Jandamarra play script
The script of the stage play, as performed in the ‘Jandamarra Returns’ tour of the Kimberley in 2011.
Publisher: Currency Press
Paperback: RRP $24.99
Available as E-book
Published 2014, PP 96
ISBN 9780868199733
© Bunuba Cultural Enterprises
Jandamarra is a legend of the Bunuba people. He was only in his mid-twenties when he was gunned down in 1897, but in his short life he created a legacy that will never be forgotten. He led one of the longest and most successful campaigns to defend Aboriginal country in Australian history.
This is his story, as told by Steve Hawke and developed from the stories of the Bunuba people and from the book Jandamarra and the Bunuba Resistance by Howard Pedersen and Banjo Woorunmurra.
The script follows Jandamarra’s journey into manhood and his attempts to escape his family and culture before becoming a leader for his people. Jandamarra seamlessly combines traditional storytelling, dance and song in a culturally illuminating, emotionally stirring and linguistically captivating reimagining of his story.
See more about the play in the ‘Other Writings’ section of this site.
From the author
I am correctly credited as the writer of the play script, but the copyright to the work belongs to the story’s true owners, the Bunuba people, through their company Bunuba Cultural Enterprises. And the making of the script was a community effort. In one of the most intellectually challenging and stimulating exercises of my life I worked with an incredible team of Bunuba women – Mona Oscar, her daughter June Oscar, and her nieces Patsy Bedford and Selina Middleton, to render and transform my English script into a multi-lingual extravaganza that brought the Bunuba language and the Bunuba world to the stage in a way that we could not have imagined. The story of how we did this can be found in Jandamarra in Translation.
Jandamarra and the Bunuba Resistance by Howard Pedersen and Banjo Woorunmurra
Reviews
“From child to a mystic resistance leader, Steve Hawke has written a superb portrayal of the famous Aboriginal rebellion leader and his spiritual awakening. Jandamarra is a work integral to understanding Australian history and the conflicts that have shaped our national identity.”