ANZAC Author Challenge June 2015- Kim Scott & Witi Ihimaera

This month we are looking at two indigenous writers from both side of the Tasman.

Kim Scott (born 18 February 1957) is an Australian novelist of Indigenous Australian ancestry. He is a descendant of Western Australian Noongar people.

Scott was the first indigenous writer to win the Miles Franklin Award for Benang, which has since been published in translation in France and the Netherlands. His book, Kayang and Me, was written in collaboration with Noongar elder, Hazel Brown, his aunt, and was published in May 2005. The work is an oral-based history of the author’s family, the south coast Noongar people of Western Australia.

His latest novel That Deadman Dance explores the lively fascination felt between Noongar, British colonists and American whalers in the early years of the 19th century. On 21 June 2011, it was announced that Scott had won the 2011 Miles Franklin Award for this novel. Scott also won the 2011 Victorian Premier's Prize for the same novel.

Witi Ihimaera(born 7 February 1944), is a New Zealand author, and is a prominent Māori writer.

Most of Ihimaera's work consists of short stories or novels. He has written a considerable number of stories, with the most notable being works such as Tangi, and The Whale Rider (the latter became a film of the same name). His stories generally portray Māori culture in modern New Zealand. His work often focuses on problems within contemporary Māori society.

Kim Scott -Novels

True Country (1993)

Benang: From the Heart (1999)

That Deadman Dance (2010)

Witi Ihimaera-Novels

Tangi (1973)
Whanau (1974)
The Matriarch (1986)
The Whale Rider (1987)
Bulibasha: King of the Gypsies (1994)
Nights in the Gardens of Spain (1995)
The Dream Swimmer (1997)
Woman Far Walking (2000)
The Uncle's Story (2000)
Sky Dancer (2004)
Whanau II (2004)
The Rope of Man (2005) - features 'Tangi', and its sequel 'The Return'
Band of Angels (2005)
The Trowenna Sea (2009)
The Parihaka Woman (2011)

Since June is all about a couple of indigenous writers from both Australia and New Zealand, I would just like to send a shout out to The Indigenous Literacy Foundation . The foundation are an important tool in the work being done to 'Close the Gap' between indigenous and non-indigenous communities.

Our January author, Richard Flanagan donated his prize money from last years Prime Ministers Literary Award to the foundation.

"Flanagan said words were the first beautiful things his father knew, and he wanted to help close the Indigenous literacy gap.

"If just one of those children in turn becomes a writer, if just one brings to Australia and to the world an idea of the universe that arises out of that glorious lineage of 60,000 years of Australian civilisation, then I will think this prize has rewarded not just me, but us all," he said."

We in the LT community don't need much convincing about the value of reading in a person's life, so I think it is a good idea if every now and again we give a thought to organisations (and people) that help people who for one reason or another finding reading difficult.

>5 jll1976: Witi has published a memoir: Maori Boy: A Memoir of Childhood (2014) Random House

I'm hoping to get to Kim Scott's That Deadman Dance though first I have to finish my May book, The man who loved children as I got sidetracked reading a crime series.

I have a few of Witi's books and have read The Whale Rider, I'll see how I go. I want to point out that he admitted to plagiarism in his novel The Trowenna Sea, copies were pulped and I think he republished at his own expense.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10607651
http://books.scoop.co.nz/2009/11/18/ihimaera-buys-back-remaining-stock-of-trowen...

>7 avatiakh: Thanks for the update. I don't know how I missed that one.

I did notice the plagiarism stuff in my trawling of the Internet though. I haven't read any of his stuff yet. I've decided to hold off on judging him over that depending on whether or not he can write. ;)

If his book (I'm going with The Whale Rider) is good then the plagiarism doesn't matter so much, but if the book is rubbish then in does matter.

I think most of his readers were shocked as he has proven himself such a great writer and holds much mana (respect) here in NZ. I don't think it has hurt his career as he didn't deny and took action quickly.

I'm picking up That Deadman Dance at the library today. I'm looking forward to it. :)

I am going to try and read two by Witi - A collection of stories - Ask the Posts of the House, and The Whale Rider, which I want to read out loud with my daughter.

>10 nittnut: There is a picturebook (2008 Penguin NZ) version of The Whale Rider that is worth seeking out as the illustrations by Bruce Potter are delightful.

http://www.picturebooks.co.nz/the-whale-rider-activities/
http://www.wheelers.co.nz/books/9780143503279-whale-rider-the/

>11 avatiakh: How gorgeous! Thanks for sharing.

>11 avatiakh: I will definitely look for that. It looks gorgeous.

I've finished The Whale Rider on my own. My daughter wasn't sure she was interested at the moment. I will convince her yet... I loved it. I won't mind reading it again if she changes her mind.
Here's my review:
This is a very quick read and well worth the time if you have any interest at all in Maori culture and legend. Kahu is born the eldest great-grandchild in direct line from the chief of the tribe. The only problem is, she's not a boy. Her grandfather ignores her and seeks another to inherit the title of chief. His inability to recognize her gifts only strengthens her determination to be worthy of his love. A sweet story and a quick read. Highly recommended.

I was planning to start Ask the Posts of the House next, but it's become a crucial part of a Lego project. I will have to read something else. Lol

So I started That Deadman Dance. Anyone else reading it? I like the language but I am finding that I need to really focus. I'm not sure what to call the style, but the sense of time is very vague.

I took That Deadman Dance back to the library and added it to my DNF list. At this point in my life, I can't see reading anything that is not interesting.

>13 nittnut: LOL!

Update on That Deadman Dance. I had to shift gears a little. This is not a book to read quickly. I am reading it slowly and while I am not reading it analytically, I am just chilling out with it. I am liking it better. It's like imagining a life where there's really no time frame and things just happen and you go with it...

And then, you realize that because people are just going with the flow, there are consequences that are unknown, perhaps unintended, but real, and those things shape the future.

I finished That Deadman Dance. I ended up really liking it. I think if you have time, it's worth the effort. I finally made the connection between the style of writing and "Dreaming stories" which are the aboriginal way of passing on cultural and social information to future generations. I think this is a sort of Dreaming story. It has a very dreamlike feel, which made it a slow starter, but it's a beautiful book.

I have managed to extract Ask the Posts of the House from the Lego project, so I think that's up next.

Finished The Whale Rider and I really, really, really liked it. Had no expectation that I would - mostly because of that not very good movie rendition of it. Only chose it because it was the only book by Ihmaera available at my library and am now glad that I ran across a copy to buy a few months ago.

It appears that I forgot to record that I read The Whale Rider here. I thought it was a charming story.

I finished both authors for this month, but I am still reading my extra - Ask the Posts of the House - which I picked up because I like the author's voice. So far, I really like most of the stories.

>20 nittnut: Wow! You're a legend. I'm so glad that you seem to have enjoyed yourself with this month's authors.

>17 nittnut: That's a good tip about how to read That Deadman Dance. I haven't started it yet (yes, I know I'm WAY behind), but it's nice to know that I have something to look forward to. It's nice getting to explore different types of storytelling- not all of them will suit everyone, but it certainly makes life more interesting.

>18 Fourpawz2: If you can find a copy of Ask the Posts of the House, I highly recommend it. Maybe inter-library loan? It's a collection of short stories and they range from personal narrative to science fiction and even a short lecture/story on indigenous authors. A really great collection showcasing the storytelling abilities of Ihimaera.

>21 jll1976: hahaha! Or just a book-aholic like everyone else around here. Lol.