Oodgeroo's Representation Of Aboriginal Cultural Identity

Aboriginal cultural identity is shaped by the Aboriginal people’s unshakeable determination, spiritual connection, reliance, and understanding of animals and the land they share with them. Oodgeroo of the tribe Nunuccal’s poetry represents Aboriginal culture by showing the responder that these values, even under the force of European settlement, have remained untouched within the identity of Aboriginal peoples. Oodgeroo’s poems, “The Ballad of the Totems” and “Time is Running Out” (both published in ‘The Dawn is at Hand’, 1966) are poems which highlight Aboriginal people’s connection to the land, connection to animals, and how European and modern ways of life have challenged the Aboriginal ways. Ultimately Oodgeroo’s representation of Aboriginal

Every tribe holds a “totem” animal, which is not to be harmed, to prevent depopulation, and to keep a balance both ecologically and spiritually, as Aboriginal people saw all living things as equals. Oodgeroo Nunuccal displays this in her poem “Ballad of the Totems” through the personification of various animals, seen in the lines “A mighty fellow… our head,” and “hysterical fowls gave tongue”. This vies emotional connection through giving the responder a humorous and relatable view on these animals, allowing a non-Indigenous responder a glimpse into Aboriginal traditional views on connection to a totem animal. Aboriginal people’s connection to an animal is a sacred and widespread traditional part of their cultural identity, which Oodgeroo offers a contemporary understanding of through her

Aboriginal culture has lasted millennia, and centuries more even tested against the destructive and ignorant aspects of European culture. Though hindered, the Aboriginal people continue to show their strength. This is shown in lines five through to ten in stanza 3 of “Time is Running Out”, where connotations of the word “strength” and “violence” are used to emphasise the Aboriginal people’s unrelenting determination (strength) which is dangerous (violent) to the destructive (violent) European settlers. In “Ballad of the Totems” symbolism is seen in quotes, “…kept old tribal way,” “…nothing but a pest,” and “…loud and strict command”. This emphasises Oodgeroo’s representation of Aboriginal people’s strict adherence to tradition and their over-arching way of life, even against modern influences such as pet safety and disagreement in a household environment. Oodgeroo’s own strength and determination reflected in her works, as efforts which raised awareness for the Black Civil Rights movement, are an inspiring reminder of how her poetry embodies this Aboriginal