This term paper wants to examine the forms and functions of Aboriginality in Kim Scott’s novel Benang: From the Heart. Published in 1999 as the author’s second novel, it gained great attention and also won the Miles Franklin Award. Kim Scott is a descendant of the Nyoongar people who have at all times inhabited the south-east coast of Western Australia. They used to be a large homogenous group that shared a common language and culture until the first white settlers landed on their continent. Apart from general mistreatment of these people, Kim Scott’s novel illustrates how an institutionalized genocide of them and other Aboriginal people was attempted. The story not only includes individual stories of several Aboriginal characters, but also official documents, newspaper articles, letters and reports. Like that, Scott creates a counter-narrative to colonial history and gives voices to those who were oppressed by legislations and racism.
The paper focuses on one type of Aboriginality, namely Harley’s discovered Aboriginality. This closer investigation includes the other aspects to some extent, as all of them are closely intertwined. In the course of my survey I will try to work out Scott’s way of representing certain aspects and which implications his choice might have for the interpretation of his novel, especially concerning the implications for a construction of Aboriginal identity and for the establishment of a new historical discourse.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Problem of Defining Aboriginality
3. Aboriginality in Benang: From the Heart
3.1. Facets of Aboriginality in Benang
3.2. Discovered Aboriginality
4. Conclusion
5. Bibliography
Objectives & Research Themes
This paper examines the multifaceted nature of Aboriginality as depicted in Kim Scott’s novel Benang: From the Heart, exploring how the author constructs a counter-narrative to colonial history through his protagonist's discovery of ancestral identity and his struggle against historical erasure.
- The construction of Aboriginal identity in a post-colonial context.
- The impact of assimilation policies and the "Stolen Generation" on Nyoongar culture.
- The use of magic realism as a tool for challenging colonial discourse and reclaiming personal history.
- The relationship between individual storytelling, ancestral memory, and communal healing.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2. Discovered Aboriginality
Inspired by his (imagined) cousin A.O.Neville’s eugenic ideas, Ernest begins a controlled breeding program among Nyoongar women. Arriving too late to be a pioneer, he “could still play a role in taming a people into submission” and the project also offered “a rationalisation of his desire” for power and sexual satisfaction (Scott 1999: 32). Ernest is determined to be the creator of “the first white man born” and he sees his goal achieved in Harley.
When Harley finds out about his grandfather’s breeding project, he can only perceive himself in this context. He is full of doubt, self-pity, anger, frustration and hate. Therefore his self-depiction mostly has a negative connotation. He calls himself Ern’s “living proof” and “conclusive evidence” (29). Or, putting it more drastically, he describes himself as the “fuck-me-white”, “faceless, empty-scrotumed, limp-dicked first man born” (31), who is “castrated, absorbed, buggered-up, striving to be more than a full stop, to sabotage [his] grandfather’s social experiment” (449). At this point in life, almost every trace of aboriginality has been wiped out of him and he is “another one without a history, plucked from the possibility of a sinister third race” (29). Harley feels “impoverished, weakened, reduced” because he already recognizes the dramatic impact of his loss, the “reduction of a rich and variously shared place to one fragile, impoverished consciousness” (31).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the paper's focus on examining the forms and functions of Aboriginality in Kim Scott's Benang: From the Heart, setting the stage for a critical analysis of identity construction.
2. The Problem of Defining Aboriginality: This section provides a critical overview of the historical and social definitions of Aboriginality, highlighting the limitations of colonial classifications and the diversity of indigenous experiences.
3. Aboriginality in Benang: From the Heart: This chapter explores how characters in the novel navigate their identity amidst political pressures, repression, and the desire to reconnect with their heritage.
3.1. Facets of Aboriginality in Benang: An analysis of how different characters, such as Fanny and the Coolman family, express or repress their Aboriginal identity as a means of survival and resistance.
3.2. Discovered Aboriginality: An investigation into the protagonist Harley's journey as he confronts his grandfather's eugenic experiments and works to reconstruct his ancestral history.
4. Conclusion: This chapter synthesizes findings on how Benang serves as a vehicle for personal and cultural healing, asserting the importance of ancestral connection in reclaiming identity.
5. Bibliography: A comprehensive list of the academic sources and texts referenced throughout the paper.
Keywords
Aboriginality, Kim Scott, Benang: From the Heart, Nyoongar, post-colonialism, identity construction, magic realism, assimilation, Stolen Generation, historical discourse, cultural heritage, indigeneity, ancestral memory, oral tradition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper examines how Kim Scott depicts the diverse forms and functions of Aboriginality in his novel, analyzing how the characters engage with their history and identity.
What are the core thematic areas discussed?
Key themes include the struggle for identity within a colonial framework, the legacy of assimilation policies, and the role of storytelling in preserving cultural memory.
What is the research goal of this study?
The goal is to explore how Kim Scott uses the narrative of Benang to construct a new historical discourse that challenges colonial interpretations and provides a voice to the oppressed.
Which scientific approach is utilized?
The study employs a literary critical approach, focusing on a close reading of the text, historical contextualization, and the application of post-colonial theory.
What is covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body investigates the problems of defining Aboriginality, the specific facets of identity within the novel’s characters, and the protagonist Harley's process of discovering his heritage.
Which keywords best describe the work?
Essential keywords include Aboriginality, Nyoongar, identity construction, assimilation, magic realism, and historical discourse.
How does Harley's journey reflect the broader theme of discovery?
Harley's journey is defined by his transition from viewing himself as a product of his grandfather's eugenic experiments to reclaiming his role as a Nyoongar descendant.
What role does the "magic realism" element play in the novel?
Magic realism, specifically Harley's "drifting" or elevation, serves as a metaphor for the alienation and loss of cultural bonds, while also functioning as a tool to dismantle Western literary conventions.
How does the author treat the concept of "history" in the text?
Scott uses archival documents and personal stories to deconstruct the linear, colonial version of history, favoring a circular, narrative-based approach rooted in Aboriginal tradition.
- Quote paper
- Katharina Dellbrügge (Author), 2009, Form and Functions of Aboriginality in Kim Scott’s Benang 'From the Heart', Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/145012
