Joan Martin (Yarrna)

The life story of Joan Martin is that of a fierce Aboriginal woman who fought for the rights of her community and her autobiography also tells of the Aboriginal experience in general since World War II. Born in the country town of Morawa, Western Australia, in 1941, Martin led an exciting and adventurous life filled with great challenges—including her efforts to avoid Native Welfare, so as not to be shipped to a mission, and her later very public battle with Homeswest for the right to live in peace in her own home. Joan played a central part in the native title claim of the Widi, which unfortunately proved unsuccessful. Her stories reveal the interconnected themes of family, teaching bush lore to her children, and celebrating the Widi culture through her art, as well as tales of conflicts with mining companies and white bureaucracies. Both artist and activist, Martin was a significant figure in Western Australian history and politics and this book captures both her unique life story and that of the Widi people since white settlement.

Joan Martin is a Widi woman and artist whose work includes a large mosaic in the foyer of the Center for Aboriginal Studies at the Curtin University in Australia. Bruce Shaw is an Australian writer and anthropologist. He is the author of Our Heart Is the Land and When the Dust Come in Between.