The novel shows the advantages for the boy of following his cultural belief
and the disadvantages and dangers of losing contact with his Aboriginal
Cultures.
For example, The Binna Binna man represents aboriginal culture. He has big
long ears; they drag on the ground when he walks. He has a distinctive
smell; he has the scent of a goat. He is extremely hairy, that is why they
call him the hairy man. People say he rattles like chains. There is a legend
that the binna binna man has a great power, he heals people too!!!!!! It’s
an important part of aboriginal lore in this novel.
The Binna Binna man talked to the boy and told him that his ancestors had
been looking after him and if he turned his back on them he would die. His
girragundji told him you can’t hide from yourself. The last message he got
from the binna binna man is the same as the others just put differently “be
who you are.”
The narrator shows how shandell has forgotten aboriginal lore. She says it’s
not important. She must learn it is or she’ll end up like sistergirl. The
Binna Binna man turns shandell into an old lady muttering aboriginal
language. That teaches her aboriginal lore and punishes her for drinking.
She doesn’t believe in aboriginal lore. In This example on page 84 in the
novel Shandell is taught a lesson because the Binna Binna man talked to her
about drinking beer & rum. She is described as young and as if she has been
reborn. She is like a new shoot of grass. The funeral of sistergirl on page
49 & 50 shows how aboriginal ritual is used to comfort the boy and his
family.
Sistergirl was buried in a graveyard near the beach. I think the waves
crashing on the rocks comforted the boy because he was upset.
I think when he said “It don’t seem like the world’s gunna end” he shows
that he was comforted by Aboriginal Ritual. The funeral helps the boy let
out all his feelings of grief about sistergirl.
The boy explains how the girragundji is a part of aboriginal lore and helps
him when he is scared. The voice is called a girragundji and it warns him
when he is going to be bad and smoke or drink grog. The girrangundji voice
tells him not
To do it or he will get into trouble. So it is part of aboriginal lore that
helps the boy survive.
The girrangundji frog also helps the boy get through bad stuff. It helps
him cope when he is bullied or scared of girls.
So the novel shows how average lore survives and helps aboriginal teenagers
in modern day Australia
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