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David Unaipon

Reading Australia: 'Legendary Tales of the Australian Aborigines' by David Unaipon

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Reading Australia

David Unaipon's Legendary Tales of the Australian Aborigines is part of the classical culture of Australia. The collection is as varied in subject as it is ambitious ...

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David Unaipon

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Reading Australia

David Unaipon (1872–1967) was an indigenous-Australian preacher, author, and inventor, whose contributions to science and literature helped overturn ...

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Legendary Tales of the Australian Aborigines by David Unaipon, edited and introduced by Stephen Muecke and Adam Shoemaker

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December 2001–January 2002, no. 237
Susan Hosking reviews 'Legendary Tales of the Australian Aborigines' by David Unaipon, edited and introduced by Stephen Muecke and Adam Shoemaker

Most of us are familiar with an image of David Unaipon, clean-shaven, neatly dressed, gazing steadily beyond the spatial dimensions of our $50 note. He wears a tie, and the collar of his shirt is evenly turned. Over his right shoulder is the little church at Raukkan; floating over his left are three of his inventions, including the shearing handpiece that no one would lend him the money to patent. And there is his signature, underneath the words: ‘As a full-blooded member of my race I think I may claim to be the first – but I hope, not the last – to produce an enduring record of our customs, beliefs and imaginings.’

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