Review: Dirrayawadha

Title: Dirrayawadha

Author: Anita Heiss

Publisher: 31st July 2024 by Simon & Schuster Australia

Pages: 352 pages

Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction | Romance

Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

Miinaa was a young girl when the white ghosts first arrived. She remembers the day they raised a piece of cloth and renamed her homeland ‘Bathurst’. Now she lives at Cloverdale and works for a white family who have settled there.

The Nugents are kind, but Miinaa misses her miyagan. Her brother, Windradyne, is a Wiradyuri leader, and visits when he can, bringing news of unrest across their ngurambang. Miinaa hopes the violence will not come to Cloverdale, but she knows Windradyne is prepared to defend their Country if necessary.

When Irish convict Daniel O’Dwyer arrives at the settlement, Miinaa’s life is transformed again. The pair are magnetically drawn to each other and begin meeting at the bila in secret. Dan understands how it feels to be displaced, but they still have a lot to learn about each other. Can their love survive their differences and the turmoil that threatens to destroy everything around them?

My Thoughts

I read and absolutely adored Anita’s book of three years ago, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams). It was groundbreaking and so memorable that I was therefore eager to read her latest, Dirrayawadha (Rise Up). This is a work of fiction, an interpretation of life for Wiradyuri people and others on the land in the 1820s.

‘You can’t discover a country that has people in it, Jack - that’s not discovery. That’s invasion.’

Anita is doing a wonderful job of (rather sadly it has to be so) introducing history through the eyes of the Indigenous. So much of the past and what we learned at school was solely through the eyes of the colonisers. Anita states that, ‘My goal here was/is to give not just a broad understanding of the overall impact of the invasion and settlement of Bathurst but, importantly, the blatant disregard it entailed for Wiradyuri life and sovereignty’. What is not only unique but very clever with this story is how Anita made the link between her Irish characters and what had been their desire for autonomy to that of Wiradyuri sovereignty. It makes it relatable to so many. 

‘Then how can we agree to fighting for our own sovereignty and rights back home but deny the rights of the people here? What about their sovereignty?’

There is much to love about this book. I love that Anita used traditional language, not only in the title, but throughout the entire book. I love that it is the perfect melding of fact and fiction. I love the characters and how each has a role to play in making this story the captivating sensation that it is. I love how much I learnt about Australian indigenous people and their great affinity with this incredible land. 

‘We must be prepared.’ Windradyne stops and takes Dan by the arm firmly. ‘For what?’ ‘Dirrayawadha. To rise up and fight.’

This book … it will make you angry, it will make you sad but overall you will be a better person for having read it. Such a wonderful book for not only all Australians but anyone interested in Indigenous cultures and their rich yet often tragic tale. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray

Title: Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray

Author: Anita Heiss

Publisher: 5th May 2021 by Simon & Schuster Australia

Pages: 416 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: Historical Fiction | Women's Fiction  | Cultural Australia

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

Gundagai, 1852 

The powerful Murrumbidgee River surges through town leaving death and destruction in its wake. It is a stark reminder that while the river can give life, it can just as easily take it away.

Wagadhaany is one of the lucky ones. She survives. But is her life now better than the fate she escaped? Forced to move away from her miyagan, she walks through each day with no trace of dance in her step, her broken heart forever calling her back home to Gundagai.

When she meets Wiradyuri stockman Yindyamarra, Wagadhaany’s heart slowly begins to heal. But still, she dreams of a better life, away from the degradation of being owned. She longs to set out along the river of her ancestors, in search of lost family and country. Can she find the courage to defy the White man’s law? And if she does, will it bring hope ... or heartache?

Set on timeless Wiradyuri country, where the life-giving waters of the rivers can make or break dreams, and based on devastating true events, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams) is an epic story of love, loss and belonging.

My Thoughts

‘Now let me tell you a story about your Wiradyuri miyagan, the people of Marrambidya.’

This book is profound. This book is beautiful. This is a must read. Right from the prologue when the indigenous man is trying to tell a white man not to build his house on the floodplain and he ignores the advice … well, it really sets the scene of what you know will come. I LOVE how this is a novel where tables are finally turned and it is the indigenous observing the settlers and thus shedding a whole new light on white occupation. Yet, there is so much more to this novel - commentary not only on the wrongs of the past, or racial issues but what constitutes family, what is success, what is home. As Anita herself says, My goal in writing this novel was to highlight the heroism of the Wiradyuri men who braved the dangerous floods to bring locals to safety.

‘We could teach them a lot, if they just listened,’ Yarri adds.

At surface level this is the story about a young girl,Wagadhanaay, who works for a family in their house (the original family and foundations that were discussed in the prologue!) when the devastating floods come through (as predicted!) The story then goes on to regale the life of Wagadhanaay with both her work and her miyagan (family). I love the contrast between her and Louisa, a Quaker woman, who marries into the Bradley family and insists Wagadhanaay comes with them when they relocate to Wagga Wagga … because after all, it will make her life better.

‘… though she is trying to be understanding through their grief, she resents still being spoken to as the servant, the cleaner, the cook. She hates being the Black woman who just has to do what the White people tell her. She is grateful to be alive, but she hates that being alive reminds her that she is still powerless in her own life.’

There is much to love about this book. I love that Anita used traditional language, not only in the title, but throughout the entire book. I love that it is the perfect melding of fact and fiction. I love the characters and how each has a role to play in making this story the captivating sensation that it is. I love how much I learnt about Australian indigenous people and their great affinity with this incredible land. The land! I love how vivid the locations were presented and you felt the power of the Murrumbidgee River rising or the dust lifting as they danced around the fire. 

‘His heart pains at the land being ruined by those who are new to it. They are not taking care of it, they treat it with contempt, as if it is only there for their benefit.’

This book … it will make you angry, it will make you sad but overall you will be a better person for having read it. Such a wonderful book for not only all Australians but anyone interested in Indigenous cultures and their rich yet often tragic tale. A tale that will stay with me for some time to come.

‘Their land has been stolen.’ Louisa’s stops short of yelling. She calms herself and continues. ‘It’s Wiradyuri land.’ She points out the window. ‘We don’t really own this; it is not yours, or mine. And those laws are British laws and should be illegal if they are not protecting Aboriginal people, who should be British citizens.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.