Finding Eliza: Power and Colonial Storytelling

by Larissa Behrendt

A vital Aboriginal perspective on colonial storytelling Indigenous lawyer and writer Larissa Behrendt has long been fascinated by the story of Eliza Fraser, who was purportedly captured by the local Butchulla people after she was shipwrecked on their island in 1836. In this deeply personal book, Behrendt uses Eliza’s tale as a starting point to interrogate how Aboriginal people – and indigenous people of other countries – have been portrayed in their colonizers’ stories. Citing works as diverse as Robinson Crusoe and Coonardoo , she explores the tropes in these accounts, such as the supposed promiscuity of Aboriginal women, the Europeans’ fixation on cannibalism, and the myth of the noble savage. Ultimately, Behrendt shows how these stories not only reflect the values of their storytellers but also reinforce those values – which in Australia led to the dispossession of Aboriginal people and the laws enforced against them.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Australia, Indigenous, Audiobook, Biography, Historical

204 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2016

About the author

Larissa is the author of three novels: Home, which won the 2002 David Unaipon Award and the regional Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book; Legacy, which won the 2010 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Indigenous Writing; and After Story. She has published numerous books on Indigenous legal issues; her most recent non-fiction book is Finding Eliza: Power and Colonial Storytelling. She was awarded the 2009 NAIDOC Person of the Year award and 2011 NSW Australian of the Year. Larissa wrote and directed the feature films, After the Apology and Innocence Betrayed and has written and produced several short films. In 2018 she won the Australian Directors’ Guild Award for Best Direction in a Documentary Feature and in 2020 the AACTA for Best Direction in Nonfiction Television. She is the host of Speaking Out on ABC radio and is Distinguished Professor at the Jumbunna Institute at the University of Technology Sydney.

Reviews

[Georgia Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great little book.

Larissa Behrendt explores the many stories about Eliza Fraser, a British woman who was shipwrecked in 1836 and landed on K’Gari Island off the coast of Queensland in a lifeboat.

Some versions of the story see Eliza as a captive of the savage cannibalistic Blacks, who terrorise her until she is saved 'from a fate worse than death' by valiant white settlers. The savagery of the 'uncivilised brutes' justifies violent reprisals against Eliza’s captors and adds urgency to the civilising mission in Australia.

Other versions see a starving, frail woman, nursed back to health by the Butchulla people in the midst of a crippling drought. The Butchulla are rewarded for their hospitality with massacres and dispossession. To add insult to injury, the land that they are forcibly removed from, is renamed “Fraser Island” after Eliza.

Eliza’s story has been retold and reshaped many times since 1836 by different people with different agendas. The book looks into the motivations and worldviews of these storytellers and explores the effect these stories have on modern Australia.

The book also explores the persistent stereotypes of the noble savage and the cannibal in colonial history, law, art and literature. It dives into the stories of Robinson Crusoe, The Heart of Darkness, frontier novels, modern news stories, native title cases and the story of the imaginary Aboriginal artist Eddie Burrup.

Check out this interactive documentary from SBS to learn more about the Eliza Fraser story: https://www.sbs.com.au/kgari/

[Michael Livingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smart and thoughtful examination of colonial literature and the myths reinforced by stories told in colonial history and the impacts they've had on the position of Indigenous Australians ever since. The analysis of the 'cannibalism' trope is particularly insightful.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Behrendt has written a concise and engaging analysis of the representations of Aboriginal people in stories told by white people. Starting from the story of Eliza Fraser, shipwrecked on K'gari (now known as Fraser Island), Behrendt explores issued race, gender, colonisation and cultural appropriation. She extends beyond the Fraser story, though, looking at themes across stories from Coonardoo to Mutant Messages Down Under to High Court decisions in Native Title cases. all are stories that reveal plenty about Australia. Behrendt's writing is approachable because she doesn't come across as judgmental - she tries to understand why stories are told in certain ways before discussing the problems those stories create, represent, and/or perpetuate.

Behrendt's book is summed up here: "Stories like Eliza Fraser's, in the way Aboriginal people are constructed and the roles they play, reveal much more about the motives of the person writing the story than the Aboriginal people in it." I really enjoyed reading it and will be including it in my first year class next year!

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of us know the story of Eliza Fraser. ( Briefly, in 1836, Eliza was shipwrecked on Fraser Island, and kinapped by the Aborigines, the Butchulla people). We have read many white Australian versions of the story, but not one from the Butchulla people. Larissa Behrendt refutes these colonial storytelling versions of Eliza and the stereotyping of the Aborigines. Colonial storytelling then and even now, has influenced incorrectly Australia's history and the culture of Indigenous Australians. Behrendt also points out as these storytellers never consulted the Indigenous people, and as such they were not “able to deeply and truly understand their experience and perspective”. This is a very thought-provoking and reflective read.

[Natasha (jouljet) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eliza Fraser was the wife of Captain Fraser (for whom Fraser Island is now named), who, along with her husband, was shipwrecked off the coast of Australia, survived for a month floating in the ocean before landing on Butchulla (Badtjala) land. Captain Fraser soon died after landing, leaving Eliza to survive with the Aboriginal people until she was rescued.

Using this story, and the narratives that stemmed from this story, Behrendt examines the discourse of Aboriginal Australia and early colonialisation. How details are told to favour the teller, how the darker elements of the storytellers taint the actual events. The lasting damage done to the First People of our nation.

The recount of the retaliation killings alone is flabbergasting - white man over-kill in retaliation to great numbers. The cultural willful ignorance is telling of where we are today in the lack of understanding and recognition. And into the harsher penalties for black people in our judicial system today.

Examining other captive stories, and other early colonial narratives, the perpetuation of Aboriginal people as a danger to white man, the views of living practices, and then the mislabelling of cannibals woven into the dispossession of a people's land, are all a world-wide pattern for the all-conquering settlers.

The most fascinating bits for me were around the misunderstandings between Eliza and the people she stayed with for such a period of time - the cultural practices that helped her survival and yet were viewed, or at least told, in such a negative and fearful manner. I would have like more of the account of Eliza's time on the island, but clearly the tale has beenlost to white-washing and the quashing of black oral storytelling.

[Mentai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember Australian scholar Sara Ahmed saying a few years ago, that Australian cultural studies was pretty racially blinkered, and essentially ignored examining its colonial history*. Larissa Behrendt has contributed this excellent short book, resonating with cultural studies, history and informed by her brilliant legal mind. I loved it!

I tagged this under white Anglo too too because Behrendt gives us a sharp analysis of whiteness at first contact via the stories and myths surrounding Eliza.

The final chapter of possibilities and questions, though not ridiculous what ifs, are pertinent for the politics of right now.

*There is of course heaps of work engaging with this issue in Indigenous studies, Australian history, fiction and popular nonfiction. So just to be clear, the context for the Ahmed quote was a kind of Eurocentric culdesac of cultural studies.

[✩☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When a colonising culture seeks to find its place in a country that is not theirs, how do they deal with the presence of the original inhabitants?"

behrendt writes with such clarity and incredible compassion on how dominant narratives of the colonized are so often a reflection of the fears of the colonizers, on how the fictions of those in power take precedence over the truth.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Academic, author and ambassador, Larissa Behrendt is an Indigenous woman weaving an Aboriginal perspective that has long been missing from historical accounts and stories.

This is a cracking story I picked up knowing nothing about. With a comprehensive bibliography and early sources, this was a diverse and satisfying read.

Lastly, I would encourage readers to view the SBS TV interactive documentary http://www.sbs.com.au/kgari/

[Caitlin Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the best book I've ever read on colonisation in Australia and the racist narratives that justified the (un)settlers' treatment of Aboriginal people in the past and to the present. Outstanding writing from Behrendt, I don't know how she managed to pack so much into 200 pages.

[Eug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beherendt runs a highlighter over the subtext of our storytelling. She exposes several examples which not only illuminate our cultural assumptions but also deepen our understanding of how and why cultural appropriation is so problematic. A bit repetitive in making her point in some places, but overall, I found this a fascinating reflection on the roots of Australian culture through a unique lens.

[Emily Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read two of Larissa Behrendt's novels, and am equally engaged by her non-fiction! Finding Eliza uses the story of Eliza Fraser, who was shipwrecked on K`gari (also called Fraser Island, following the Fraser's experience there) in the 19th century and survived with the Butchulla people, as a jumping off point to explore the various ways Aboriginal Australians have been depicted since colonisation. Stereotypes ranging from uncivilised cannibals to noble savages are explored by Behrendt in this incredibly well researched book that is thought provoking, and ultimately hopeful about Australia's future.

[Ella Birt · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good, probably everyone should read this

[Maree Kimberley · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the blurb for Finding Eliza: Power and Colonial Storytelling states, in this short book Behrendt's aim is to show how colonial stories from Eliza Fraser's "rescue", to the novel Robinson Crusoe: 'not only reflect the values of their storytellers but also reinforce those values – which in Australia led to the dispossession of Aboriginal people and the laws enforced against them'. Behrendt provides a strong analysis of several texts, starting with a breakdown and retelling of the Elisa Fraser story, to support her argument.

In breaking down the Eliza Fraser story, for example, she uses key phrases taken from the narrative in its initial reporting and retelling, such as 'captures by savages', 'suffered cruel abuse at the hands of the savages, and 'suffered a fate worse than death' and then applies those same phrases to the experiences of stolen generation survivors, as told in their own words. This juxtaposition provides a powerful and stark demonstration of the misunderstandings (whether accidental or wilful) that can come of cultural differences, and their sometimes dire consequences.

Behrendt also interrogates the notion of cannibalism, and its place in colonial myth-making and storytelling as well as tales of approaching and converting 'savages'. Her examination of colonial reports of cannibalism among Indigenous peoples finds that there is very little to support the notion that it existed at all. Indeed, most documented cases of cannibalism relate to European/English sailors at sea. Furthermore, she recounts evidence that accusations of cannibalism were used to support the slavery trade. Her analysis of cannabilism myths and stories in relation to Indigenous peoples shows how the stories tell us more about the colonials' views of their place in these (to them) strange new lands than anything about lives and cultures of the peoples they encountered.

The writing in Finding Eliza is clear, with well-structured arguments presented in a logical flow supported by strong evidence. Her book succeeds in inverting accepted colonial narratives of encounters between Aboriginal peoples and English colonisers in Australia, and similar experiences in other nations where Europeans invaded nations and displaced peoples. Importantly, Behrendt's conclusion opens up possibilities for a future where the notions of "us and them" are rejected in favour of integrating western and traditional knowledges to create 'an inclusive nationalism that celebrates diverse perspectives and experiences'.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in the place of storytelling and narrative in the way it shapes a country, and those who are interested in contributing towards a more inclusive future.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Larissa Behrendt of the Eualeyai/Kamilaroi people, is an author, a lawyer and an Aboriginal activist. This book analyses the famous story of Eliza Fraser, shipwrecked in 1836 and taken in by the Butchulla People of K’gari (now Fraser Island), to show how colonial storytelling about Indigenous people in Australia came to be the dominant, mostly negative stereotype, and how that storytelling has contributed to racism to the present day. And if you have any doubt about the pervasive power of the stories that were told, you have only to look at the Blue Plaque outside Eliza Fraser’s house in the Orkneys. Like that house, the plaque looks about as solid and dependable as you can get, eh?

Eliza Fraser, artist unknown, Wikipedia Commons
Eliza Fraser, artist unknown, Wikipedia Commons

But as Behrendt shows, Mrs Fraser may have been not particularly dependable at all. Widowed and in need of public sympathy and financial support, she told an horrific story, not of the harrowing moments of shipwreck, but of her captivity at the hands of the Butchulla People. The story records her enslavement, their brutality, the barbarism (including cannibalism) and her rescue In the Nick of Time from a Fate Worse Than Death. The story was embroidered with exotic details for different audiences (including bizarre descriptions drawn from her (faulty) knowledge of American Indians) and was retold with variations over time, even by our Nobel Prize winning author Patrick White in A Fringe of Leaves (1976). Mrs Fraser had motives aplenty for dramatizing her experiences: a ripping yarn that played to her audience’s fears and prejudices was more likely to be marketable…

The oral history of the Butchulla People tells a different story, one of rescue and protection rather than captivity. And it was fear of cannibalism amongst the shipwrecked sailors that made Captain Fraser agree to a landing after four weeks in the lifeboat.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2016/10/10/f...

[Kt · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

“When someone sits down to create an Aboriginal character they make choices based on their understanding of Aboriginal people, Aboriginal experience, Aboriginal world-views, Aboriginal psychology and Aboriginal culture. The more deeply the writer understands these things, the more convincing the character they create will be; the less they understand, the more apparent the flaws in the construct. The choices made during this creative process can reveal much about how an outsider views their Aboriginal subject matter.” (Pg 147)


Based on the true story of Eliza Fraser, Finding Eliza challenges the view that Fraser was captured by the Butchula people when she was shipwrecked on K’gari (what is known today as Fraser Island after her husband who died shortly after the shipwreck) in 1836.

In a very clever, articulate, interesting, academic but never boring way; Behrendt looks at the way that Indigenous people are stereotyped as noble savages and cannibals in many fiction and non-fiction works well into the twentieth century and the effect this has had on storytellers contributing to racial division. She challenges you to think beyond the black and white and the rolls that these races more often than not played not just in colonial storytelling but even today.

Whilst this may all sound a bit dry and boring, it’s not. It’s a brilliant book that I left sitting in my to be read pile for far too long. It left with me with much food for thought and was so engaging and well written that I finished it in two sittings.

I simply cannot recommend Finding Eliza enough; especially given that it’s set on my doorstep. It’s another must read book by Behrendt that everyone who has an interest in non-fiction, history, Australian history, literature studies, Indigenous affairs and social justice should read.

[Simona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Main thread through the story is Eliza Fraser ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliza... ) and her experiences with Aboriginal people. Main goal of this book is to show how harmful (and dangerous) stereotypes, even ‘good’ one, can be on the examples from literature. It’s a pick, because it’s a thought provoking book and the chapter about cannibalism is excellent.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting and compelling book about ways of reading history from differing perspectives (the colonial perspective and the Aboriginal perspective) and how that affects modern Australia.

[Tilly Vaughan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read and interesting use of historical/sociopolitical history to tell the 'true' story of Eliza Fraser. Kinda like a Dark Emu before Dark emu was famous!

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Larissa Behrendt is an extremely readable author, and this book is very carefully structured with the precise clarity that highlights her lawyer profession. It must have been quite a challenge emotionally and in terms of research to write this harrowing account. Just as with 'Janadamarra and the Bunuba Resistance: A True Story' by Howard Pedersen, the firsthand evidence provided is gut-wrenching.

Behrendt rightly reveals that past narratives, often heavily based on fake news, bias and disinformation, created an 'us' and 'them' world - such as between Euro-centric and Indigenous Australians.
Going as far back as Daniel Defoe's 'Robinson Crusoe', Behrendt shows how the stage was set to view Europeans as morally superior to native peoples, which then permitted invasions, land grabs, atrocities and genocide by imperial forces and colonizers- for centuries. 'Difference' became deadly for those with less power.

Eliza Fraser's shipwreck and survival on Fraser Island in 1836 and her subsequent rescue by frantic Europeans who feared for whites abandoned amongst 'savage' native peoples, seems to have been a very one-side story of superiority and sensationalism, with a spiralling ripple effect still felt today.

It is interesting to contrast this book with the amazing stories in 'Strangers on Country' by Dave Hartley & Kirsty Murray (ill. Dub Leffler). The book describes the experiences of six Europeans who were taken in by Indigenous communities of eastern Australia between the 1820s and 1870s. The shipwreck survivors and runaway convicts stayed alive only through their hosts’ generosity. The authors provide imagined events recreated from facts, from both Indigenous Australian and European perspectives.

[Sarah Wilkinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

A disappointing read because:
- there's no new insight regarding racial discrimination in colonial processes... that is, if you've already done some reading of novels and seminal texts in the fields of Australian, African, American, and English literature; and historical reading about Australia, the USA, the UK, Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe. But if this is your first introduction to elements of racism and sexism in global colonialism, I recommend that you do some further reading.
- some of the examples Behrendt presents as instrumental in the "story" of colonial oppression in Australia ... are somewhat obscure and silly: Marla Morgan's "Mutant Message Down Under"...? Seriously, is this really a good example of storytelling about the Australian colonial experience? That is a Joke Book!
- there are numerous direct quotes, but I can't remember one single page reference. So, if I want to follow up any information, I've got to search entire texts, including some by Marx, Freud and Jung, and reports by the Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission. On some pages, I'm not even sure which writer Larissa is quoting. It's a big job if I want to checking whether or not there's reasonable or creative paraphrasing.
- it's a piece of rhetoric with plenty of broad unsubstantiated generalizations, assumptions, stereotyping, and general fiction. It's difficult to tell where the fiction meets the facts. Oh, but maybe facts aren't important in telling the colonial story...

[Kylie Purdie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finding Eliza examines the portrayal of Aboriginals during Australia's early white history and how the tales told then set harmful stereotypes and assumptions that linger even today. Eliza Fraser was shipwrecked with her husband, Captain James Fraser on the island inhabited by the Butchulla people - an island now known today as Fraser Island. As the story goes, Eliza was captured by the Butchulla and held captive until rescued by brave white men.
From this starting point, Behrendt examines how Australia's indigenous people were portrayed by the colonisers and how those assumptions and stories have perpetuated myths and untruths. It is very much a tale of how the winner gets to write the history. It served colonial Australia to depict the Aboriginal population as savages, dangerous and in need of saving from themselves. Sadly this discourse has far reaching implications and the country carries the scars still.
While a bit dry at times, this is an interesting read, especially for those who are interested in how the telling of a story can serve to support a particular narrative and detract from other possible truths.

[Anne Fenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting exploration of the 'captive white woman' idea. Eliza Fraser is the most well known example of this in Australia but it it's telling that similar stories are told in the US and elsewhere. The pattern is always based on savages treating powerless women badly, in order to justify white actions in colonial times. It's a wide-ranging look, the author raises questions to outline her case that the whole idea is a set up. A good example of how wrong white people could be about indigenous people in Australia as the view of female Aborigines being without power, when their role as food gatherers actually gave them traditionally significant power. In more recent years this has gradually filtered through to white society as we are became aware of the many modern powerful women operating in our society as a whole. Mum Shirl and the Aunties are common figures.

[Toni Umar · Rating 5 out of 5]

As expected this was an amazing, well written and excellent book. Author Larissa does an incredible job of sharing the depiction of Eliza Frasers rescue in 1836, to with what actually occurred when she was rescued. She then deftly uses this analogy through out the book when discussing the false claims made about First Australians. It is a wonderful example of truth telling and would be a fabulous educational text. Never boring l, it really gets the reader thinking about what we have been told, compared to what really occurred. Examples of the inhumane acts that occurred as Australia was colonised, are given - the story of Bella will stay with me forever and always be recalled with deep sadness. I would love for this book to be widely read. I listened to the audiobook book and the narrator Ella Ferris was perfect.

[Dina Jenkinson]

A discussion of how historical storytelling can misrepresent the facts of the event in order to support a point of view or create interest in the audience. Specifically, Eliza Fraser's story on Fraser Island. Chapters discuss the view that 'white women' are assumed to be pure and innocent and her aggressor is the opposite, especially if non-white. The myth of cannibalism amongst native tribes. The noble savage image for the native people. Elizabeth Durack's Eddie Burrup created in the image of the white person's idea of the civilised Aborigine. Katherine Susannah Pritchard's 'The White Woman' early attempt at portraying the white and black relationships, written by a white person.

[Cel Jel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Larissa looks at how the reports of the experience so Eliza on the island she landed on after the shipwreck contributed to the way Aboriginal people were regarded and treated.
She also writes of similar colonial situations in other places misrepresenting the indigenous populations care of 'white' living with groups in Canada and America.
I found it a very interesting book, looking at the stereotypes presented literature and how they were influenced by the ideas of the time. Then how they influenced the actions of the colonies and even how we view the educated city dwelling aboriginals and the connection to the remote communities.
Well worth reading and thinking.

[Clayton HANSEN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intelligent, articulate deconstruction of a range of examples of how the powerful get to write the history we consume, and assume is recorded with some modicum of balance.

Quite simply, bring a critical lens when confronting the recount of any event. Stay alert for how you are being positioned as a reader and whose point of view is being privileged in all matters where differing perspectives exist. This is as true of the nightly news as it is for the story of Eliza Fraser - which was the 'nightly news' of its time (at least for a while).

Great job Larissa.

[Nick Shears · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting examination of ‘power and colonial storytelling’, based on conflicting stories of Elisa Fraser, purportedly captured by the Butchulla people in 1836 when her husband’s ship was wrecked on their island (K’gari, later known for some time as Fraser Island) off the southeast coast of Queensland.

Worth reading, mainly for those interested in Australian history, anthropology or how storytelling serves cultural purposes.

Thanks to my friend, Wendy, who recommended this to me, probably after I mentioned having spent sceeekenf in K’gari.

[caitlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What would happen if we used traditional knowledge to understand climate cycles? What if we sought to rely more on the medicines and rich food sources that are part of our natural environment? What if we applied traditional knowledge about ecosystems to our lands and our waters? What if we used fire technology in a more purposeful way?“

A super insightful exploration of colonial literature and the myths that have had lasting impacts on the perception of Indigenous people in this country. I highly suggest everyone reads this book.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this readable, challenging, intelligent and insightful. It gave me a fresh view on the cultural norms I inherited as a white person. It examines Eliza's story and then analyses other stories that influenced (and still influences) white Australian perceptions of first nations.
The author gently reminded me of my cultural conditioning.
I will reread this book very soon and highly recommend it.

[Robin Bower · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different Aboriginal perspective of the Eliza Fraser story shows the reader a more honest account. The author has researched to find that Eliza and her supporters no doubt embellished the story for more drama to make the Aboriginal people scary cannibals and murderers. In actual fact, they took care of Eliza using their natural remedies to protect her in different though possibly harsh ways. Essential reading for all Australians.