Maar Bidi: Next Generation Black Writing, edited by Elfie Shiosaki & Linda Martin
“Rumbling from deep below, the feeling of promised unease filled us from the toes up. The feeling was similar to the monster underneath your bed - the unknown consuming you much more than the risk of physical harm.”
~ Excerpt from Coast by Nancy Murray
Maar Bidi is a culmination of creative work born during a series of creative writing workshops held at the School of Indigenous Studies, University of Western Australia. Celebrating nine new young Indigenous writers as they embark on an exploration of their voice, the collection is divided into three parts, each bringing together prose, poetry, and snapshots of life for these emerging writers.
In his introduction, Kim Scott provides clarity on the title, explaining that the Noongar language, ancient and endangered, has rarely been seen in print:
“The title maar bidi says hand; sinew, energy, path. Then we have next generation black writing. This anthology is attempting to connect the old and the new, the ancient and contemporary. The title suggests that writing - print culture - is a way to do this.”
It may sound like an ambitious attempt, but the collection surpasses the ambition, landing at a powerful and vital conclusion. For most of these writers, this is not only their first time being published but their first time writing. The result is nothing short of inspiring.
In the first part, Watchful Eye of Mother, the concept of ‘mother’ is explored widely through reference to country, land, and nature - but also the connection to family and the physical maternal figures in the writers' lives.
Grandmother connections are a strong presence, and remembering them is often bittersweet. In observing her hometown being taken over by developers, Mabel Gibson details a heartbreaking, modern-day erasing of memory and place in her short piece of memoir writing Nanna’s Garden:
“My nan had a way of appreciating the beautiful things before they were beautiful. I imagine that garden now. I imagine some modern couple hiring a man to spill concrete over years of history, over my nan’s heart and soul.”
Mixed with a deep affection for nature and the lands they call home are concerns about how others treat these lands. The works that centre around these themes demonstrate exceptionally aware minds at work, observing, learning, and carrying the weight of what it means to be Indigenous, holding onto the connections of culture and heritage in modern Australia:
I have a dream
a dream dreamt by my mother before me
and my grandmother before her.
A dream that the land of our ancestors,
our sacred land, remains untouched.
(From A dream, by Angelica Augustine)
Connection to place, belonging, and identity are powerful themes that draw all of the parts in the collection together. In her poem, Navigating Home, Serena-May Brown poignantly calls out the challenge of finding self when so much of who you are is hidden or lost:
Why didn’t you teach me?
I feel lost
not knowing my history
I’m tired of it being this mystery
When will I be able to learn?
I’m weary of waiting
I’m told by others to be the best version of myself
but how can I, when I don’t know my full self
The second and third parts of the collection, The Stuff of Dreams and Sunrises Are My Eyes, continue to explore identity, but we also get more of a sense of the hopes and dreams of the writers outside of being Indigenous; desires to love and be loved for who they are, to explore and feel excited about the future, and also the pressures of being young, graduating high school and making decisions about that future:
It can be hard mapping your future
You have a journey you’d like to travel
To reach your aspirations
But the direction sometimes feels unsure
(From The Signs by Serena-May Brown)
In their introduction, editors Elfie and Linda reflect on how the voices throughout the collection echo The Imagination Declaration from the Youth Forum at Garma in 2019:
We don’t want to be boxed.
We don’t want ceilings.
We want freedom to be whatever a human mind can dream…
We urge you to give us the freedom to write a new story
(The Imagination Declaration, 2019)
The Declaration was written by 65 Indigenous and non-Indigenous students from Years 6-12, laid down as a challenge to Australia’s Prime Minister. It’s a powerful message of hope, and Elfie and Linda are absolutely right when they say the works collated here are a rising call to arms for the continuation of this Declaration.
Maar Bidi is one of the most moving collections of writing I have read in a long time. It is filled with beauty and grace, as well as piercing insights into the complexities of how young Indigenous people are (still) attempting to make sense of our world and their histories. I urge everyone to read it.
Elaine Mead is a freelance writer and book reviewer, currently residing in nipaluna (Hobart), Tasmania. She is passionate about the ways we can use literature to learn from our experiences to become more authentic versions of ourselves and obsessed with showing you photos of her Dachshund puppy. You can find her online under www.wordswithelaine.com.
