Joan Martin (Yaarna): A Widi woman

(Paperback)

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Description

Joan Martin was born in the country town of Morawa, Western Australia, in 1941. She was a proud Widi woman whose traditional territory extended from Geraldton eastwards into the salt-lake area. Joan led an exciting and adventurous life, from life in the bush to school in Perth, and back again. But it was a life with great challenges, including efforts to avoid Native Welfare, so as not to be shipped off to a mission, and her later very public battle with Homeswest for the right to live in peace in her own home. Her legacy includes her work on native title, and her art. Joan's stories reveal interconnected themes: visiting family, teaching bush lore to her children, passing on Dreaming stories, celebrating culture through her art, along with conflicts with mining companies and white bureaucracies. There is a poignant balance between her love of country with its expression through her art, and the victories and mischance of her life.

Reviews

Joan Martin's story is something of micro-history reflecting many Aboriginal people's experiences, stories rarely known in the wider non-Aboriginal community. --Chris Own, South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Corporation

Author Bio

Joan Martin is a Widi woman and artist whose work includes a large mosaic in the foyer of the Center for Aboriginal Studies at the Curtin University in Australia. Bruce Shaw is an Australian writer and anthropologist. He is the author of Our Heart Is the Land and When the Dust Come in Between.