Desert Lake: Art, Science and Stories from Paruku edited by Steve Morton, Mandy Martin, Kim Mahood and John Carty, 312 pp, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood Australia, 2013, ISBN 9780643106284 (hbk), $59.95.

Desert Lake: Art, Science and Stories from Paruku is a compilation of dreaming narratives, personal histories, scientific descriptions, photos and paintings, all centred on the great Paruku lake system, situated on the north-west edge of the Great Sandy Desert (Western Australia). It documents the many, varied responses to the lake, from its traditional owners, the Walmajarri people, to the more recent non-Indigenous arrivals in their many guises; pastoralists, scientists, artists, anthropologists.

And in doing so it reaches far, far back in time. Back to the very beginning. The book begins with excerpts of the dreaming stories that traverse the lake, interspersed with paintings and aerial photographs that give tantalising glimpses of what is to unfold over the coming pages. In part one of the book, the journey into ‘deep time’ continues with geologist Jim Bowler’s essay on what the geological and archaeological record tells us about the site (for example, in dating human inhabitation of the area to nearly 50,000 years). Bowler’s contribution interweaves the story of the lake as revealed by his (and others’) scientific analysis with the story of how that analysis came to happen – though a long-term and ongoing collaboration with the traditional custodians, in particular, Rex Johns. Bowler gently lays out his own evolving response to the seeming conflict between scientific and Walmajarri perspectives, and describes his own personal resolution to the paradox, guided by a ‘sense of mutual empathy with land, its deep time history’ (p. 42). The integration of the two perspectives has also been a preoccupation for some Walmajarri people, and this has been given expression in a painting by Hanson Pye called Parnkupirti layers. Pye explains that the layers depict different time depths, with different stories located at each level. It is clear that Pye and Bowler have exchanged perspectives, and they generously allow us insight into that exchange in this volume.

The second part of the book is set in ‘recent times’ and takes us through a range of contemporary interactions with and around the lake. Kim Mahood and John Carty weave together the oral histories of Biddy Chungulla, Launa Yoomarie, Yanpiyarti Ned Cox, Rex Johns, Shirley Yoomarie, Freda Tjama Napanangka, Anna Johns, and Jamie Brown in an essay that tells the story of European ‘discovery’ of the lake and its broader system of creeks and rivers (when ancient names were overlaid with strange-sounding words like ‘Sturt’ and ‘Gregory’), and the subsequent era of pastoral stations and ‘protectionism’, through to present-day land management arrangements.

Following this, a collection of first-person vignettes captures a range of Walmajarri experiences of the past century. Biddy Chungulla describes how her family took refuge on an island in the lake in the fraught days of early contact with Europeans. Rex Johns’ epic life story chronicles a young man growing up in the new world order of missions and stations, and later during the fight for land rights. Anna Johns discusses the setting up of Mulan community. Veronica Lulu recounts getting sunstroke while living at Billiluna Station. Bessie Doonday also recollects her early working life at Billiluna, and the period after the handing back of the station to the Walmajarri people. Gracie Mosquito’s life story highlights how the regular currents of family life continue to flow alongside the dramatic change that missions and stations brought. Shirley Yoomarie vividly describes some of the mysteries of mission life, such as having her name changed by the nuns (her parents had named her Julie). Megan Boxer details her schooling life, first at Mulan, then Balgo and Broome, and the challenges being away from home brought. Launa Yoomarie and Megan Boxer use both paint and words to record the harrowing story of a massacre of Aboriginal people at Sturt Creek, witnessed by Yoomarie’s Uncle.

Land ownership and management is a theme that emerges from these personal histories. The contemporary challenges are explored in two essays: one on the waterways monitoring undertaken through the Rangers program and the other on the ongoing implications of human interaction with the lake for the fauna that also call it home. Another important locus of cultural exchange and response to Paruku is through art. Non-Indigenous visual artist Mandy Martin explores the combined artistic output of the large Paruku project team and many works are reproduced in full-page spreads with accompanying explanations. Martin’s own ‘Falling star’ works are also included. Art anthropologist John Carty’s informative essay examines the range of Indigenous responses to Paruku, contrasting the canvases of Kukatja/Wangkatjunga artist Rover Thomas, with the more intimate images made by the lake’s custodians. This part of the book also documents the beautiful and multi-layered mapping work undertaken as part of the Paruku project.

With the past and the present dealt with, we are now taken on a journey into the future. This section is comprised of a thoughtful essay from two acknowledged ‘outsiders’ (Jocelyn Davies and Guy Fitzhardinge) on the ongoing challenges facing Mulan community (the principal residence for most of the Walmajarri project participants), with a focus on the inherent strengths that characterise the community (resilience, for one) and the partnerships that the Walmajarri residents are forging in order to sustain community life into the future. Following this are two ‘insider’ perspectives on the future: Paruku Ranger Jamie Brown reflects on his life and role as a Ranger, and shares his ongoing wishes and concerns for Mulan community. Shirley Brown speaks to the significance of the declaration of the Indigenous Protected Area over the lake and the importance of her ongoing work with the various projects that have resulted – such as the Paruku project.

There is good deal more in this book than can be easily be summed up in a book review, for it has attempted to capture something that is itself vast and untetherable. As a thoughtful compilation of many voices, it succeeds. And as a companion for future generations, I wager it will also succeed. For it feels rich and generous and full of good spirit. The larger Paruku project, for which this book is a key artefact, asked the question ‘How are we to live with our shared history, our shared environments, our shared homes, in difference and respect. And how do we tell these stories together?’ This book is a fantastic answer to that question.

Sally Dixon

The Australian National University