Have some awareness of sensitive issues, significant events and sacred places.Do your homework, English could be your subject’s second or third language and eye contact may be considered disrespectful. Interview questions should be clear and simple.Acknowledge indigenous advisors and their links to country. Reference all notes as you go, as you may be asked to produce an interpretation or source. Memoirs and study literature may not be ‘for loan.’ Prepare to spend hours in libraries to turn up a story nugget.Re-telling of stories by outsiders may be considered culturally offensive. Approach traditions and customs with respect, follow documented protocol and don’t presume you can write freely about all aspects of a group.Check facts against as many government sources and trustworthy journals as possible. Indigenous history is handed down orally and cannot always be confirmed.
The Pearl-shell Diver was a challenging book to write, straddling cultures and attitudes of colonial times with modern day thinking, but children should know the history, and we can’t change the past.
Her works include fiction and non-fiction books, comprehension texts, and school magazine articles which link to the Australian school curriculum. Kay Crabbe began her writing career with feature articles for newspapers and magazines before moving into educational material for children. I’ll be reviewing Kay’s book later on, but first she’s kindly agreed to share some tips on writing Indigenous stories. The Pearl-shell Diver is a page turning adventure set in the wild waters of the Torres Strait. Today, I’m pleased to welcome QLD writer, Kay Crabbe, author of the beautiful new novel, The Pearl-shell Diver.
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