Swan Song of the Arunta is a 1952 Australian radio feature by William Hatfield based on Hatfield's book Desert Saga.[1][2][3]
Desert Saga
editHatfield's book Desert Saga was published in 1933.[4][5]
The Age said " It is obvious that he has studied the Australian aborigines, and that in presenting their customs, habits and mentality, in tho form of a story, he has adhered to truth."[6]
The Brisbane Telegraph called it " complete and unflattering picture, touchingly sympathetic to the black fellow, ruthlessly scathing to the white invader."[7]
Premise
edit"From the point of view of the corroboree-maker, Grungunja, Hatfield presents a sympathetic picture of the effects of white settlement on the aboriginals. There are clashes with early gold-seekers; killings and savage retaliation. Natives released after long imprisonment find their old hunting-grounds disturbed and are driven to spear cattle. Missionaries intervene. Eventually anthropologists take a hand, seeking to reconcile Stone Age lore with the white man’s culture."[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "Feature of the Week", ABC Weekly, vol. 14, no. 7 (16 February 1952), Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Commission, nla.obj-1662174100, retrieved 8 March 2024 – via Trove
- ^ "Radio script by Hatfield this Friday". Tribune. No. 728. New South Wales, Australia. 20 February 1952. p. 6. Retrieved 8 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Worth hearing". The Herald. No. 23, 322. Victoria, Australia. 22 February 1952. p. 10. Retrieved 8 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Black and White". The World's News. No. 1667. New South Wales, Australia. 22 November 1933. p. 16. Retrieved 8 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Black and White". The West Australian. Vol. 50, no. 15, 002. Western Australia. 21 July 1934. p. 7. Retrieved 8 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Recent Fiction". The Age. No. 24, 495. Victoria, Australia. 14 October 1933. p. 4. Retrieved 8 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Current Literature". The Telegraph. Queensland, Australia. 21 October 1933. p. 6 (LAST RACE). Retrieved 8 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.