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Source 6.40. “An Australian Fairy Tale” from School Paper (Wallace, 1958, pp. 112-113).
The intersection of British heritages and Indigenous representations occurs as a central
component of this story. In a move away from the majority of Indigenous discourses of school
curriculum content during this era, this creative narrative presents as quite remarkable in that
it does not place non-Indigenous knowledges or people as superior to Indigenous Australians,
but instead demonstrates the superiority of Indigenous knowledges. The two protagonists,
Julie and Lura are included as their parents belong to the same share farm and the two girls
become friends as a result.
Indigenous knowledges and traditional culture is presented as superior rather than primitive
and still as a part of contemporary, mainstream society. The superior knowledge that Lura has
is communicated through the narrative in the following ways:
Lura would show Julie how to build a mia-mia, the native shelter, which is made
from bamboo and palm fronds. She taught her how to distinguish the various bird
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