Ochre: I Want to Paint by Ross Ashton

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good condition. Minor wear to book corners.

For the Wallabri, these are uncertain and turbulent times. Binna, the tribe's cultural custodian, experiments with new ochre colours to sustain his peoples' heritage and survival at a turning point in the evolution of rock art style. In contemporary times, four bushwalkers assemble at a remote Kimberley cattle station, ahead of them a 14-day walk across the same country. At the last moment, they are compelled to take Danny, a troubled Aboriginal boy.

The land is a major character, playing a significant role, both forgiving and payback, as the walkers deal with their burdens, prejudices and secrets. With authority grounded in a lifetime in the bush, the author transports readers through endless savannah woodlands, ancient gorges and forgotten pristine pools of one of the worlds last wilderness frontiers and those who claim it.

The book is an imaginative construction of a mysterious past and an exploration of ways to reconcile a fractured and troubled present, giving rise to new hope. Among its inspirations are the evolution and resilience of Aboriginal art and the dreams that sparked a stockman to declare 'I want to paint'. (back cover)