Reviewer: Catriona Troth
What We thought of It:
After a long absence, August is returning to her home in
Massacre Plains, a remote part of central Australia, to attend the funeral of her
grandfather, Poppy Albert. But when she gets there, she finds that even her
families last fragile hold on what used to be their ancestral land is threatened
by the development of a tin mine.
The Yield weaves together three narratives. There is August’s
story, of reconnecting with her family, of coming to terms with the loss of Poppy
Albert, and of her growing conviction that they could fight the incursion of
the mine.
The second is an extended letter, written by the white pastor
who set up the original mission on Massacre Plains to protect the local
Aboriginal people. His letter both documents the extent and brutality of the
atrocities committed by white settlers and reveals the some of the damage caused
through his own good intentions.
Finally, there are Poppy Albert’s own writings – his attempt
to create a dictionary of his people’s original language. Each word that he
captures has a story to go with it – and those stories tell something of the
traditions of the original inhabitants of Massacre Plains, of their custodianship
of the land and of the environmental degradation brought about through ignoring
that deep knowledge. But fragment by fragment
they also reveal the devastating truth behind the family tragedy that led to
August leaving Massacre Plains.
Poppy’s dictionary underlines the importance of reclaiming
language, because a language reveals a whole different way of thinking. As Poppy
says, it sings mountains into existence.
Like this year’s Jhalak Prize winner The First Woman, The
Yield explores the intergenerational impact of colonialism – but this time
through the lens of an Indigenous people who were all but wiped out by white
settlers in the course of their insatiable land grab. It also reflects on how
ignorance and the wilful rejection of traditional knowledge and practice has
led to the destruction of a delicate ecological balance.
Achingly beautiful. A devastating tally of the cost paid by the
relentless drive to expand European ‘civilisation,’ yet containing within it a
small flame of hope that some of what has been lost can still reclaimed.
You’ll Enjoy This If You Loved: The First Woman by Jennifer Nansubuga
Makumbi, The Break by Katherena Vermette
Avoid If You Dislike: Confronting the devastating impact of
colonialism on a land and its people.
Perfect Accompaniment: Freshwater fish, grilled and flavoured
with herbs.
Genre: Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Indigenous Writing, Literary Fiction
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