AustLit

'This chapter was originally tided 'Negotiation between the Local and the Global in Literary Production in Oceania: Should It Be Translated?' at the time of its presentation. The presentation mainly focused on the more literal dimension of translation, the problem of how to use indigenous languages in English writings and the possibility of forming literature as a new kind of contesting ground for multicultural cross reading by referring to several plays and works of fiction written in English, Maori and Samoan. The latter half of the presentation, which was intended to be a discussion on more metaphorical dimensions of cultural translation of the indigenous knowledge system, was curtailed due to the time limit. This paper focuses on that part, analyzing a post-colonial ecological novel by an Aboriginal writer of multi-ethnic descent. We can see in the novel a post-colonial theme of indigenization of Western culture and the negotiation of an indigenous voice and a global, pan-indigenous identity. It also gives an insight into the creative imagination necessary for the sustainability of an indigenous community in this age of globalization.' (Introduction)