The framework of traditional Aboriginal cultures is a clear influence on a great many works by contemporary Aboriginal poets. This is particularly true of the poetry about land and landscape, which has often reflected the complex cultural relationships of the Aboriginal communities to their traditional lands, and the dispossession and displacement that has occurred since European colonisation.
In recent poems by Aboriginal poets, the land features in roles different to those described in 3.1. These roles are often linked to those identified in the traditional oral literature, and the cultural meanings and importance held by place can be seen, as they are in the work of many contemporary Aboriginal visual artists who work within and beyond established frameworks.
A particular place could be somewhere set aside for ritual; a place where the spirit of an ancestor or legendary figure dwells, or acted; a place marked by spirit, or embodying spirit; a place known as somewhere to find shelter, food, water, or materials for utensils, creative work or weapons; a meeting place; a sacred place; a place that looks like something else, such as a rock that resembles a dingo; somewhere that is a fixture in certain people's lives; a work of art; a place to live; or part of a story, or a place in a journey taken by ancestors.
Jack Davis’s landscape poems clearly illustrate this broader understanding of the meaning of landscape. The interconnections between aspects of the land are obvious, as landscape can include topography, plant-life, animals, birds, people (possibly only Aboriginal people), local area, whole earth, spirit, or meaning given through stories and tradition.
Marking a place in this way not only conveys its traditional meanings, but also denotes a continuing significance for contemporary Aboriginal communities. As in the work of many modern Aboriginal visual artists, representations of the land enable the artist to reinforce their place within their community, and the community's place within the land. It enables ancestral knowledge to be passed on, much of which is practical information that enables people to live in that particular area.
It also addresses issues of displacement in a community in which the social and cultural consequences of generations of forced removal of children from their families and communities has left a long-lasting and often tragic legacy. The dispersal of communities and the extinction of numerous languages and cultural traditions leave major gaps not only in many people’s lives, but also in any complete understanding of the broader Australian social, emotional and cultural history.
The practical application of artistic work is an important facet of much traditional and modern Aboriginal poetry. Whilst it may be seen that the writing of a poem is a creative activity, it is the use to which the poem is put that is often the underlying motive for its creation. Those uses may include performance, incorporation into ritual, education of Aboriginal people, (especially young people) and, more recently, impacting on the attitudes of the non-Aboriginal communities. Aboriginal artists’ emphasis on practicality has clearly influenced poets including Oodgeroo Noonuccal and Jack Davis, who have blended practical political strategies and community education functions into their poetry.
Very many Aboriginal texts, written and unwritten, recorded or not, deal directly with the fundamental issues facing Aboriginal people, torn as they are between alienation and a sense of belonging. The strategy they use is an adaptation of traditional Aboriginal ways, constructing maps that are designed to represent broad stretches of space and time, to give meaning and perspective, direction and hope on the bewildering journey of the life of themselves and their people. (Hodge and Mishra, 1991: 97)
A number of Aboriginal poets have chosen to involve themselves in the political and social debates about the rights of Aboriginal people, and especially in relation to land rights claims and environmental issues. The use of traditional themes, languages, cultural images and poetic forms has been an important strategy by which many Aboriginal poets have sought to place their work in this broader context.
For many writers, this has also been a way of preserving traditional cultures, or rediscovering those cultures and languages and stories that have been destroyed since colonisation. This gives both contemporary and traditional work many changing contexts, establishing an ongoing cultural context along with the inclusion of current themes.
I want to write a lot more stories before I die, so that our young people can read them and learn about me and our people ... I want our young people to take notice of our culture and carry it on forever.
(Daisy Utemorrah, in Hanigan, 1993: 14)
Some writers work within their own or other Aboriginal communities, strengthening existing cultural understandings, encouraging involvement in the writing process, and enabling the Aboriginal communities to have greater access to traditional and contemporary writing.
This includes writing and illustrating children's literature, for the children of the communities and also for wider distribution. Many of the books of children's stories are written by women, passing on the oral literature and the culture of the communities, and ensuring the continued relevance of traditional and modern literature.
The fact that children's literature is a favoured genre [by women] may reflect the process of socialisation once confined largely to the oral tradition, from mother to child; and mimi (grandmother) to grandchildren.
(Utemorrah, in Hanigan, 1993: 15)
The widespread publishing success (both within Australian and overseas) of many of these books of children's stories and poems reinforces the growing role within Australia for the cultures of the Aboriginal communities. It may, like the hugely popular works of the visual artists of the Western Desert, also play a part in developing new understandings of the Australian landscape and culture in the generations that now have access to these works at an early age.