During the six weeks that photographer Axel Poignant spent at Nagalarramba, events were guided by his three Aboriginal companions, the Mawng brothers - Lazarus, Lamilami and George Winunguj - and Joseph Mangkudja, who later became the senior Kunibidji landowner of present-day Maningrida, on the opposite side of the river. The story of the encounter, which culminated in a Rom ceremony for Axel, is traced in the central photographic narrative of over 200 photographs, which follows the chronology of Axel's diary.
Roslyn Poignant draws on Axel's journal and Aboriginal reflections to explore the dynamics of the 1952 encounter. She positions the narrative historically and considers the nature of photographic representation, drawing on insights provided by the community's response to Axel's photographs. As Roslyn writes: "This book rests on the fragile bridge that both parties to the original encounter built. From this vantage point it attempts to look both ways: to address two audiences, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal."
- Publisher's blurb
