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Caleb Fountaine

Tina Katsanos
LBST 2102-13350
1 May 2016
That Deadman Dance Questions-Essay
Question 1 - The differences in the colonist and Noongars life is readily apparent when the
colonists settle in the land with the natives. The main discrepancies between their cultures are
easily seen in the ways that the new colonists more or less interrupted and interfered with the
native ways. An obvious, but major difference in their cultures is the nomadic nature of the
natives versus an agriculturally driven society in the colonists settlement. Clearly, the main
difference here being the colonists unique need for land which remained in constant possession
of one person and consistently used for one purpose. The notion of land ownership was entirely
foreign to the Noongar people prior to this. Stemming from this, there were a few surprises from
the colonists to the Noongar which primarily were in a negative context. One example of this
was the run-in that Dr. Cross had with several intruders on his property (91). The Chaine Party
wandering into the land of Dr. Cross was a prime example of how the colonists staked their claim
(Go Niners) and made their respective lands permanent homes. Allow me to digress momentarily
to illuminate an important detail which Scott seems to intentionally highlight, which is the
presence of a vegetable garden as he specifically denotes, and the scent of manure. The clear
implication here being that Dr. Cross was more than cozy in his new home and been settled for
some time. Continuing on my previous point, the tone that Scott uses in this particular section is
very modest and perhaps not brash enough to accentuate the firm voice that Dr. Cross uses or the
awkward and slightly taken-back stance the Noongar man and boy assume along with the Chaine
party.

Something to note is that although the colonists certainly had a dominate presence is their
new way of life to the natives, there were outliers in the group of colonists who did not
necessarily maintain their roots. An example of this would be how Jak-Tar abandoned ship and
married a Noongar woman. Although his marriage to a native would seem to aid in his
assimilation into their culture, his lack of judgement and his rashness (or lack of consideration
for others) seems to inhibit him from being particularly useful to the colonists later or the natives
for that matter. In addition to Jak-Tar, Skelly appears to have little faith in his people as he is
critical of the agrarian society that the colonists have chosen (51). At first pass this may seem
minor, however at the time described in the book this would have been central not only to their
economy but also to their culture, bleeding into social and relational aspects of life as well. As an
ex-convict this should not come as a surprise, as his deviation from normality or conforming to
a social standard was clearly not on his agenda from the beginning anyway.
Typically this novel would tend to be portrayed as a fictional commentary on globalization
which coincidentally features an indigenous perspective, however I believe it very clearly carries
a strong theme of survival. If I may read between the lines momentarily; the colonists
undoubtedly faced fatalities on the voyage from Europe to Austrailia, as Scott briefly, and yet
dramatically paints a picture of a journey void of a moment of peace (11). On the contrary, as a
nomadic people whose constant fear is starvation in light of even one failed hunt, the Noongar
people equally faced struggles long before the arrival of the colonists. Moving forward, as the
two eventually must coexist their cultures clash in the struggle to survive. In the context of their
cultures, they were both centered on their respective methods of acquiring food, which is perhaps
the most distinct element to survival. In the presence of inevitable death, there is a burning will
to survive. To bridge the gap between globalization and this theme of survival, the measures

taken in this novel are ones that are common between themselves. Globalization is a necessary
step in survival of the entire human race. To reach outside of this novel, the movement to control
global climate-change requires globalization in the sense that there must total co-operation in
light of a greater good. Although the goals of the people in the book seem to be relatively minor
in comparison, the concept remains the same. In conclusion of this notion, Kim Scott does not
arbitrarily feature an indigenous group in this context of globalization. In fact, it is the most
pertinent and perhaps most clear way to discuss this topic as indigenous people hold their
cultures and traditions dearer than any modern cultures today. This causes a sort of extreme in
terms of ethnicities which have very distinct and a strong sense of culture versus an immigrant
modern culture like these European settlers.
Question 2 - The scenery or natural environment described in this novel is one that takes two
unique forms. Each are derived from vastly different tones that Kim Scott uses when speaking to
a scene specific to Noongar people versus from the perspective of a European colonist. The
language used in the context of the Noongar (particularly that of Menak) generally focuses on
the vibrant details of the nature around them. In this setting he uses an abundance of verbiage in
an otherwise docile scene and in this way nearly personifies the objects at hand (215).
Furthermore, as an indigenous people, it is also evident that nature often plays an important role
in the religious spectrum as well, which generously contributes to the way these seemingly
insignificant details are portrayed as perhaps something much more beautiful.
On the contrary, nearly the opposite is true about the tone in regard to nature in context of the
settlers. Scott does an adequate job of establishing a clear proverbial line in terms of their
relationships with nature by maintaining consistent language respective to each of these groups
when speaking to the subject. The speech here obviously being one that is far plainer in

comparison to that of the Noongar. Scott uses a tone here that flirts with being outright brash
when compared to the latter. The language resorts almost strictly to describing the efficacy of the
land or vegetation. Although one wouldnt necessarily say there is an outright disrespect or
underappreciation of the land from them, there is however a stark contrast to that of the
observable reverence that the Noongar exhibit. One of the many Reasons for this circle back to
their main cultural differences in light of a nomadic culture and an agricultural society. Again
traveling beyond the borders of Kim Scotts work, one must note that in most nomadic cultures
there is at minimum a standard respect paid to the animal which is hunted. In the case of native
Americans this was the buffalo. The buffalo was highly esteemed and even worshipped in some
contexts as it was recognized for sacrificing itself for the survival of their own people, which
did not go unnoticed. The Noongar revere the whale similarly (225), and again spiritualized it as
Menak exemplifies by cutting the dead whales flesh in order to release its spirit.
Question 3 - Beyond the fact that the narrative in this book is not one that is told in a
chronological fashion, it also features diversified perspectives (or voices), thus making it an
extremely dynamic work. Although this could perhaps confuse the reader, it does offer an overall
more balanced perspective than if the narrative strictly adhered to one voice. The benefit to this,
and I believe Scotts reasoning for doing so, is to offer a less biased conclusion at the end of the
book. As the theme of this book is primarily globalization and not simply an advocacy for
indigenous rights, it seems that Kim Scott wishes to offer a narrative that is telling of a future
world in which progress can be made while different ethnicities closely exist while also
maintaining a strong sense of personal culture.
Practically speaking however, the text varies most noticeably in its attitude when switching
between voices. The natives (or Bobby) tend to have a curious, and almost innocent tone to them,

especially when first becoming familiar with the settlers (49-50). Bobby when retelling his story
(to tourists) is very passionate, open, and seemingly gentle with his words (76-78). The settlers,
Dr. Cross included, almost always have a very practical and plain way of viewing things (88).
The meshing of these perspectives to offer a balanced and interesting way to view essentially the
same situations.
Albeit this is a fictional novel, it is relevant to compare to the imperial narratives of
Columbus and the like. Of course the main difference being that it is written from one side
versus the multiple voices that Scott addresses. That said, it was not uncommon for those
recording history to also rewrite history. Unfortunately there are often discrepancies in
accounts, as one documenting an event in their own Nations history would occasionally leave
out details that may cause any negative connotations about their culture. More commonly, details
were just left out of texts in order to skip over the bad parts of things they felt were necessary
or sometimes failed to record their own defeats in battles and other such things.
Question 4 - The actual deadman dance was very rigid in nature and typically done
identically by everyone present. The dance requires everyone to have a stick in hand and stiffly
move it about in the same fashion in accordance to the particular beat. It earns its name from one
man in the dance leading for a moment while everyone stands dead in the wake of his
movement. This lead role shifts from person to person throughout the dance (62). Bobby
however performed a slightly different dance. His awkward and jerky movements, which may
have been unintentional at first because he tended to be awkward anyway, eventually caught onto
the rest of them. In this fashion he seems to enjoy himself far more than others had previously
and let himself go to some extent (63). As he led the dance people would lie down as if they were
deceased as soon as Bobby made contact with them. Although the dance portrays how the white

man brought disease and killed natives (revealing how the Noongar regarded the colonists),
Bobby seems to somehow tactfully make light of a solemn ritual. In this way he shows
characteristics of being a trickster as he adds an element of joy to what essentially is a
representation of death. Bobby, one whose perspective and will is split between his native and
colonist interests, contributes to the assimilation of these cultures through this action. This
doesnt necessarily prove that the Noongar would readily change ritual or tradition on a whim
when considering that Bobby was a charming and lighthearted fellow but with the aim of a
trickster.

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