Based on the true story of Tasma Walton’s ancestor, a powerful, heart-wrenching novel about maternal love that endures against pitiless odds. Kidnapped by sealers and enslaved far from her homeland, Nannertgarrook has a spirit that refuses to bow.
From her idyllic life in sea country in Nerrm (Port Phillip Bay, Victoria), Nannertgarrook is abducted and taken to a slave market, leaving behind a husband, daughter and son. Pregnant when seized, she soon gives birth to another son, whom she raises with the children of her fellow captives.
Nannertgarrook is separated not only from her Boonwurrung family, but from her birthright – the ceremonies she once was so joyously part of, the majestic whales who are her totem, the land and sky and sea country and its creatures. All these things she loves as deeply as she does her blood kin.
But now, as her reality becomes profoundly different, she must keep that family and her old life alive in her mind. Their rich, pulsating elements sing to us through her beautiful voice, even while Nannertgarrook herself is subjected to the worst of humanity. This sweeping novel asks us to consider who, in colonial history, were the real savages, and what it truly means to be civilised.
‘Tasma continues our ancient tradition of storytelling with this important story of our stolen women, and their determination to hold family, culture and language so we can one day return and bring their stories home. I Am Nannertgarrook is a story of the Ancestors that is forever written on our Country and hearts.’– Senior Elder Aunty Gail Kunwarra Dawson
‘A soulful, breathtaking achievement that lyrically weaves a fearless account of the horrors of brutal colonisation with the resilience of First Nations women and an unbreakable connection to Country. Tasma Walton has emerged as a masterful, mesmerising storyteller.’ – Larissa Behrendt
Pages: 288
Published: 2025
Awareness leads to action, and action leads to change.
