The latest literary offering from award winning artist and author, Kim Mahood, is destined to receive just as many accolades as her two previous books.
Wandering with Intent is a collection of non-fiction essays that explores Kim’s thoughts, experiences and observations about what happens at the point of intersection between non-Indigenous Australia and strong traditional Aboriginal culture.
Kim writes that this “zone between white and black” has been part of her life for as long as she can remember. Kim grew up in Central Australia and on Tanami Downs Station and now lives near Canberra but continues to spend several months a year in the Tanami and Great Sandy Desert region working with Aboriginal traditional owners on cultural and environmental mapping projects.
While many of the essays included in this latest book are new works, others have been published before. Undoubtedly two of the most well known of these are ‘Blow-ins on the Cold Desert Wind’ and ‘Kardiya are like Toyotas: White Workers on Australia’s Cultural Frontier’ – both of which are now considered contemporary classics.
The latter of these essays, which literally went viral when first published in 2012, was inspired by a comment Kim was once told; “whitefellas who work in Indigenous communities are like Toyotas. When they break down we get another one.” Kim’s wry humour is evident in this and other essays, and her description of the “tiny hillfort of Parliament House” adds a comical perspective to how many Indigenous Australians living in remote communities view the home of the white Australian government.
There are also essays exploring the differences between the concepts of ‘wealth standards’ and ‘indicators of wealth’ and how Kim believes white people are often “perceived by the desert Aboriginal people as money guards, standing at the door to vaults full of wealth and doling out pocket money to them while we take all we want for ourselves”.
In another essay Kim delves into her many notebooks, which she says is the source for her stories, and shares snapshots of people she has met. She also writes about the issues of literacy, mental health, the importance of valuing oral cultures and how many remote Aboriginal communities are “trapped in the gap”.
With Kim’s finely-tuned observations and rich descriptions of people, places and topics you really do feel as if you’re accompanying her on a journey. And, it’s fair to say that each essay, paragraph, sentence and word has been written with a delicate yet poignant and powerful touch.
There are many words to describe Kim Mahood’s writing but, for me, the word ‘insightful’ tops the list. Wandering With Intent is definitely not a book to be skimmed or rushed. It is a book to be savoured slowly.
Author: Kim Mahood
Publisher: Scribe
ISBN: 9 781925 713251
Pages : 272pp with 8 pages colour picture section
Recommended Retail Price: $35.00
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This book review is supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund.
