Description

A brave young man travels the seas in the abdomen of a large whale ('mamang'). The man squeezes the heart of the whale and the old song he sings spurs the whale on to take him on a very special journey. The whale transports him far west of his home country, where his life is changed forever. *** Mamang - presented bilingually in English and Aboriginal Noongar language text - captures the deep spiritual connection of people with the sea. The book is inspired by an Aboriginal creation story that emphasizes the courage and confidence of the Noongar protagonist. It shows aspects of an Indigenous heritage and the long relationship of that culture with its natural environment from the south coast of Western Australia. The story was passed down orally for generations among the Noongar people. Around 1931, it was told to the American linguist Gerhardt Laves, who created the first written record of the story. Following Laves' death in the 1980s, his family discovered the documented story in its written form, which was then returned to the Noongar people. The book was developed as part of an Indigenous language recovery project led by author Kim Scott and the Wirlomin Noongar Language and Stories Project. The text has been carefully reworked by descendants of the original Noongar storytellers. Aboriginal artists have created beautiful and delightfully stunning illustrations to accompany the testimonial story.