The Power of Bones

by Keelen Mailman

A heartbreaking tale of childhood poverty, abuse and racism that happily becomes an inspiring story of an extraordinary woman's strength through adversity.


It looked bleak and predictable for little Keelen Mailman: an alcoholic mother, absent father, the horrors of regular sexual and physical assault and the casual racism of a small outback town in the sixties. But somehow, despite the pain and deprivation, the lost education, she managed to absorb her mother's lessons: her Bidjara language and culture, her obligations to Country, and her loyalty to her family.

So it was no surprise to some that a girl who could hide for a year in her own home to keep her family together, run as fast as Raylene Boyle and catch porcupine and goanna, would one day make history. At just 30, and a single mother, Keelen became the first Aboriginal woman to run a commercial cattle station when she took over Mt Tabor, two hours from Augathella on the black soil plains of western Queensland. This is the heartland of Bidjara country, after all, the place her mother and grandparents and great-grandparents had camped on and cared for, and where their ancestors left their marks on caves and rock walls more than 10,000 years ago.

In this unflinching memoir, the warmth of Keelen's personality, her determination and her irresistible humour shine through as she recalls her extraordinary life.

Genres: Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2014

About the author

Keelen Mailman was born in Augathella to a poor Aboriginal family with a history of alcoholism. Now she is the first female station manager for Mt Tabor, home to her native Bidjara people.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

From a troubled and abusive childhood to a bleak and heartbreaking young adulthood, Keelen Mailman had a steely determination which kept her going in the darkest of times. When she was a child she cared for her drunken mother and younger siblings. As she grew to adulthood, she cared for her siblings and then her own children, continuing the cycle of abuse with the men in her life.

Keelen is an Aboriginal woman who has been brought up learning the culture and language of her Bidjara people. Living in and around Augathella much of her young life, then moving to Ipswich in Queensland for a short time, she tells the stories of her childhood, catching porcupine and goanna for food, her love of running and the racism which was a constant in their lives.

I enjoyed the basis of this memoir but the telling of it was extremely distracting. It jumped all over the place making it difficult to work out what time frame we were in, and it felt very disjointed. The language was also full on and unnecessary I felt, plus some of the descriptions of childhood abuse were very graphic. I feel the editors should have tidied up that aspect of the book as I ended up quite disappointed in the writing by the time I’d finished.

[Olwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such incredible resilience this woman has, to be able to achieve so much with the background of violent abuse and racism constantly hovering in the background. And to be able to forgive as well. An incredible story that will also give you some insight into aboriginal culture. No wonder they’ve been a powerful culture for so long.

[Jacqui · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the story of this woman's life is full of her culture and survival under harrowing circumstances, the writing style is really poor. The story jumps all over the place and I found it hard to keep track of all the characters and their connections. This makes it a difficult read and I had to force myself to get through to the end although it is not very long. Such a pity the editors didn't do a better job.

[J Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by a proud aboriginal woman that I admire. Hardworking family oriented people rising over the obstacles that white rednecks put in their way and proving her to be a proud and worthy representative of her people.
I'm so glad Keelen wrote the book.

[Ian Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very honest and gritty account of growing up as an indigenous woman in Western Queensland. A wonderful story of resilience and the power of family, community and country

[Sunshine Biskaps · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Power of Bones" by Keelan Mailman
Reviewed 21 June 2022

It's rare for me to pick up a book and become completely engrossed in the story. Keelan is such an interesting, inspirational, and resilient Aboriginal woman. For her to face as many hardships being at the receiving end of racism, prejudice, sexism, and both sexual and domestic abuse and come out as the powerful, forgiving, caring and impactful woman that she is, is truly amazing. She is determined and has a heart that is pure and passionate for the country and her people.

Being American, the history of Aboriginal people in Australia is not something I am familiar with as we did not grow up learning about it. However, I know what my African-American friends faced in America and many experiences were not pretty. It makes me sad to think that people can feel superior over other people. Treat people with kindness and judge others by the heart within, not by the colour of their skin.

This is an incredibly captivating autobiography of a beautiful, hard working woman with true heart. I've learned so much about the Aboriginal culture reading about Keelan's experiences. I just can not believe one person can encounter such hardships from so many different angles and be able to come out from her tribulations as the strong, independent woman who is Keelan. She had experienced dimentia, alcoholism and death of her mother, rejection from her father, molestation by the hands of her uncle, having to raise her younger siblings since a young age, fighting for the guardianship of her nieces and nephews, betrayal from her community members, alcoholism and drug abuse of her family, everything you can imagine, this woman has been through. Because I've read Keelan's story, I am now able to connect better with Aboriginal people and know a bit more about what they have gone through. But more than that, I know about the fight, the fight to become better and the ability to forgive others. No matter what the circumstances are, you don't have to forget what happened, but you learn to forgive and carry on doing what you have to do, because there's always something that needs to be done. This is also a reminder to me that although I love living in Australia and I love the country, Australia Day will never be the same for me, and I will be thinking of those the land has been forcefully taken away from and I will mourn with them.

I must admit, this is a very one-dimensional book with only the experiences of Keelan and written in her voice as she was conversing with you over a camp fire. There are no fancy words or prose in this book. The grammar was almost non-existent. There were no proper dialogue, only commas, and colloquial words. The writing style took me a few pages to get used to, and after I could get past that, I was fine and found it even more authentic knowing that these are her words, exactly how she would have spoken them.

I love Keelan and the stories about her family and the people she befriended during her leadership program. She has lived a life of struggle and survival, somehow making sure she did not succumb to alcoholism and drugs that took away many of her family members. Keelan has raised eight children, mostly on her own, too. She teaches her children to respect their elders and treat others with respect, which is more than what many entitled kids these days do. I loved hearing about her son Allan and his partner Sonia. What a great catch and the day of the wedding with all the traditional music and language also made me teary-eyed.

I would highly recommend this book as it's one that I will remember for a long time, and I'd even say it has opened my heart and changed my life. To Keelan, you are such a beautiful human being and deserve all good things your way. I truly feel as though reading about you, I have a new friend in you. Thank you for the lessons you have taught me about life, the connection you have with the land, and your culture.

[Noni Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I pushed my rating up because this book is so authentic. I read this as an “own-voices” book, in this case a memoir from an Australian Aboriginal woman with little formal education. Keelen Mailman has dedicated her life to her people, including a large extended family, taking on impossible tasks with little support and less money. How she survived poverty, racism and abusive relationships, surrounded by alcoholism, drug abuse, unemployment, and even found times of great joy, is remarkable. Her story-telling is not neat and linear and there are many characters and unfamiliar words; her thoughts and emotions, though often rigidly controlled by days and nights of unrelenting hard work, sometimes erupt in unforgiving anger and unexpected actions. Not an easy book to read or to recommend, but I am glad that I read it.

[Myra McCulloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspirational story that bought me to tears in reading the trials and tribulations this beautiful soul has had to endure and overcome in her life.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredible. Keelen is an amazing woman and this book is heavy, heart and gut wrenching and tells the story of a person who has suffered but gave her everything. I HIGHLY recommend.

[Amanda - Mrs B's Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman of strong spirit, a big heart and love of the land, Keelen Mailman delivers a very personal memoir in the Power of Bones. As a young girl growing up in rural Queensland, Keelen suffered a troubled childhood. Her Mother was an alcoholic, there was her absent Father she lived in poverty. The family also faced deep racism and abuse from locals. A bleak future destined for herself and her siblings , Keelen only a child herself, took care of her siblings, determined to break the cycle of poverty and abuse in hope of a better future. Keelen displays such resilience and it is this that helps her rise above the abuse and racism to achieve the status as the first indigenous female to run a commercial cattle station. What follows in this memoir is further testament to her strong character as she continues on her relentless quest to preserve the culture of her ancestors and love of family. It is an extraordinary journey that pulls at your heart strings, this book delivers a range of emotions from deep sadness of the abuse suffered by Keelen and her family to the elation at the achievement of Keelen gaining membership to the Australian Rural Leadership Program. The writing style of this book has an informal conversational tone, almost as if you are sitting with the Author by the campfire listening to a yarn. At times however, I did feel a little confused by this structure as it moved around. This book definitely gave me a deeper appreciation for Indigenous women and the shocking amount of racism and violence many are forced to endure. Sadly, although Keelan’s experiences began in 1960’s, many of the issues and challenges she faced are very much a reality now. Despite this, Keelan’s wisdom and her determination to create a better future for herself and her family is what shines through in this moving memoir.

[Cinders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad this caught my eye, because I learned SO much about traditional Aboriginal ways through just reading Keelen's memoirs. What an inspiration she is - to keep fighting for what she believed/believes in, despite racism and and governmental/legal red tape trying to hold back the restoration of her native Bidjara people's land and ancestors. An honour to read.