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Indicated disconnect. Shows to the reader that Indigenous people have been overlooked and treated like lesser citizens

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“The soft vowelly tongue to be heard now....you twice in fierce tribal fights with wild enemy blacks from over the river.” First paints Aboriginal culture as soft and gentle, whilst also being powerful and strong

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Tribal Indigenous Diction - Aboriginal culture

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Tribal Indigenous Diction - Aboriginal culture

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- “boomerang and spear”
-“corroboree”

->the importance of specific practices and rituals (i.e. hunting) in Aboriginal culture.

Reinforces how colonisation has prevented Aboriginal people from engaging in cultural activities, disconnecting them from their heritage and culture.

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“..once in the corroboree” “twice in fierce tribal fights”
- the diminishing of indigenous culture evoked violence within Australia; having to partake in fight for their culture to remain more than being able to passively enioy it (once vs twice)
(Corroboree -> dancing, is peaceful,
fights -> obviously negative, violent)

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“You enact old scenes, old ways, you who have used Boomerang and spear...You twice in fierce tribal fights.”
The use of the word “you” is used to highlight all the roles and different aspects in Indigenous culture

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-Clan
-Gay throng
-Happy People

Additionally, “gay” and “happy” reinforce the idea that Aboriginal people lived more joyously with a greater sense of community prior to colonisation.

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“the soft vowelly tongue to be heard now no more forever”
soft - comforting, delicate
no more forever = tragedy of losing/abandoning Aboriginal culture (language)

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“lonely in teeming city crowds”
- unnatural
- aboriginals are overlooked
- reinforces the isolation that the aboriginals felt as they were taken from their culture and placed into white society ie “city crowds”

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length of sentences, used most commonly to emphasise particular ideas:
"change is the law." - short and to the pint, emphasis on law
"last of your clan." - this short sentence is pivotal in the poem as its succinctly sums up the emotion which is reinforced throughout
"and you remain alone." - short and sweet, to the point, is quite confronting and sparks emotions of seclusion and loneliness
throughout the poem, short and sharp sentences follow long lines which creates a sense of importance and significance in these shorter sentences, particularly in the first stanza

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“Displaced in your own country”
Irony highlighting the unfairness and loneliness of the Aboriginal experience

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“Displaced person in your own country”.
Opposing of ideas that the Aboriginal people are the traditional custodians of Australia, but that they’re lost and treated disrespectfully but British-Australians

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“the soft vowelly tongue to be heard now”
‘soft’ —> vulnerability

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“Change is the law”
The law is made up of rules that people have to abide by whether they agree to it or not. By comparing change to law, it is describing how change is inevitable, but was also brought upon Aboriginal people without their consent

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“you leader once in the corroboree,
you twice in fierce tribal fights
with wild enemy blacks from the river”

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“No more for ever. For me”
- abrupt pause to the flow of poem, establishes the sense that culture is fading with certainty.

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the idea that this person has a responsibility to be a leader in their tribe and explores different roles in this particular culture
"you singer ..."
"you leader ..."
"you twice in fierce tribal fights"

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“I look at you and am back in the long ago” - the persona reminiscing Aboriginal culture as something instantly recognisable

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"ancient tribal songs", "corroboree" and "fierce tribal fights"
- reinforces idea of culture

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“Change is the law. The new must oust the old.”
— directive
— this is the new state of mind

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“ancient tribal songs”

aural imagery allows the reader to experience those sounds and feel like they are there at that moment.

Noonucal applies different forms of imagery (tactile,visual)to describes her experiences vividly and accurately. she gives a clear illustration of the sad experiences she went through and the mood (sorrowful as elegiac) she creates resembles her remanicing on her experiences.

Alliteration: “lonely and lost here” - elegiac mood- invokes a sorrowful image of Willie Mackenzie. It brings the readers to those specific words. Noonuccal wants the reader to feel the sorrow of their culture disappearing while reading it

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“I look at you and am back in the long ago”

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“All gone, all gone”

The repetition of “all gone” in the poem forces the reader to confront the fact that the Indigenous Land, diverse culture and people have been taken away from them over Colonisation of Australia and the stolen generation and that a some of the ideals that tradition which has been verbally spread has slowly disappeared.

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‘All gone, all gone’ - emphasises sense of loss

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“All gone, All gone, and you remain alone”
“Lonely in teeming city crowds”

Auditory imagery:
“The voices and the laughter”
“You singer of ancient tribal songs”

Tactile imagery:
“The soft vowelly tongue to be heard now”

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“displaced person in your own country”
-- sad irony
— to feel lonely in a crowd is unnatural
— idea of being overlooked

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Willie Mackenzie:
Poem is written as a letter to him or an ode for him.
Famous aboriginal man in Queensland’s history. He recorded a series of tapes containing the most detailed account to date of Aboriginal Culture in Queensland.

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the entire structure displays the complexity of culture. the first stanza begins with gentle, peaceful connotations of the past indigenous culture whilst also mentioning the loneliness and loss of culture as generations pass on “change is the law. the new must oust the old.”  these two short and sharp beginning sentences mirrors directive orders using the word ‘must’ to incorporate a sense of high modality — can also serve as a reminder of culture how there are many laws within indigenous culture. alliteration is incorporated within the first few lines to draw emphasis on the natural rhythm, of those words, and to implicitly link the words describing the isolation. the second stanza uses an anaphora and repetition of the word “you” which creates a sense of directive ness and the words like “singer,” “leader”, perpetuate the ideas of importance, ownership and the large role of responsibility that indigenous people have to play within their culture. these two stanzas portray a contrast, and display the versatility within the indigenous culture. the last lines “displaced person in your own country, lonely in teeming city crowds” is an oxymoron and establishes a sad irony. the word displaced means that you do not belong somewhere, but it contrasts with the “your own country” referring to how the indigenous population was cast out by the colonisers and experiences years of inter generational trauma. but this statement can also link to the first stanza, “you remain alone”, the emphasis of being isolated within their own country, reinforcing the sad irony. “lonely in teeming city crowds” could be a reference to how since being colonised, the cities have been industrialised and the connection with nature and the indigenous culture is lost with the generations. this line reinforces the disconnection and loss of culture with the indigenous people and their land. the continued repetition of the words “all gone” presents the tragedy and creates a halt in the previous flowing and harmonious structure of the poem (seen in the first stanza).

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“last of your clan
left only with your memories”

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Emphasises the connotations of the “l” sounds in “Lost” “last” “ left”. => connotations of loss and mourning.

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"gay throng, the happy people, the voices and laughter" is heavily contrasted with "all gone, all gone, and you remain alone"

the idea of being surrounded by joy through aural imagery is contrasted by this idea of being alone and isolated.

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1) William Mackenzie: a famous Indigenous man, who played a key role in creating a transcript detailing an understanding of Aboriginal culture in South-East QLD. However he died in a Salvation Army Home and lies in an unmarked grave.
Mackenzie represents the extensive and complex knowledge of Aboriginal culture and history. Lying in an “unmarked grave” can be seen as a metaphor for the death of Aboriginal culture, which British-Australians fail to acknowledge.

2) Salvation Army Home: an allusion to the destructive impact of Christian missionaries on Aboriginal culture and generational trauma.

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Poem starts of with ‘change is the law. The new must oust the old’ which is a high in modality especially for the begging in of a poem and highlights that change is an inevitable part of life.
Repetition
The poem is also presents the feeling of dispossession as it highlights how Oodgeroo reminisces stating how she is “Left only with your memories, you sit and think of the gay throng”. This is further enforced with the repetition of the following line “All gone, All gone” when executed, strikes deeper more solemn and deeper meaning in what isolation and dispossession may feel like.
Direct Adress
‘I asked you to hear’
The second stanza, is heavily characterised with the use of direct address through using the words like “you” and “your” which creates the sense of personalisation toward the reader.
Imagery
The sense of vulnerability of the poem can be perceived through “The soft vowels tongue” which incorporates the use of tactile imagery as how soft is usually associated with innocence and vulnerability.

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reinforced address of the Aboriginal man with the repetition of “You”