1. Autobiographies
2. Bilingual books
3. Bush tucker
4. Camping
5. Dreaming
6. Family
7. Fishing
8. Food
9. Grandparents
10. Hunting and gathering
11. Memories
12. Ngukurr (NT Top End Roper SD53-10)
13. Northern Territory
14. Relationship to place
15. Seasons
16. Stockmen
17. Sugarbag
18. Transport

In ‘Main Abija: My Grandad’, Ngukurr woman Karen Rogers explores her fond memories of her grandad, and spending time as a child with him on the outstation where he worked. Roger’s beloved grandad taught her about the cultural ways of her family, including seasonal calendars, Dreaming stories, finding sugarbag honey, hunting and fishing. Rogers is now passing on the same knowledge to her children and grandchildren.

The book starts with a map of the Northern Territory, showing where the author’s family lived, and Rogers tells the story in both Kriol and English. The engaging illustrations are painted in acrylics on canvas, in an appealing naïve style. They have a strong textural look and a saturated palette, and the bold colours and textures provide the background for both the images and the text.

Karen Rogers is an artist from the Ngukurr Community in South East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.

1. Allen & Unwin. ‘Karen Rogers Reading Main Abija: My Grandad in Kriol and English.’ Access via the QR code in the book and at the website https://www.allenandunwin.com/main-abija
2. Allen & Unwin Teachers’ Tips for ‘Main Abija: My Grandad’ https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/dimo.allenunwin.com/assets/teaching_resource/9781760526030.pdf
3. Tom Robinson. ‘Telling Family Stories in Kriol and English.’ Katherine Times, 16 March 2021. https://www.katherinetimes.com.au/story/7169808/main-abija-my-grandad-telling-family-stories-in-kriol-and-english/