|  Alcheringa
tells the story of Nari, an elderly Aborigine, gaoled for stealing
a calf, who recalls the slow destruction of his people and of a
way of life they believed to be eternal.
From
the first, ambiguous encounters with whites – a discarded
bottle, a stray cow – to the disastrous confrontations between
newcomers and the age-old custodians of the land, Betty Villeminot’s
novel is both a lament and a celebration. It presents traditional
Aboriginal society with sophistication and empathy. The account
of their destruction is deeply moving.
At the end, as the Overland Telegraph is nearing completion, Nari
is vouchsafed a vision of the fate of his people in future times
and a confirmation of the eternal Dreamtime he is about to inherit
Betty Villeminot is the author
and co-author of numerous books and films about Australia. In 1956,
together with Jacques Villeminot and with the encouragement of Professor
AP Elkin, she had the opportunity to spend a lot of months with
Aboriginal people of the desert who had been only lightly touched
by Western civilisation. This first encounter, followed by others,
completely changed her perception of the world in which she lived.
Alcheringa
Published by Duffy
and Snellgrove, Sydney 2004
Foreword by Frank Brennan
translated from the French by Andrew Riemer
ISBN 1 876631 94 5
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