A Piece of Red Cloth

This book should come with a trigger warning, as some of the subject matter can be triggering for victims of abuse and trauma. I found this story to be triggering and emotional, and still persisted with reading it, as it is also a story of strong women and oral history.

********
This is a powerful oral story of the Yolngu people of North-East Arnhem Land. This is a rich and vivid story that passes knowledge of the Yolngu people. It is about a grandmother who stops at nothing to protect her granddaughter. The culture, women’s business and men’s business, are explored as well as the rich history of the cycle and challenges of a girl becoming a woman in the family. The ceremonies, traditions and implications of those on the young and old. The wise words of the elders to the young antics of the children. The oral history that is passed through generations whilst at the camp fires and the in tales that they tell one another.

A Piece of Red Cloth is a coming of age story that is full of oral history of the Yolngu people and looks at the perversion of man towards women. It is beautifully written and captures the voices of the Elders past in the telling of the stories, lores and in life generally. I don’t want to give a lot away, as it is amazing to read and it does provide a glimpse into the lore of the Yolngu people and how they interacted and incorporated the changes in their society with the introduction of white man, not only the English, but also the Dutch and Portuguese peoples who frequented their land, but also of the betrayal that the family faces.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.