What role does fiction play in truth-telling? Can stories move us closer to a greater understanding of our history? How might novels shine a light on the real impact of laws and policies on First Nations people?
Wiradyuri woman and award-winning author Anita Heiss addressed these questions in a generous and wide-ranging discussion with journalist Nicole Abadee at the Museum of Sydney in July. The event was co-hosted by Towards Truth, a truth-telling project and partnership between the Justice and Equity Centre and the UNSW Indigenous Law Centre.
‘Fiction can bring empathy… I want people to walk away feeling something beyond grief and trauma, something that makes them want to read more and learn more and understand more.’
Anita emphasised how her work depicts moments of joy for Aboriginal people and tells a human story: ‘We have lived and loved on this land for millennia, but it’s never talked about. Love of country, love of kin, love of children and love of partners. All my stories have a love story.’
Anita’s work challenges the colonial narrative of Australian history and, like Towards Truth, shows how NSW Government laws and policies affected so many facets of the lives of Aboriginal people.
Her 2021 novel Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray tells the story of a young Wiradyuri woman, Wagadhaany, and how her life is impacted by The Masters and Servants Act 1840 (NSW).
‘It was meant to protect both the masters and the servants, but it protected the masters essentially. A servant was not allowed to disobey their master, be absent from work for any length of time, or leave the job without permission,’ Anita explained.
‘The punishment was harsh, and a servant could have their wages confiscated or be imprisoned. It wasn’t specifically targeted at Aboriginal people, but it’s highly probably from the way the legislation played out in practice, that Wiradjuri people lived in fear of it, because they were dispossessed, displaced, completely disempowered and at the mercy of their boss.’
Anita also described how her work elevates stories of First Nation survival and strength, such as in her 2024 novel Dirrayawadh’, which is ‘about resilience, resistance, and love of Wiradjuri people on Wiradjuri country.’
Dirrayawadha is set during the Frontier Wars. Towards Truth has recently published the first of its Frontier Wars subjects, with more to come soon.
Anita Heiss shows how storytelling can help drive truth-telling
What role does fiction play in truth-telling? Can stories move us closer to a greater understanding of our history? How might novels shine a light on the real impact of laws and policies on First Nations people?
Wiradyuri woman and award-winning author Anita Heiss addressed these questions in a generous and wide-ranging discussion with journalist Nicole Abadee at the Museum of Sydney in July. The event was co-hosted by Towards Truth, a truth-telling project and partnership between the Justice and Equity Centre and the UNSW Indigenous Law Centre.
‘Fiction can bring empathy… I want people to walk away feeling something beyond grief and trauma, something that makes them want to read more and learn more and understand more.’
Anita emphasised how her work depicts moments of joy for Aboriginal people and tells a human story: ‘We have lived and loved on this land for millennia, but it’s never talked about. Love of country, love of kin, love of children and love of partners. All my stories have a love story.’
Anita’s work challenges the colonial narrative of Australian history and, like Towards Truth, shows how NSW Government laws and policies affected so many facets of the lives of Aboriginal people.
Her 2021 novel Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray tells the story of a young Wiradyuri woman, Wagadhaany, and how her life is impacted by The Masters and Servants Act 1840 (NSW).
‘It was meant to protect both the masters and the servants, but it protected the masters essentially. A servant was not allowed to disobey their master, be absent from work for any length of time, or leave the job without permission,’ Anita explained.
‘The punishment was harsh, and a servant could have their wages confiscated or be imprisoned. It wasn’t specifically targeted at Aboriginal people, but it’s highly probably from the way the legislation played out in practice, that Wiradjuri people lived in fear of it, because they were dispossessed, displaced, completely disempowered and at the mercy of their boss.’
Anita also described how her work elevates stories of First Nation survival and strength, such as in her 2024 novel Dirrayawadh’, which is ‘about resilience, resistance, and love of Wiradjuri people on Wiradjuri country.’
Dirrayawadha is set during the Frontier Wars. Towards Truth has recently published the first of its Frontier Wars subjects, with more to come soon.
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