Cirrus@Austlit

'The Girl from the Great Sandy Desert is the remarkable account of the life of Mana, a young Walmajarri girl and her family in the desert country of north-west Australia. A collection of accessible stories that elucidate the rich cultural lives of pre-contact Aboriginal Australians.' (Source: Magabala Books website)

'Jimmy and Pat Go to China is a light-hearted but informative account of a journey to China by Australian Aboriginal artist Jimmy Pike with the author Pat Lowe and their host, Chinese Australian artist Zhou Xiaoping. The artists held a joint exhibition in Zhou's home town, Hefei, and from there the three friends travelled by bus and train to other parts of China. They went up the Yellow Mountains, visited Buddhist temples and saw the famous Terracotta Warriors at Xian, as well as climbing the Great Wall. At night in hotel rooms, Jimmy made drawings: delightful, naive impressions of places he visited.
Pat's account is less a travelogue than a gentle, tongue-in-cheek commentary on Jimmy's responses to a country and culture very different from his own.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'For those working with Australian Indigenous languages, one of the challenges is to help speakers find ways to pass the language on to younger generations. Linguists and language centres have produced a range of resources for this purpose: wordbooks, bilingual dictionaries, learner’s grammars, language learning courses, to name a few. With the new series of picture dictionaries, planned for languages in Central Australia, IAD has come up with an innovative resource. Kaytetye picture dictionary is the second in this series and, as the name suggests, illustrations are an integral part of it.' (Introduction)

'This book describes the hunting lifestyle of desert people both before European contact and today. It discusses the art of tracking in some detail, and shows how it is part of a body of knowledge, which includes an intimate understanding of animal behaviour, an excellent memory and a faultless sense of direction. The author discusses the debt owed by the police to Aboriginal trackers, and offers new insights into well-known events such as the Azaria Chamberlain saga.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)

This work reveals the stories behind the historic exodus of the Walmajarri people from the Great Sandy Desert of Western Australia. Seventeen Walmajarri storytellers give insights into their lives which straddled both the traditional and modern worlds.

'The third book in the Yinti series of three books. The stories are linked in a sequence that shows Yinti’s development from a young bushie to a competent station worker and adult. Desert Cowboy is the story of Yinti’s return to the cattle station and of his life as a stockman. Over these years Yinti experiences joy, excitement, loss and tragedy, but never loses his sense of fun and inclination to mischief. All of the stories are based on actual people and events as told to Pat Lowe by Jimmy Pike and other members of his family.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Jimmy and Pat Meet the Queen is a fantasy about Native Title, in which Jimmy, a traditional owner of land in the Great Sandy Desert, challenges the Queen to visit his camp and prove to him that she is the rightful owner of this so-called ‘vacant Crown land’. Her Majesty accepts the invitation, and soon learns what it really means to be a landowner in the Australian desert. A light-hearted look at a serious subject, suitable for readers of all ages.' 

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The second book in the Yinti series of three books. The stories are linked in a sequence that shows Yinti’s development from a young bushie to a competent station worker and adult. When the dingo, Spinifex, is taken from her mother, she expects to be killed. Instead she is adopted and becomes a prized hunting dog. She eventually accompanies her human family, including Yinti, on their journey through the Great Sandy Desert. When Yinti leaves the desert, Spinifex goes with him. Based on stories, told to Pat Lowe by Jimmy Pike, about a dog who lived with his family in the desert during the 1940s and early 1950s.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.