Beyond the Meeting of the Waters

‘Storyline’ is the word used to describe the way the Indigenous stories relate with each other like veins running across the land. They are passed on by word of mouth and are communicated through other mediums: art, language, music and ceremony. Yorta Yorta Elder Wayne Atkinson’s storyline begins, like thousands of generations before him, on the banks of a river, but it would take him to the halls of higher learning and a lifetime of activism to further the empowerment of his people. For Atkinson, education is a life-giving river that can be traced back to the teachings of his great grandfather and his Elders. This eventually led him to a university education and he became a much-loved teacher of Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne, where he pioneered the concept of Oncountry Learning. An essential voice of his generation, Atkinson has been at the forefront of Aboriginal cultural renaissance in Victoria since the 1980s, when Kooris asserted their rights to self-determination. His advocacy for human rights has contributed to widespread reform. He also played a pivotal role in the Yorta Yorta Native Title land claim and was a commissioner with the Yoorrook Justice Commission. Beyond the Meeting of the Waters is a penetrating and deeply humane insight into the power of the voice, the spear of the pen and the potential of collective organisation.