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    Warriors at Salt Creek

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    Francesca Previtali
    The poem uses vivid imagery to depict the effects of land eviction on Indigenous peoples in the Coorong region of South Australia between 1830-1841. It poses the question "Why are our modern day warriors hanging from trees?" to highlight the ongoing struggles faced by Indigenous communities. Through references to natural elements like tides, hatchlings, and crows, it illustrates the pervasiveness of death and mourning. Repetition of lines emphasizes the importance of remembering the warriors' legacy and fighting for freedom from the cycle of violence.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Warriors at Salt Creek

    Uploaded by

    Francesca Previtali
    53 views10 pages
    The poem uses vivid imagery to depict the effects of land eviction on Indigenous peoples in the Coorong region of South Australia between 1830-1841. It poses the question "Why are our modern day warriors hanging from trees?" to highlight the ongoing struggles faced by Indigenous communities. Through references to natural elements like tides, hatchlings, and crows, it illustrates the pervasiveness of death and mourning. Repetition of lines emphasizes the importance of remembering the warriors' legacy and fighting for freedom from the cycle of violence.

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    Warriors at salt creek

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    The poem uses vivid imagery to depict the effects of land eviction on Indigenous peoples in the Coorong region of South Australia between 1830-1841. It poses the question "Why are our modern day warriors hanging from trees?" to highlight the ongoing struggles faced by Indigenous communities. Through references to natural elements like tides, hatchlings, and crows, it illustrates the pervasiveness of death and mourning. Repetition of lines emphasizes the importance of remembering the warriors' legacy and fighting for freedom from the cycle of violence.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    53 views10 pages

    Warriors at Salt Creek

    Uploaded by

    Francesca Previtali
    The poem uses vivid imagery to depict the effects of land eviction on Indigenous peoples in the Coorong region of South Australia between 1830-1841. It poses the question "Why are our modern day warriors hanging from trees?" to highlight the ongoing struggles faced by Indigenous communities. Through references to natural elements like tides, hatchlings, and crows, it illustrates the pervasiveness of death and mourning. Repetition of lines emphasizes the importance of remembering the warriors' legacy and fighting for freedom from the cycle of violence.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 10

    WARRIORS AT SALT

    CREEK

    By Francesca Previtali
    THE POEM

    Why are our modern day As the warriors circle the sun
    warriors hanging from trees? Will footprints gather in their
    shadows?
    As they circle the sun
    tides agitate the sand dunes As they circle the moon
    Are we free to cut them free?
    As muted tongues swell
    hatchlings shriek from grassy knolls The creak of the rope is intrusive
    The howl of the wind is a knife
    Crows gather and walk the sand
    This vision can never leave their eyes Why are our modern day warriors
    hanging from trees?
    THE AUTHOR

    Ali Cobby Eckermann (born 1963) is an


    Australian poet of Aboriginal Australian
    ancestry. She is a Yankunytjatjara / Kokatha
    woman born on Kaurna land in South Australia.

    She has written poetry collections, verse novels


    and a memoir, and has been shortlisted for or
    won several literary awards. In 2017, she won
    the international Windham-Campbell Literature
    Prize for Poetry. She has travelled extensively,
    performing her poetry.
    THE LANDSCAPE
    The poem uses powerful imagery
    to illustrate the effects of land
    eviction on the Coorong from 1830
    to 1841.
     The sand dunes' agitation by the
    tides alludes to the land's
    instability and its relationship to
    natural forces.
     The gathering of crows and their
    walking on the sand indicate the
    pervasiveness of death, loss, and
    mourning.
    ANALYSIS OF EACH STANZA
    FIRST STANZA

    The first stanza of the poem poses a powerful question that serves as the overarching
    theme of the poem.
    While the picture of hanging from trees alludes to the violence and exploitation that
    Indigenous peoples have experienced throughout history, the usage of the term
    “modern day warriors" emphasizes the ongoing struggles of Indigenous peoples in
    modern times.

    Why are our modern day


    warriors hanging from trees?
    SECOND STANZA

    The second stanza is filled with vivid As they circle the sun
    imagery that highlights the natural world, tides agitate the sand dunes
    particularly the tides' movements and the
    cries of hatchlings. As muted tongues swell
    hatchlings shriek from grassy
    The line gains intensity from the use of knolls
    personification in "tides agitate the sand
    dunes," and the contrast between the Crows gather and walk the sand
    "shrieking hatchlings" and "muted This vision can never leave their
    tongues" emphasizes the image of both eyes
    voicelessness and vitality.
    THIRD STANZA
    The third stanza shifts focus from the natural
    world to the human world.

    The repetition of the first line emphasizes the


    As the warriors circle the sun importance of their legacy and the need to
    Will footprints gather in their remember their struggle.
    shadows?
    The question "Will footprints gather in their
    As they circle the moon shadows?" suggests the idea that their footsteps
    Are we free to cut them free? and their fight will leave a lasting impact on the
    land and on the people.

    The question "Are we free to cut them free?"


    suggests that there is a possibility of escape from
    the cycle of violence and death.
    The poem ends with a powerful image of the creak of the rope and the howl of the
    wind, evoking the sound of the warriors' final moments. The speaker's repetition of
    the question "Why are our modern day warriors hanging from trees?" highlights the
    absurdity and injustice of such violence.

    The creak of the rope is intrusive


    The howl of the wind is a knife

    Why are our modern day warriors


    hanging from trees?
    THE END

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