Mamang

by Kim Scott, Iris Woods, Wirlomin Noongar Language And Project

A brave young man travels the seas in the abdomen of a large whale ('mamang'). The man squeezes the heart of the whale and the old song he sings spurs the whale on to take him on a very special journey. The whale transports him far west of his home country, where his life is changed forever. *** Mamang - presented bilingually in English and Aboriginal Noongar language text - captures the deep spiritual connection of people with the sea. The book is inspired by an Aboriginal creation story that emphasizes the courage and confidence of the Noongar protagonist. It shows aspects of an Indigenous heritage and the long relationship of that culture with its natural environment from the south coast of Western Australia. The story was passed down orally for generations among the Noongar people. Around 1931, it was told to the American linguist Gerhardt Laves, who created the first written record of the story. Following Laves' death in the 1980s, his family discovered the documented story in its written form, which was then returned to the Noongar people. The book was developed as part of an Indigenous language recovery project led by author Kim Scott and the Wirlomin Noongar Language and Stories Project. The text has been carefully reworked by descendants of the original Noongar storytellers. Aboriginal artists have created beautiful and delightfully stunning illustrations to accompany the testimonial story.

36 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2011

About the author

Born in 1957, Kim Scott's ancestral Noongar country is the south-east coast of Western Australia between Gairdner River and Cape Arid. His cultural Elders use the term Wirlomin to refer to their clan, and the Norman Tindale nomenclature identifies people of this area as Wudjari/Koreng.

His novel Taboo won the Victorian premier’s literary award for Indigenous writing in 2019.

His other novels include True Country and Benang. He also writes poetry and short fiction. His professional background is in education and the arts.

Reviews

[Jaq · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great tale, so beautifully produced too, we need more stories in language like these. A true pleasure to read and learn from.

[Tessa Wooldridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mamang is a workshopped version of an old Noongar story.

A young man takes a long journey inside a whale, singing as he travels. He is eventually thrown up on a beach where he joins the local people. In time, the whale becomes

‘part of the sand and the rocks of that beach, and part of all the people there’.

The man and his new family ultimately return to his original home.

Mamang’s text is printed in three parallel versions: Noongar, a literal English translation, and a translation into everyday English.

Teacher’s notes for the book are available from UWA Publishing.

For more whaled-themed picture books for children, see my blog post Whales in Picture Books.