Prolific Australian author, Anita Heiss, published her ninth novel in August, following the success of her 2021 historical fiction book, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams).
Her latest book, Dirrayawadha (Rise Up) once again looks at Australian history from the perspective of First Nations characters, this time examining the Frontier Wars in Bathurst of the 1820s from the point of view of the Wiradyuri people, as well as incorporating the perspective of an Irish convict labourer. In her author’s note, Heiss states that she shares this story as a part of truth-telling in this country.
The story follows Miinaa, who lives on a property called Cloverdale and works as a domestic labourer for the Nugent family. The Nugents, who are Irish, are not like the other European people who have settled in the area – they have great sympathy for the plight of the local Wiradyuri people, and show yindyamarra (to respect, to honour, to be polite) in their interactions with Miinaa and her family through their willingness to learn language and culture.
Andrew Nugent even earns himself a Wiradyuri name from Miinaa’s brother. Despite this, they still profit from the displacement of the traditional owners of the land they are now inhabiting, and there are a number of instances throughout the book where Catholicism is pushed onto Miinaa in particular.
Miinaa’s brother is Windradyne, a legendary Wiradyuri leader who becomes known in European areas (incorrectly) as Saturday for his role in a number of retaliatory raids on settlers in the Bathurst area. After a series of more and more brutal massacres on Miinaa’s people, Windradyne is driven to more and more extremes in order to fight for the rights of his people, even if this in turn puts a bounty on his head. Miinaa is caught between her loyalty to her brother and her people, and her love for Dan O’Dwyer, an Irish convict labourer whose ability to understand the unfairness of English colonial rule quickly brings the pair together.
Mutual respect is a key theme of Dirrayawadha, and the book puts forward the idea that if all involved had been willing to show each other yindyamarra, then there might have been a way forward for the new settlers to live alongside the Wiradyuri people, and benefit from their knowledge of their ngurambang (country, land). Instead, the newcomers treated the land as if they were still in England, doing damage to the natural landscape in the process. Heiss bookends the novel with sections told in the spectral voice of Mother Earth, observing helplessly the oncoming tide of history, and the changes wrought by the coming of the ‘white ghosts’.
Alongside these powerful messages, Dirrayawadha is also a love story. Miinaa and Dan are drawn to one another quickly and their attraction quickly makes this couple into a family. While at times the third person perspective makes it easier for the reader to take a wider view of the historical events, and allows Heiss to cover a lot of ground both chronogically and thematically, the tone of the writing does not always lend itself to the more tender moments of the story. Some of the emotional beats of Miinaa and Dan’s relationship feel intellectualised; whereas the depictions of violence and heartache and childbirth are more evocative. Despite this, the love story provides a powerful point of tension, as Miinaa must make an important decision as the book enters its denouement.
The result is a thought-provoking redressing of history, and a compelling read.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Dirrayawadha (Rise Up) by Anita Heiss is available now from Simon and Schuster. Grab yourself a copy from your local bookshop HERE.
