Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence

Discussion Guide

ThemesSearch for identity

Sense of belonging

Spirituality of Aboriginal culture

Tradition of storytelling

Family bonds

Courage/determination

Relationship with the land

DedicationIt is clear that Garimara wants to encourage others to reconnect with their family histories.

Compare her desire to publish such a personal story (her mother’s survival) with Spiegelman’s desire to publish his parents’ survival in Maus.

● Are both authors doing similar things?● Is one more noble? Explain.

Anne Brewster calls the book “a history of heroism, triumph, and survival against all odds.”

Introduction

IntroductionWhy do you think the name of a person is never mentioned after his/her death?

Seasonal time vs. calendar time

Garimara openly admits that constructing this biography required a blend of information and imagination. Is that always the case?

The First Military Post

KundillaWhat characteristics make Kundilla a good leader?

● Ngingana and Mardina● Bunyun, Wandani, Binmu, and Jalda

What values are emphasized by the Nyungar?

What happened to Bunyun’s Uncle Tumi and his family?

Outside InfluenceAmericans are portrayed very negatively here. Were you surprised by this?

● These men probably wouldn’t do these things in America...● Possible research topic

Why were the white men initially given so much respect?

What gave the British soldiers the right to raise their flag on the shores of Western Australia?

● Major Edmund Lockyer

Why is Kundilla’s initial fear replaced by reassurance? Does this seem premature?

Convicts?A system of labor was established in which people, whatever their crime, were employed according to their skills – as brick makers, carpenters, nurses, servants, cattlemen, shepherds and farmers.

Educated convicts were set to the relatively easy work of record-keeping for the convict administration. Women convicts were assumed to be most useful as wives and mothers, and marriage effectively freed a woman convict from her servitude.

From 1810, convicts were seen as a source of labour to advance and develop the British colony. Convict labour was used to develop the public facilities of the colonies – roads, causeways, bridges, courthouses and hospitals. Convicts also worked for free settlers and small land holders.

The discipline of rural labour was seen to be the best chance of reform.

“Convicts and the British Colonies in Australia.” Australian Government, 20 January 2016.

Making PredictionsHow might life for the Nyungar people change without this outpost?

What are the moral implications of this departure?

Do the British have an obligation to protect the people (and animals) on the land they’ve colonized?

The Swan River Colony

Unsuspecting Targets“When the hunters’ approach is masked by the rain, they can easily move up on their unsuspecting target” (8).

● Bidgup, Meedo - story of Dayup

Could the opening here be a metaphor for the story about Captain Fremantle?

● “How could a stranger indicate in sign language that he was giving a foreign name to their traditional land?” (9).

● “I name this land Western Australia” (10). ○ Possible research topic

June 1829What does Yellagonga say Yalbung and Beeboo (and sons) saw while hunting?

● What is the significance of this sighting?

How are the new settlers portrayed? How do they compare to the Aboriginals?

● Christopher Marsden - a businessman from London● Arthur Carberry - wanted to become a member of the landed gentry● Capt James Stirling (Parmelia) vs. Capt Charles Fremantle (Challenger)

The Decline of Aboriginal Society

Keeping up their Englishness...What does that mean?!

How do the new settlers impact the people already living on this land?

Garimara makes it look as though the English are destroying the native culture for their own gains.

● Do you see it this way?● Is she presenting a biased perspective? Do we need her perspective

anyway?

Who determines “justice” here? Why?

“Might is Right”“They had to fight to find ways to return to their secret and sacred sites to perform their dances and other ceremonies that were crucial to their culture and whole way of life” (16).

● Sad realization for leaders of these cultures.● Potential research topic

Why are many Aboriginals “hired” as workers?

Why are the blankets considered insulting?

● Do we insult the marginalized with our small attempts to rectify wrongdoings? How can we do better? Where do we see this?

From the Deserts They Came

“Progress and Prosperity”“By the 1900s, Western Australia was showing signs of progress and prosperity, especially in the mining and agricultural industries” (18).

● Doesn’t this depend on how you define progress and prosperity?● Is it progress for the Mardujara people?

“They did not see this work as exploitation but as a form of kindness” (19).

● How do you see it?

“When some white construction workers dug up a sacred site…” (19).

Why so many names?Why do you think Garimara starts this book with several chapters of Aboriginal history?

Why does she “name names”? Sentences like “The incident occurred between Wells 33 and 62 along the Canning Stock Route sometime between 1906 and 1907” must serve a purpose.

Dora and FamilyTraveled together across the desert to Jigalong

● Lubin - Dora’s father● Barphada - Dora’s mother● Juberji and Buggeda - Dora’s uncles● Jilba - “one of the men”● Jibaru - “old man”● Golda - Dora’s younger brother

Canning Stock RouteThe Canning Stock Route is the longest historic stock route in the world.

● Wells were constructed to supply water for livestock● These wells made it difficult for Aboriginal groups to get water

How did this route make traveling to Jigalong more difficult for the Mardujara?

A terrifying example of cultural misunderstanding is shared on pp. 20-21.

● What happened to Golda? How did the white men react? How did the Aboriginal men react?

What are “yina booger”? (23)

“It’s a big marbu with a long kudda”Note: You do have a glossary in the back of the book.

Describe Dora’s family’s introduction to Talawana Station.

● What is the part-Aborigine man like? ● How do the Aboriginals feel about clothing?

“They understood that they must now conform to these changes in their lifestyle, obey their new bosses and try not to offend them” (27).

● Is this kindness, or are they brought to a state of desperation that forces them to embrace what they would otherwise shy away from?

Ruppi’s MigrationRuppi - among the first to settle at Jigalong

● From the Budidjara group

Chummy and Barlu - Ruppi’s brothers

Gunbu - “old man”

● Announces the plan to travel to Jigalong

JigalongWhat is the purpose of this place?

Are the British settlers really trying to help?

Explain the history of the rabbit-proof fence

● Why was it constructed?● Was it effective?

Jigalong, 1907-1931

Migrating to JigalongWhy do so many Aboriginals eventually move to Jigalong?

Is this a helpful resource or a form of control?

Through Maude, Garimara’s grandmother, we learn a little of traditional marriage practices.

● Why didn’t she marry Gilbu?● What kind of work does Maud do for Mr. Hawkins?● Who is the father of her baby? What is this baby’s name?

Molly’s birth“‘Look at this baby, it’s the ugliest child I ever saw. She is too ugly to look at, and I know that she will grow up to be a naughty girl’” (38).

● Why does the grandmother say these things?

Why is Molly taken to Mr. Keeling?

● What is his reaction to this young girl?

Molly’s childhoodHow do the other Aboriginal children treat her?

Does she remind you of Hester’s Pearl?

In what way are Daisy and Gracie similar to Molly?

● Why is Mr. Keeling so interested in them?● He says that they are “not getting a fair chance” and that they “would be

better off if they were removed from Jigalong” (39). Did he ask them?!

Stereotypes and prejudicesWhat assumptions do people make about part-Aboriginal children?

How are their mothers judged?

“Politicians and other officials were planning the destinies of children like Molly, Gracie, and Daisy” (40).

● Are they qualified to make decisions in the best interest of these children?● What gives them this authority?● What do they ultimately decide to do with children like Molly?

“Protector of Aborigines”What does Constable Riggs come to Jigalong for?

Were you surprised that their families didn’t fight for them?

“They will grow up with a better outlook on life than back at their camp” (47).

● Who defines better?

How are the sick women (Nellie, Mimi-Alli) treated?

Is Gracie’s capture any different?

● What do you think of her father?

The Journey South

“Protector of Aborigines”Constable Riggs is their protector? It sure isn’t portrayed that way.

Notice how many times the girls switch hands/locations.

● Riggs - Melrose - Pollett - Freeman - Campbell - Johnson - Baxter...● Does this seem like an awful lot of work? Why?

Why do you think Garimara chose to include primary source material?

The red dingo and homesicknessHow do the girls hold up throughout their travels?

Why does the image of the red dingo make them so homesick?

Matron Campbell and the East Perth Girls HomeWhy are the girls initially relieved to see her?

What are the girls glad to arrive at East Perth Girls Home?

What do Nora and Eva’s futures hold? What do they expect?

● Why do you think Molly lies about going back to Jigalong?

Moore River Native SettlementWhy was A. J. Keeling’s note a year earlier ignored?

Note the expectation that the girls will soon “accept the inevitable” (61).

The Moore River Native Settlement, 1931

Group OneDescribe Miss Campbell and Miss Evans.

“As they approached they noticed that the door was locked with chains and padlocks. Molly saw that the uninviting weatherboard and latticed dormitory had bars on the windows as well. Just like a gaol, she thought, and she didn’t like it one bit” (63).

How do the girls get through their first night at Moore River?

Group TwoDescribe Martha Jones.

“This was usually a plate of weevily porridge, bread and dripping washed down by a mug or a tin of lukewarm, sweet, milky tea. All inmates of the compound had their meals in the communal dining room. Like breakfast, the other meals were the most unappealing fare ever served to any human being” (66).

Why are the other children so interested in the new arrivals?

Group ThreeDescribe Polly Martin and Edna Green.

“We are all cut off from our families, she thought and was overcome with a deep longing for the dry, rugged, red landscape of the Pilbara. Still, sighed Molly, you couldn’t help being fascinated by the swirling currents and the trees and the tall river gums” (68).

Why do so many of the children go out walking/exploring?

Group FourDescribe Jack Miller and Violet Williams.

“‘You should have seen the other ones who were locked up for running away,’ she said. ‘They all got seven days punishment with just bread and water. Mr. Johnson shaved their heads bald and made them parade around the compound so that everyone could see them. They got the strap too’” (71).

Has anyone ever successfully escaped from Moore River?

Group FiveWhich characters at Moore River have had the biggest influence on the young girls?

“Instead of a residential school, the Aboriginal children were placed in an overcrowded dormitory. The inmates, not students, slept on cyclone beds...It looked more like a concentration camp than a residential school for Aboriginal children” (72).

“‘We can’t talk our old wangka,’ she whispered. ‘That’s awful’” (73).

What is the captors’ goal here? What is Molly’s goal?

The Escape

The day of school that never happenedGiven the weather, many of you probably wish you could say that about today.

Why does Molly decide that she and her sisters will attempt to escape?

● Does she really understand what she is attempting?● Are the girls prepared for such a journey?● Is traveling in muddy conditions wise?

“The wilderness was her kin” (82).Where has Molly learned all of her survival techniques?

How would you fare on a trek with two small children across Australia?

The unfamiliar terrain is more exciting than terrifying.

● What does scare the girls?● What “logical explanation to that phenomenon” does Garimara provide?

How do the girls get through their first night on the run?

Rabbits in Australia todayThe rabbit population in Australia is still out of control.

Many efforts to reduce the number of rabbits have been implemented with varying success.

● Why do you think the rabbits are so problematic?● What has likely been tried?

For tomorrow, read CC 12 - “Program to release rabbit control virus”

● You don’t have to write a reflection this time, but be prepared to discuss.

“All their worldly goods” (90).What do the girls have with them?

Who gives them the life changing gift of matches? Why?

The girls are covering 24-30 kilometers a day. That is roughly 15-18.5 miles!

● Why is Molly so insistent that they move quickly?● How do the younger girls manage to cover so much ground?● Do they have enough food/water to sustain this pace?

Meals = communionAll year, we have discussed that meals in literature have the potential to bring characters closer to one another.

● Enjoyable meals are excellent bonding opportunities.● Miserable meals often set the stage for increasing tension/hardship.

Explain the role of meals on the girls’ arduous journey.

● Who feeds them? Why?○ Remember Mrs. Flanagan, Mr. D. L. Lyons, Don Willocks, and their aunt.

● How do they find food for themselves?

Fears and ChallengesHow do the girls evade danger as they travel?

● Wildlife● Hunger● Strangers● Navigation● Weather● Capture

GracieWhy does she decide to pursue a different route?

Why is this so difficult for Molly to accept?

How does her plan work out for her?

We thought bringing them south was expensive...“The total sum paid to the policemen involved in the search and recapturing of the three runaways from Jigalong was quite handsome. The three of them put the Department ‘in an unfortunate position’ financially” (129).

● Why did they try so hard?● Why did they eventually give up?

Anti-Australian?Critics of this book argue that its message is anti-Australian.

● What do you suppose their arguments are?● Do they have a point?● How does this relate to “the danger of a single story”?

What Happened to Them? Where are They Now?

Finding “Home”Describe the girls’ lives.

Where do we see English influence in the trajectories of their lives?

A critical perspectiveIn an introduction to an interview with Garimara conducted in 1998, Christine Watson writes:

“With historical documentation existing in abundance (for those who care to look) of vastly more horrific and disturbing events than those included in Rabbit-Proof Fence, the suggestion that the historical picture of Pilkington’s novel is an ‘untrue’ one can also be taken up from the other end - much of the brutality, racism and violence that historically existed is still silenced in these texts.”

Starting the story with “firstly”Daniel Browning, host of AWAYE Radio National, writes:

“For a long time writing is something that happened to Aboriginal people. We all understand the power of the written word to turn other human beings into objects without a voice of their own. But more and more Aboriginal people are writing their own life stories. Whatever you like to call it - autobiography, biography, memoir - indigenous life writing is emerging as a literary genre of its own.”

The power of storyFrances Peters-Little, Indigenous Australian academic, musician, and filmmaker, says:

“Life writing is very quickly, it’s fast becoming one of the most popular ways that, internationally, people are learning about Indigenous peoples’ culture, life, history, life stories...autobiography and biography are really the voices of the people themselves getting their messages across.”

Memoir as counter archiveAustralian academic Anne Brewster has described Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence as a counter archive.

She sees this text as a challenge to the official (white) version of events documented in government records.

This indigenous version of history has always existed alongside the official version.

Is it just as valid? Is it just as important? Is it just as “official”?