Mamang

Kim Scott, Iris Woods and the Wirlomin Noongar Language and Stories Project with artwork by Jeffrey Farmer, Helen Nelly and Roma Winmar

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 it on to take him on a very special journey. It transports him far west of his home country, where his life is changed forever.

Mamang is inspired by a story Freddie Winmer told the American linguist Gerhardt Laves at Albany, Western Australia, around 1931 and has been workshopped in a series of community meetings, which included some of Freddie Winmer’s contemporary family. Told in old Noongar, contemporary Noongar and English, Mamang captures the deep spiritual connection of the Wirlomin people with the sea.

Read more about Dwoort Baal Kaat, Noongar Mambara Bakitj and Yira Boornak Nyininy – the other books in this series.

To download a reading of this story, or for instruction on how to purchase a CD containing the reading, go to: www.wirlomin.com.au.

Download the Mamang teaching notes here.

Awards

Shortlisted – 2012 APA Book Design Awards (Best Designed Children’s Series)

Praise

Praise for Mamang:

'Beautifully illustrated in a large, clear format, the tale of the man who dives into a whale and travels with it is truly fabulous and satisfying on so many levels.' THE WEST AUSTRALIAN 

'Noongar Mambara Bakitj and Mamang are two wonderful examples of how elements of a threatened Indigenous culture can be recorded…Both books are brilliantly illustrated in a simple, naïve style. With the national curriculum focusing on Indigenous culture, these books will find homes in many school libraries, but I hope they will be enjoyed by adults and children alike for the wonderful stories that they are.' ★★★★ CLIVE TILSLEY, BOOKSELLER + PUBLISHER MAGAZINE

Book details

PUBLICATION DATE: 2011
FORMAT: Paperback
EXTENT: 36 pages
SIZE: 225x 276 mm
ISBN: 9781742582962
RIGHTS: World
CATEGORY: Aboriginal, Art, Photography and Design, Iris Woods, Kim Scott, Roma Winmar, Staples Fund, Wirlomin Noongar Language and Stories Project,