‘Djabooly-djabooly: why don’t they swim?’: the ebb and flow of water in the lives of Australian Aboriginal women
- Publication Type:
- Journal Article
- Citation:
- Annals of Leisure Research, 2019, 22 (3), pp. 286 - 304
- Issue Date:
- 2019-05-27
Closed Access
| Filename | Description | Size | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Djabooly djabooly why don t they swim the ebb and flow of water in the lives of Australian Aboriginal women.pdf | Published Version | 1.71 MB |
Copyright Clearance Process
- Recently Added
- In Progress
- Closed Access
This item is closed access and not available.
© 2018, © 2018 Australia and New Zealand Association of Leisure Studies. Aquatic activities have been pivotal to the lifestyle of Australian Indigenous peoples for millennia. That historical connection with rivers, streams and beaches is a largely untold story. This paper considers one aspect of the story: the significance swimming for Aboriginal women. Aquatic activities were, for many Aboriginal communities, crucial for food, movement and leisure. Even a cursory trawl through newspapers and memoirs provides observations about the prowess of Aboriginal women as swimmers. But this skill-set dissipated in the wake of territorial conflict, resulting in the displacement or erosion of Aboriginal communities in coastal areas. The paper then moves to the contemporary era, starting with an assumption that the passion for, swimming has been lost for Aboriginal women. Stories about female Indigenous swimmers, alongside the recollections of two mature-age women, present a story of limited opportunity, discrimination and challenges by way of access to water and safety therein.
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: