AustLit

'There are Kooris who say that outsiders cannot get our sense of humour. Of course, this is not true of everyone. Most people are able to learn the cultural and historical context that makes something funny. Clarrie Cameron’s Elephants in the bush and other Yamatji yarns shows how extensively Aborigines use comedy in everyday life. Learning this is crucial to gaining an in-depth understanding of our communities. This book deserves a wide audience because it tells us all something about how we see ourselves. These are not narrow stories about disadvantaged or disengaged victims. Yes, Cameron deals with the standard issues of colonisation. However, he does it from a point of view that does not filter out the sense of fun that is integral to the ways that Aborigines live as an altered colonised minority. Cameron’s yarns are funny, in places gentle, but they confront these important issues as effectively as any raging or pitiful plea to understand what is happening in Aboriginal communities.' (Introduction)