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(2001)

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, 259–263

Blackwell Science Asia

Book Reviews

Djambatj Mala: Why Warriors Lie Down and Die: Towards an Understanding of Why the Aboriginal People of Arnhem Land Face the Greatest Crisis in Health and Education Since European Contact

Richard Trudgen. Darwin: Aboriginal Resource and Development Services Inc, 2000. Softback, 269 pages with maps. ISBN 0646 39587 4. Price A$29.95.

The intention of this review is to give a brief overview ofthe book and outline some of the key issues raised, thuscontributing to the discussion and debate currently occur-ring all over Australia. It would be easy to get boggeddown in critical analysis of the content, perceived lackof research methodology and theoretical perspectives;however, there is probably more value in teasing out thecritical points and debating the issues raised. It is theopinion of this reviewer (who has had numerous discus-sions with many different people), that it is time to exam-ine the issues closely without necessarily debating the‘rights and wrongs’ of the content or the framework withinwhich it is presented. Among the diverse range of opin-ions canvassed and received, there is general consensusthat the book has an important place in the discussionof indigenous issues and in identification of roles andresponsibilities in developing and implementing appropri-ate and sustainable strategies.

Djambatj Mala: Why Warriors Lie Down and Die

isone of those books that many people have thought of, butnot actually had the time or the enthusiasm to write. Thebook is the culmination in a sense of one man’s ‘life’swork’, and has generated a huge amount of passionatediscussion. Every second person has a copy in their handsor at least knows of the book. People from the FederalMinister for Health to remote health practitioners havetaken up the book with an almost evangelical fervour, andthe question posed in this review is why? What is it aboutthis book or topic that has engendered such ferventresponses? It reminds this reviewer in some ways of thereaction and response to the book ‘Teaching AboriginalChildren’ (edited by Michael Christie, Stephen Harris andDavid McLay).

1

At that time, many non-Indigenous teacherswere desperately casting about for something, anythingthat might give them some answers to the hugely puzzling

professional dilemma of how to actually teach in cross-cultural situations. It is a very human way of behaving:that eternal search for the ‘holy grail’ or the ‘magic formula’that will give some guidelines or at least signposts in theunfamiliar wilderness that many non-Indigenous peoplehave found themselves.

This reviewer has worked both as a nurse and as ateacher in remote communities and, at the risk of beinghowled down, would have to say that nursing is the moreimmediately and visibly stressful job: lots of sick, injuredand dying people. In any one day, a health practitionercan go from trauma and tragedy, to boring and banalbandaid work, and one can see the damage being done.Education is equally challenging, although perhaps withdifferent manifestations; in addition, the parameters forreflective practice often have different philosophical andtheoretical perspectives.

Suffice to say that the publication and release of thebook

Why Warriors Lie Down and Die

was greeted withhigh expectations and almost relief. Oft-heard commentsinclude: ‘At last! Some solutions’, and ‘This book shouldbe compulsory reading for all health practitioners as itgoes right to the heart of a complex issue and teases outsimple solutions’. People are desperate for answers and ashas been said before, not an unnatural human response tosuch a complex and challenging issue.

The book is divided into four main parts and thefollowing review addresses some of the main points.

The first part is called ‘The Yolngu of Arnhem Land’and is an informative and challenging read about thehistory of a specific area, setting the scene for the rest ofthe narrative. The author introduces the readers to theYolngu (local Indigenous people) of Arnhem Land froma historical perspective, hypothesises how the self-determination era set up a ‘crisis in living’ for Yolngu,gives an overview of the current status of Yolngu healthand also discusses a perceived Balanda (non-Indigenous)propensity for ‘naming, blaming and lecturing’.

The second part is called ‘A War of Words’ and isessentially about communication, language, and the linkswith world views and the impact on ‘cultural knowledgebase and education’. This section raises a number of crit-ical issues, particularly in relation to that of language andcommunication. This is an area that is actively pursuedby a number of concerned people, including remote area

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health practitioners and lawyers involved in legal aidorganisations in northern Australia.

The third part is called ‘The Cost of Being Different’and looks at health, healing, traditional authority, welfare,dependency and its effect on the people, and the stress ofliving between two cultures. The author makes numeroussalient points, albeit threaded through somewhat broadand generalised statements supported by (his) anecdotalevidence.

The fourth and final section is called ‘Warriors theywere and can be again’ and goes into a detailed manifestoof how to work with ‘traditional learning processes’, ana-lysing the problem and solutions for the future.

At some stage of the book there should have beenexplicit mention of the ideological and historical frame-work of the organisation that the author is a key part of. Thelanguage and methodology has its origins in an interest-ing mix of Freirian philosophy and Christian doctrine.Obviously, this is not a problem in itself, but it should beclearly identified as framing the language and style ofthe narrative.

What are some of the issues that the book highlights?1. The immense and often catastrophic impact of coloni-

sation on the Yolngu. It is largely undisputed thatcolonisation had an immense impact on Indigenouspeoples; however, responses can vary considerablywithin specific groups, let alone across the country.

2. A ‘non-Aboriginal response’ has evolved as a responseto the ‘crisis confronting the Yolngu, characterised by‘naming, blaming and lecturing’ (see p. 61). This hasbecome a hotly contested area, very much related tothe issues raised in this book. People like RogerSandall and Peter Sutton are two of the most recentand controversial contributors. See also Stan Grant’srecent article in the

Sydney Morning Herald

: ‘Spare usthe white man’s concern for Aborigines’ (26/6/01).

2

3. Language and communication problems: based on thenotion that the ‘Yolngu fail to understand and fail tomake themselves understood’. Yolngu are repeatedlylabelled as confused, mystified, intellectually margin-alised, passive and naive. This view of Yolngu aspassive confused victims of history would seemsomewhat at odds with the people that have producedYothu Yindi, fought for their land, been key players inorganisations such as the Northern Land Council,created many enterprises and established commun-ity actions groups to look after their children’seducation and their homelands. Of course these arecomplex situations within themselves, but can beused to illustrate one small example of the diversity ofresponses.

4. The effect of the ‘dominant’ English language oneducation and the claim that the ‘reliance on Englishhas greatly undermined traditional Yolngu knowledgesystems and resulted in an inappropriate and unsuc-cessful education system’. Many Yolngu and Balandahave shared stories that match this reviewer’s observa-tion of sophisticated awareness of Balanda ways, anda ‘harvesting of resources’ display an ability to manip-ulate the Balanda systems at local, regional, nationaland even international levels.

5. Concept and implications of difference for Yolngu: forexample competing medical systems with the resultantfallout undermining and destroying the traditionalYolngu medical system. Of all the points made in thebook, this one probably caused the most heated discus-sion, particularly from Aboriginal health workers. Manyfelt that the portrayal of the health workers was at bestone dimensional, and demonstrated a lack of under-standing in terms of the depth and breadth of the healthworkers’ role. There is also considerable anecdotal evid-ence that traditional Yolngu healers and medicinesare still in widespread use, sometimes prior to orinstead of clinic visits and at other times as a comple-mentary ‘service’.

6. Growing dependence of Yolngu on welfare and gov-ernment agencies has had a pervasive and destructiveeffect. For example, loss of roles and identity has had aparticularly destructive impact on men, who then turnto substance abuse because of a feeling of helplessness.Proponents of this argument have been growing innumber and volume, and there is insufficient space toaddress this issue here; suffice to say that there also needsto be clarity of purpose and of debate when addressing it.

7. Disempowerment as the central issue in the crisisconfronting the Yolngu. Another complex areaaddressed in a number of forums, and certainly onethat is integral to discussions in relation to impact onhealth.

8. Key points for successful communication of informa-tion and strategies that facilitate the acquisition ofnew knowledge. This is a critical area that is beingaddressed in a number of different and innovative ways.However, like all strategies they need to be communitydriven with concomitant and appropriate structuralsupport.

9. Solutions require innovative thinking and action in orderfor Yolngu to regain control of their lives. The corner-stone of these solutions is language. If non-Indigenouspeople can develop appropriate language skills thenmany of the related problems may be solved. This isan extremely important point; however, it should be

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noted that very few non-Indigenous people workingwith Indigenous communities will have the opportunityin terms of employment and resources to developfunctional and sustainable language skills. Most peoplehave to work across diverse language groups.

In conclusion, the book throws down the challenge tonon-Indigenous people working with Indigenous people tobetter understand indigenous views of ill health and well-being better, as well as to provide meaningful and rel-evant keys to communication and understanding at thecommunity level. This reviewer believes that this is butone part of the whole sum or indeed one possible strategy.Perhaps the real challenge lies in looking at and con-fronting non-Indigenous cultures of service provision,professional demarcation, systems of knowledge, bureau-cratic organisation and political decision making. There issome recognition that the Yolngu past and present are opento interpretation and those meanings are contested, butwhat needs to be added to this is a similar application tothe Balanda world. The author of the book appears to workfrom the basis that there is in essence a single truth as tohow the Balanda world is designed and it is up to peoplelike himself to interpret and present this truth in waysthat the Yolngu can understand.

The book takes the highly contested areas of health,land and law and treats them as if they are essentiallystraightforward in both the Balanda and the Yolngu worlds.Conflict and destruction really only occur when the twoworlds collide and the ‘dominant culture’ wins. The languageused is highly emotive and is a clear expression of theauthor’s frustration and commitment. However, many Indi-genous people from both urban and remote communitieshave expressed concern at the notion that they have simply‘laid down and died’ and those that are still standing areperceived as helpless.

At the very least,

Why Warriors Lie Down and Die

hasgenerated an immense amount of discussion and hasengaged people on an issue that simply will not go away.Certainly for most health practitioners and researchers, thereis very little opportunity in the workplace to talk throughbroad issues of professional and institutional practice,cross-cultural engagement, and options in terms of workroutines and strategies. For many there is a weariness interms of dealing with both the day-to-day frustrations andchallenges of the job, let alone sustaining the effort andwillingness to challenge the ‘big picture’ of institutionalreform.

It is critical at this stage to engage and hear Indigen-ous voices in this debate in order to progress and for thosewho are being discussed and analysed to have a say andto reclaim the agenda.

Stan Grant also raises some pertinent points when hesays that ‘Aboriginal leaders need to ask themselves somehard questions’ and that within Indigenous communitiesthere is the need for ‘vigorous internal debate’ and at thesame time a need to pursue issues of social justice andpolitical recognition. ‘Black leaders must explore andarticulate solutions through greater Aboriginal respons-ibility and autonomy because, to quote the late Aboriginalwriter Kevin Gilbert: “A white man will never do it.” ’

2

Moreover, the final word must go to Puggy Hunter,Chairperson of the National Aboriginal CommunityControlled Health Organisation (NACCHO):

You white people keep telling us Aboriginals we have

[ear] problems. You keep showing us graphs and research.

You know, I think you mob are the ones with [ear] pro-

blems … We keep saying the same things and you don’t

seem to hear.

3

Robyn Williams

Lecturer in Indigenous HealthFaculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies

Northern Territory University Darwin,Northern Territory, Australia

REFERENCES

1 Christie M, Harris S, McLay D (eds).

Teaching AboriginalChildren

Mt Lawley, WA: The Institute of Applied AboriginalStudies WA College of Advanced Education, 1987.

2 Grant S. Spare us the white man’s ‘concern’ for Aborigines.

Sydney Morning Herald

2001; 26 Jun.3 Hunter P. Key Note Address In: National Rural Health

Policy Forum.

Proceedings from the 5

th

National RuralHealth Conference; March 1999, Adelaide, Australia

.Canberra: National Rural Health Policy Forum & NationalRural Health Alliance, 1999.

92001392Book ReviewsBook ReviewsBook Review000000Graphicraft Limited, Hong KongBook Review

Mentoring, Preceptorship and Clinical Supervision: A Guide to Professional Roles in Clinical Practice. 2nd edition.

Alison Morton-Cooper and Anne Palmer. Blackwell Science, U.K. 2000. 226 pages including index ISBN 0-632-04967-7. Price A$57.15.

This book is written by two British-based nurse academicsspecialising in continuing education and organisationallearning. The authors are accomplished writers who haveproduced an excellent mix of theory, practical applicationand advice. This is the second edition of their book, which

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was first published in 1993, and it has been thoroughlyexpanded and updated to ensure it remains relevant forcurrent and future practitioners.

The book is divided into five clearly structured chapters,each addressing a separate aspect of professional learningsupport. Chapter One sets the need for professional learn-ing support systems clearly in context, with a discussionof problems in contemporary health care systems, thatmany readers will recognise. Chapter Two begins with anexplanation of the principles of mentoring, from the pos-sible origins in Ancient Greece, to its role and relevancein today’s health care system. It goes on to discuss a varietyof different models of mentoring, combined with sugges-tions on practical application. This chapter includes someinvaluable advice for those engaged in setting up or workingwithin mentoring programs and it concludes with a selectionof case studies that many readers will be able to relate to.

Chapter Three acknowledges that the role of the pre-ceptor needs further clarification. It also explains why theintroduction of preceptorship has had such a variableimpact on learning support and development for newlyqualified practitioners. This chapter includes the findingsof a previously unpublished practice-based doctoral study,on the implementation of preceptorship in nursing. One ofthe main claims made for the study is that it has ‘helped toilluminate and clarify some of the problems encounteredby practitioners in the implementation of preceptorshippolicy in the workplace.’ Chapter Four looks at the emergingconcept of clinical supervision, attempting to clarify thelanguage and terminology of this currently evolving pro-fessional support system. Finally, Chapter Five closes thebook with an important compar-ison between the roles ofthe mentor, preceptor and clin-ical supervisor.

All readers will be familiar with some form of profes-sional learning support system whether as a provider or aconsumer; however, many practitioners remain confusedabout the exact nature of their role in learning support. Thisbook succeeds in clarifying the similarities and differ-ences between the roles of the mentor, preceptor andclinical supervisor. While the majority of the examplesoriginate within the British health care system, the advicein this book can be generalised and will clearly benefitpractitioners in Australia. The authors state that in writingthis book they have aimed high. They have achieved theiraim, producing a comprehensive, well-researched andvaluable addition to the literature on professional supportsystems.

Helen Baldwin

Maternal and Infant Health Educator TerritoryHealth Services Alice Springs,Northern Territory, Australia.

92001392Book ReviewsBook ReviewsBook Review000000Graphicraft Limited, Hong KongBook Review

Returning To Study: A guide for professionals

Stuart Powell. Philadelphia: Open University Press, 1999. Including index, 141 pages.

ISBN 0335-20131-8.

Price: A$45.00 (paperback).

This text is a very practical resource for any professionalreturning to study at tertiary level. It is not intended forthe beginning student, and will be especially useful forstudents working toward a major dissertation or project.There is an emphasis an the principles of adult learning,for example, self direction and reflection, and on intelli-gent utilisation of resources.

The book is well laid out and uses a logical, sequentialapproach, focusing early on essential study skills andculminating in writing up a major piece of work. The use ofclear, succinct language allows the reader to move quicklythrough the key points provided, while a well constructedcontents page enables selectivity. The student can hone inon the particular area he or she needs or wants to revise.

One of the most time consuming and challengingtasks for students is review and critique of the literature.Common traps are providing an annotated bibliographyrather than a well considered critique, or taking copiousnotes rather than actively reading. Chapter Four providesparticularly useful insights into effective reading and listen-ing skills, and would be useful for students at any level.

A further common stumbling block is beginning writ-ing. Powell deals with this particularly well. This sectionprovides much practical advice about focusing on the taskat hand, yet avoids prescription or a recipe type approach.

There are a number of excellent references usedthrough-out the book and the inclusion of a section thatidentifies further reading resources at the end of the textis most useful. However, some references are rather old.While they may be considered by some as classic texts,education has moved on and texts from the seventies arelikely to be dated.

Listing of resources is another area that could bestrengthened in this book. Computer programs such asEndnote, have made this important task much easier andfar more efficient for students, yet there is virtually no men-tion of such programs. The referencing section is not entirelyappropriate for Australian students. Examples provided(Table 6.2 p. 94) illustrate aspects of Oxford referencingwithin the Harvard style. Australian students would be betterguided by the

Australian Guide to Publishing

(AGPS).For the student intending to write a major project or

thesis, Chapter Seven is a must. Once again a very prac-tical approach is provided that helps focus on the job athand, that of producing a focused, quality piece of work

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that results in academic success, father than an undiscip-lined hydra that must be revisited and reconstructed.

Overall the book provides some great insights into theworld of returning to study. Most professionals returningto study tend to be in busy, full time positions and theirapproach to their study must include efficient use of time

and resources. For such students this book is well worthtaking the time to read.

Bev Turnbull

LecturerNorthern Territory University

Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

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