Cirrus@Austlit

'In this extraordinary collection, respected Barladong Noongar women Dr Marion Kickett and Tracey Kickett bring together first-person stories from First Nations peoples living in Western Australia. There are men and women, children and elders, from all walks of life. Each has a tale to tell: about their childhoods, about their relationships, about their joys and their struggles. All share a unique connection to Country. And to each other. This is the authentic Australia, sung by the people who know it best.'  (Publication summary)

'I looked at the old man who had come to sit near me next to the fire. He must have made the fire earlier and was back with some more wood which he placed on the fire, making it crackle and spring to life. I watched him from where I sat. He had a bone in his nose and some markings on his arms and his chest. He placed more wood on the fire and then sat to the side of me. He never looked directly at me, and I never looked directly at him.' (Introduction)