Tamarra: A Story of Termites on Gurindji Country is a fascinating, illustrated science book that takes kids inside the life of termites through storytelling from the Gurindji People.
Did you know there are four types of termite poo? Or that a warm paste made from termite mound is used to strengthen a Gurindji baby’s body and spirit? Or that spinifex (which termites eat) is one of the strongest plants in the world?
Created as a collaboration between over 30 First Nations and non-Indigenous contributors, the story and artworks explore how termites and their mounds connect different parts of Country, from tiny Gurindji babies and their loving grandmothers, to spiky spinifex plants growing in the hot sun.
Written in traditional Gurindji, Gurindji Kriol and English (with a QR code to an audio version spoken in language), Tamarra is a truly original story with beautiful artwork that takes readers on an educational and cultural journey through Gurindji Country.
Suitable for children aged 7 to 12 years.
Tamarra A Story of Termites on Gurindji Country
- Violet Wadrill
- Topsy Dodd Ngarnjal
- Leah Leaman
- Cecelia Edwards
- Cassandra Algy
- Felicity Meakins
- Briony Barr
- Gregory Crocetti
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ISBN:
9781741178302
Format:
Hardback
Pages:
80
Dimensions:
26cm x 26cm
Weight:
750g
RRP:
$29.99
Publisher:
Hardie Grant Explore
Published:
05 July 2023
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Violet Wadrill
Violet Wadrill was born in 1942 and is a traditional owner of Jutamaliny. She has worked extensively with linguists on the documentation of Gurindji language and culture, including a dictionary, ethnobiology and a number of volumes of collected texts including Yijarni: True Stories from Gurindji Country (2016). She also paints her traditional country, Jutamaliny, and makes tradition- al artefacts such as coolamons and
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Topsy Dodd Ngarnjal
Topsy Dodd Ngarnjal was born in 1934. She has worked extensively with linguists on the documentation of Gurindji language and culture, including a dictionary, ethnobiology, songs book Songs from the Station (2018) and a number of volumes of collected texts. Topsy paints her Dreaming, the lamawurt (witchetty grub) and makes kawarla (coolamons), kurturu (nulla nullas)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leah Leaman
Leah Leaman is a Gurindji/Malngin woman, artist and Co-Director of Karungkarni Art. Her artwork has featured in a number of events and exhibitions including the annual exhibition at Charles Darwin University ACIKE Unit commemorating the Vincent Lingiari Memorial Lecture (2015-2018) and the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair. Leah’s work, Women Collecting Flowers and Bushfood, is currently touring Australia as part of the Karungkarni
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cecelia Edwards
Cecelia Edwards was born in Katherine to Warlpiri and Gurindji parents. She has been painting since she was a child and is an active member of Karungkarni Art. Cecelia has worked as an assistant teacher at Kalkaringi School. She also works with Felicity Meakins extensively on the documentation of Gurindji and Gurindji Kriol.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cassandra Algy
Cassandra Algy is a Gurindji/Mudburra woman from Daguragu currently employed as a Karungkarni artworker. Since 2005, Cassandra has assisted linguist Felicity Meakins in numerous Gurindji language projects including Aboriginal Child Language Project; Gurindji history projects (producing 2 books Yijarni and Mayarni-Kari Yurrk); Gurindji bush medicine, bush food projects and sign language projects; and the
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Felicity Meakins
Felicity Meakins (FASSA, FAHA) is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Queensland. She is a non-Indigenous field linguist who specialises in the documentation of First Nations languages in northern Australia and the effect of English on these languages. She has worked as a community linguist as well as an academic over the past 20 years, facilitating language revitalisation programs, consulting on Native Title
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Briony Barr
Briony Barr is a non-Indigenous visual-conceptual artist whose work explores emergence and the effect of boundaries and other creative limitations through process-based drawing. She regularly collaborates with fellow artists and writers as well as scientists, musicians on projects ranging from collaborative artworks and participatory drawing-installations, to improvisation-performance, to educational workshops, picture books and
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gregory Crocetti
Gregory Crocetti is a non-Indigenous microbial ecologist, science educator, writer, advocate for microbes and Director of Scale Free Network: art-science collaborative. His PhD and subsequent post-doctoral research explored the roles of different populations of bacteria in a range of environments, including those found in sponges, seaweeds, stromatolites and sewage. Since 2007, Gregory has collaborated with artists and educators to