Oodgeroo Noonuccal:
Oodgeroo Noonuccal was born on the 3rd November 1920. She was born to the name Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska known more commonly as Kath Walker. She had been a poet, political activist, artist and educator and was also a strong campaigner for aboriginal rights. During the mid 1960s, she became a well-known political activist. She was the Queensland state secretary of the council for the advancement of the Aboriginal and Torres Straight islanders. She even taught Prime minister at the time Robert Menzies a lesson in the experiences of aboriginal life. But due to all the power struggles she left political life in 1971 and instead became an educator, guardian and ambassador for her people. Throughout the rest of her life she wrote many poems regarding aboriginal rights and wrote many books about Aboriginal legends designed to target a younger audience. She died on the 16th September 1992 in her home on Stradbroke island but will always be remembered for what she did during her amazing life.
Oodgeroo Noonuccal was born on the 3rd November 1920. She was born to the name Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska known more commonly as Kath Walker. She had been a poet, political activist, artist and educator and was also a strong campaigner for aboriginal rights. During the mid 1960s, she became a well-known political activist. She was the Queensland state secretary of the council for the advancement of the Aboriginal and Torres Straight islanders. She even taught Prime minister at the time Robert Menzies a lesson in the experiences of aboriginal life. But due to all the power struggles she left political life in 1971 and instead became an educator, guardian and ambassador for her people. Throughout the rest of her life she wrote many poems regarding aboriginal rights and wrote many books about Aboriginal legends designed to target a younger audience. She died on the 16th September 1992 in her home on Stradbroke island but will always be remembered for what she did during her amazing life.
Context in her Poem: No More Boomerang
In her poem, ‘No more Boomerang’ she uses context in a very simple but effective way. In every stanza she would always give examples of how things were in the Aboriginal days and how they are now. An example of this is when she says “No more Boomerang, No more Spear, Now all civilized, colour bar and beer.” This gives evidence of her context as she is standing for the rights of aboriginal people and this poem shows how the aboriginal traditions are being taken away and being replaced by European and Western influences. Therefore the poem ‘No more Boomerang’ is a clear example of how aboriginal traditions are being lost and replaced.
In her poem, ‘No more Boomerang’ she uses context in a very simple but effective way. In every stanza she would always give examples of how things were in the Aboriginal days and how they are now. An example of this is when she says “No more Boomerang, No more Spear, Now all civilized, colour bar and beer.” This gives evidence of her context as she is standing for the rights of aboriginal people and this poem shows how the aboriginal traditions are being taken away and being replaced by European and Western influences. Therefore the poem ‘No more Boomerang’ is a clear example of how aboriginal traditions are being lost and replaced.
NO MORE BOOMERANG- by Oodgeroo Noonuccal
No more boomerang
No more spear;
Now alll civilized-
Colour bar and beer.
No more corroboree,
Gay dance and din.
Now we got movies,
And pay to go in.
No more sharing
What the hunter brings.
Now we work for money,
Then pay it back for things.
Now we track bosses
To catch a few bob,
Now we go walkabout
On bus to the job.
One time naked,
Who never knew shame;
Now we put clothes on
To hide whatsaname.
No more gunya,
Now bungalow,
Paid by hire purchase
In twenty year or so.
Lay down the stone axe,
Take up the steel,
And work like a nigger
For a white man meal.
No more firesticks
That made the whites scoff.
Now all electric,
And no better off.
Bunyip he finish,
Now got instead
White fella Bunyip,
Call him Red.
Abstract picture now-
What they coming at?
Cripes, in our caves we
Did better than that.
Black hunted wallaby,
White hunt dollar;
White fella witch-doctor
Wear dog-collar.
No more message-stick;
Lubras and lads
Got television now.
Mostly ads.
Lay down the woomera,
Lay down the waddy.
Now we got atom-bomb,
End everybody.
No more boomerang
No more spear;
Now alll civilized-
Colour bar and beer.
No more corroboree,
Gay dance and din.
Now we got movies,
And pay to go in.
No more sharing
What the hunter brings.
Now we work for money,
Then pay it back for things.
Now we track bosses
To catch a few bob,
Now we go walkabout
On bus to the job.
One time naked,
Who never knew shame;
Now we put clothes on
To hide whatsaname.
No more gunya,
Now bungalow,
Paid by hire purchase
In twenty year or so.
Lay down the stone axe,
Take up the steel,
And work like a nigger
For a white man meal.
No more firesticks
That made the whites scoff.
Now all electric,
And no better off.
Bunyip he finish,
Now got instead
White fella Bunyip,
Call him Red.
Abstract picture now-
What they coming at?
Cripes, in our caves we
Did better than that.
Black hunted wallaby,
White hunt dollar;
White fella witch-doctor
Wear dog-collar.
No more message-stick;
Lubras and lads
Got television now.
Mostly ads.
Lay down the woomera,
Lay down the waddy.
Now we got atom-bomb,
End everybody.
Analysis of the Poem: No More Boomerang
The theme in the poem “No more Boomerang’ by Kath Walker uses rhyme and contrast between the old and the new to express the theme in this poem. With the use of rhyme between the 2nd and the last line of each stanza it gives the poem a flow and this helps you remember the message more easily. In the lines ‘No more boomerang, no more spear, no all colour bar and beer’ the use of rhyme between the words ‘spear’ and ‘beer’ creates effect on the words as one describes how the life was back in the aboriginal day while the other describes how it is today. This show the theme of the poem as it is trying to show how all the aboriginal’s old traditions are just being cast aside by the white people. This is what Kath Walker is protesting about since she believes that the aboriginals deserve rights to keep some of their beliefs and traditions and not have them lost forever. This is similar to the poem ‘Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou since they both describe how the rights of the aboriginals and black people are being cast aside by the white people, as they believe that they are more superior. The contrast that she uses in every stanza of the poem between the old and the new keeps on giving new evidence to how the white people are taking over and how all the old traditions are being lost in history. This is evident in the stanza ‘no more corroboree, gay dance and din, now we got movies, and pay to go in’ as this stanza describes as their old traditions were to dance and tell stories as the line ‘gay dance and din’ describes. While the line ‘now we got movies and pay to go in’ show how they are disgusted that their old traditions are being replaced by some western style movies that they have to PAY for. While they are so used to everyone getting a fare share and no payments required. To conclude, the use of rhyme and contrast in the poem ‘No More Boomerang’ clearly shows the theme of the poem as it describes how all the old traditions are being lost and replaced by new western style influences.
The theme in the poem “No more Boomerang’ by Kath Walker uses rhyme and contrast between the old and the new to express the theme in this poem. With the use of rhyme between the 2nd and the last line of each stanza it gives the poem a flow and this helps you remember the message more easily. In the lines ‘No more boomerang, no more spear, no all colour bar and beer’ the use of rhyme between the words ‘spear’ and ‘beer’ creates effect on the words as one describes how the life was back in the aboriginal day while the other describes how it is today. This show the theme of the poem as it is trying to show how all the aboriginal’s old traditions are just being cast aside by the white people. This is what Kath Walker is protesting about since she believes that the aboriginals deserve rights to keep some of their beliefs and traditions and not have them lost forever. This is similar to the poem ‘Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou since they both describe how the rights of the aboriginals and black people are being cast aside by the white people, as they believe that they are more superior. The contrast that she uses in every stanza of the poem between the old and the new keeps on giving new evidence to how the white people are taking over and how all the old traditions are being lost in history. This is evident in the stanza ‘no more corroboree, gay dance and din, now we got movies, and pay to go in’ as this stanza describes as their old traditions were to dance and tell stories as the line ‘gay dance and din’ describes. While the line ‘now we got movies and pay to go in’ show how they are disgusted that their old traditions are being replaced by some western style movies that they have to PAY for. While they are so used to everyone getting a fare share and no payments required. To conclude, the use of rhyme and contrast in the poem ‘No More Boomerang’ clearly shows the theme of the poem as it describes how all the old traditions are being lost and replaced by new western style influences.