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Source 6.18 is further unusual, as it describes the close friendship between Jacky Jacky and
Kennedy, with discourses of loyalty (not to be confused as an equal standing between them)
demonstrated through Jacky Jacky’s recount, for example:
“I asked him, ‘Mr Kennedy are you going to leave me?’ and he said, ‘Yes, my boy. I
am going to leave you.’ He said, ‘I am very bad, Jacky. You take the books Jacky to
the captain, but not the big ones.’
“I then tied up the papers. He then said, ‘Jacky, me paper and I will write.’ I
gave him paper and pencil, and he tried to write, and he then fell back and died, and I
caught him as he fell back and held him; and I then turned round myself and cried.”
(Department of Education, 1959/1962/1966, p. 32-33)
It also tells of a disjuncture between Jacky Jacky and other Indigenous people of the area.
Although not stated in the textbook, it is most likely Jacky Jacky did not belong to their kin
group, thus the loyalty Jacky Jacky may otherwise have had to them could have resulted in
different actions. Including different perspectives and conflicting actions between Indigenous
Australians is an anomaly for a textbook that usually groups all Indigenous people together
and attributes the same features, traits, qualities and characteristics regardless of individual
opinions, actions and tribal groups. This complexity of relationships between different
Indigenous groups is alluded to through the following first person account by Jacky Jacky:
“Now we went into a little bit of scrub and I told Mr. Kennedy to look behind
always. Sometimes he would not look behind to look out for the blacks.
“Then a good many blackfellows came behind...and threw plenty of spears...
“Mr. Kennedy said to me, ‘Oh! Jacky! Jacky! Shoot ‘em, shoot ‘em!’ Then I
pulled out my gun and fired, and hit one fellow all over the face with buckshot.
(Department of Education, 1959/1962/1966, p. 32-33)
Even though Jacky Jacky is positioned in the Social Studies for Queensland schools grade 5
textbook as an important figure in Kennedy’s exploration, his exclusion in other textbooks
during this era demonstrates the tenuous relationship Indigenous representations has in core
curriculum content. The following passage, which emphasizes the hostility of and attacks by
the local Indigenous people, demonstrates the wide disparity in representations of Indigenous
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