I Am Nannertgarrook

Boonwurrung writer Tasma Walton tells the story of her ancestors in this powerful account of the horrors of colonialism and the ongoing power of Country. Abducted from her home in Nerrm, our main character Nannertgarrook is taken to a slave market, separated from her children, husband and Country. In unfamiliar territory, she and her fellow kidnapped Boonwurrung women must fight to survive, and as Nannertgarrook gives birth to the son she was pregnant with when seized, the fight grows only more important.

Despite the tragedies that befall Nannertgarrook, this is a story of hope, too – with her son comes a future, and Nannertgarrook constantly dreams of home: sacred women’s ceremonies; Babayin Betayil (Mother Whale); her beach and sand and sky; her family and Elders. Maternal love is a life-force, empowering community and ensuring survival. Her connection to Country is emphasised by her separation from it, and we come to know this Country intimately through her desire to return to it.

This novel memorialises not only the stories of Walton’s ancestors but also immerses us in continuing Boonwurrung language and culture. We are reminded that this history floods our present day. Nannertgarrook’s story is not over because her culture, language and spirit live on in Boonwurrung people, and in this novel. We find ourselves looking back into the past, as Nannertgarrook peers into the future at us. Our temporalities collide. Throughout it all, the titular phrase ‘I am Nannertgarrook’ reverberates as a refrain, asserting Indigenous endurance in the face of erasure.