That Deadman Dance facts for kids
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| Author | Kim Scott |
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| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Picador, Australia |
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Publication date
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1 October 2010 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 400 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4050-4043-3 |
| Preceded by | Benang: From The Heart |
That Deadman Dance is an exciting novel by Kim Scott, an author from Western Australia. It was first released in 2010. This book has won many important awards. These include the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize.
What's the Story About?
That Deadman Dance takes place in the early 1800s. The story is set near what is now Albany, Western Australia. This area was once known as 'the friendly frontier'.
The book shows the first meetings between the Noongar people (who are Aboriginal Australians), European settlers, and American whalers.
The main character is a young Noongar man named Bobby Wabalanginy. Bobby is smart and eager to help. He becomes friends with the new people arriving. He joins them in hunting whales and farming the land. He also helps them explore the area and build the new settlement.
But over time, things start to change. Not everyone is happy with how the settlement is growing. Farm animals begin to disappear. Crops are destroyed. There are also strange 'accidents' and injuries.
The new settlers start to make stricter rules to keep peace. Bobby Wabalanginy's Elders decide they must do something. Bobby is friends with everyone. Now, he has to choose between his old world and the new one. He must pick between his ancestors and his settler friends.
Bobby gets pulled into a series of events. These events will change the settlement forever. They will also shape the future of Australia. The novel tells a powerful story. It helps readers understand what it was like when white settlers first arrived. It shows this from both sides. It also explores the sad story behind a wonderful culture.
Awards the Book Won
That Deadman Dance has received many important awards. These awards show how special and well-written the book is.
Here are some of the awards it won:
- Commonwealth Writers' Prize Best Book, South-east Asia and the Pacific, 2011: winner
- Miles Franklin Literary Award, 2011: winner
- ALS Gold Medal, 2011: winner
- Kate Challis RAKA Award, 2011: winner
- Victorian Premier's Literary Award, Victorian Prize for Literature and Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction, 2011: winner
- Western Australian Premier's Book Awards, Premier's Prize and Fiction Book, 2011: winner
- Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, Fiction and Premier's prizes, 2012: winner
- NSW Premier's Literary Award, Christina Stead Prize and Book of the Year, 2012: winner
The judges for the Miles Franklin Award praised That Deadman Dance. They called it a "powerful and new kind of story." They said it changes how we think about historical novels. The book's language mixes Noongar words with Australian English. This creates new ways of writing and speaking.
The judges also noted that the book tells a sad story. It shows how quickly the Noongar people and their traditions were lost. But at the same time, it shows hope. It suggests a new world could be born. This new world comes from the unique songs, dances, ceremonies, and languages that appear when different peoples meet.
