter Hudson to paint scenes from a song by Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody. The song tells the story of the strike by Aboriginal stockmen at Wave Hill in the Northern Territory in 1966. Led by Gurindji man Vincent Lingiari, this action led to land rights being granted after eight years of action.
The verses of the song – called ‘an anthem of hope’ – are laid out as an attractive rhyming picture book. The refrain (which is the book’s title) is illustrated by paintings of Country by Hudson, and the people and their actions are drawn and painted by the children, who are credited by name.
Gurindji language is described in the book as endangered, spoken only by older people in the community. A ‘Gurindji interpretation’ of the song is appended and it is hoped that this will deepen understanding by young people of the need to keep the language alive.
Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Resource
