AustLit

'Many destructive changes in the world of Barkindji people have been, and continue to be, felt whether they live on their traditional lands, or live on other land. The right to Barkindji land—to religious and spiritual freedoms, to the harvesting of food, and to the dreaming places—has long been denied by Australian law, mainly because of private property law, and the effects of other acts of colonisation. Despite all of this, Barkindji lore persists and is passed on and down through the generations of people through storytelling and forms of modern media. ' (Introduction)

'There have been many times I have thought about dying. I have thought about what I will be after the light goes out and I am six feet under ground or burnt to ash. I have thought, what do I want to be when I’m dead, for that is when one grows up. What does heaven look like for me, or rather what is the afterlife I seek. It is not filled with virgins or lambs or saints, or at the other end with beasts and djunnas and disease (though I would not rule it out). To ask what is my afterlife is to ask: where do I fit in history? What is my legacy?' (Introduction)