Ali Cobby Eckermann (born 1963) is an Australian poet of
Aboriginal Australian
Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...
ancestry. She is a
Yankunytjatjara
The Yankunytjatjara people, also written Yankuntjatjarra, Jangkundjara, and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of South Australia.
Language
Yankunytjatjara is a Western Desert language belonging to the Wati lan ...
woman born on
Kaurna
The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kaurn ...
land in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
.
Eckermann has written poetry collections,
verse novel
A verse novel is a type of narrative poetry in which a novel-length narrative is told through the medium of poetry rather than prose. Either simple or complex stanzaic verse-forms may be used, but there will usually be a large cast, multiple voice ...
s and a memoir, and has been shortlisted for or won several literary awards. In 2017, she won the international
Windham-Campbell Literature Prize for Poetry. She has travelled extensively, performing her poetry.
Early life
Ali Cobby Eckermann was born Penelope Rae Cobby at the
Kate Cocks Memorial Babies’ Home in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
,
traditional home of the Kaurna people, in 1963.
She was adopted as a baby by a Lutheran couple, Clarrie and Frieda Eckermann.
She grew up on a farm, and did her schooling at Brinkworth Area School and Clare High School, in mid-north South Australia.
Eckermann, her mother and her grandmother were all stolen, tricked or adopted away from their birth families, becoming part of the
Stolen Generations
The Stolen Generations (also known as Stolen Children) were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian federal and state government agencies and church miss ...
.
She grew up in a loving supportive home, but she was assaulted sexually by a family friend when she seven years old, and experienced ongoing abuse and racism while growing up. At 17 she left home with a man with whom she lived for two years, but whom she left due to his violence. She returned home, only to discover she was pregnant, and gave birth when she was 19. Her son was adopted out.
After turning 18, Eckermann began searching for her birth mother, Audrey, but didn't find her until she was 34, after information had been released with the ''
Bringing Them Home
''Bringing Them Home'' is the 1997 Australian ''Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families''. The report marked a pivotal moment in the controversy that has come to ...
'' report in 1997.
Four years later, she found her son Jonnie.
Most of her early adult life was spent in the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
, on
Arrernte
Arrernte (also spelt Aranda, etc.) is a descriptor related to a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples from Central Australia.
It may refer to:
* Arrernte (area), land controlled by the Arrernte Council (?)
* Arrernte people, Aboriginal Australi ...
country,
Jawoyn
The Jawoyn, also written Djauan, are an Australian Aboriginal people living in the Northern Territory of Australia. The Bagala clan are of the Jawoyn people.
Language
Jawoyn, known as Kumertuo, is a non- Pama–Nyungan language that belongs t ...
country and
Larrakia country.
She worked in various places, including a remote arts centre outside
Alice Springs
Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...
.
She says "I learnt to live in two different ways over my life. I learnt a good example of hard work and kindness from growing up with my mum and dad in my adopted family. And I’m extremely grateful that my traditional family welcomed me back with such love and honesty. I got a second chance to live in an honest world".
Writing career
Eckermann's literary career was established in 2009 after she submitted her first collection of poetry to a manuscript competition run by ''Australian Poetry''. It was published under the title, ''Little Bit Long Time'', first in pamphlet form by the Australian Poetry Centre and then in book form, both in 2009. Its subject matter is the problematic history of
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
since colonial times, which means that she explores both her own life and experience, as an indigenous woman, as well as looking at the historical perspective. She returns to this subject matter repeatedly in her work.
Since then, she has published three more poetry collections, two verse novels and a memoir.
Her third book, and second verse novel, ''Ruby Moonlight'', was awarded both Book of the Year and the
Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry
The Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry is awarded annually as part of the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards for a book of collected poems or for a single poem of substantial length published in book form.[New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards
The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...]
.
Eckermann founded Australia's first Aboriginal Writers Retreat in
Koolunga, in a 130-year-old general store which she restored.
In 2014, she participated in the International Writing Program's Fall Residency at the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
in
Iowa City
Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...
, United States.
Verse novels
Eckermann has written two verse novels, ''His Father's Eyes'' and ''Ruby Moonlight''.
''Ruby Moonlight'' is set in remote South Australia in the 1880s. It explores, writes
Sarah Holland-Batt
Sarah Holland-Batt is a contemporary Australian poet, critic, and academic.
Early life and education
Born in Southport, Queensland, Sarah Holland-Batt grew up in Australia and Denver, Colorado.
She was educated at the University of Queensland ...
, "broader ideas about
colonialism
Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...
’s hierarchies and power structures, and its lingering historical impact on the first peoples of this country, on language, and on the very landscape itself. One of the most remarkable things about ''Ruby Moonlight'' is the subtlety with which its political implications are handled: Eckermann invites (rather than dictates) political readings of what is, at heart, a simple and highly engaging narrative."
Other activities
, Eckermann is on the board of the
First Nations Australia Writers Network
The First Nations Australia Writers Network (FNAWN) is the peak advocacy body for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander writers, storytellers and poets in Australia.
History
The seeds for the organisation were sown at the Guwanyi Indigenous ...
(FNAWN).
Awards and nominations
* 2013
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards
The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...
, winner of Book of the Year and Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry for ''Ruby Moonlight''
* 2013 Tangkanungku Pintyanthi Fellowship for ''Too Afraid to Cry''
* 2014
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature
The Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature comprise a group of biennially-granted literary awards established in 1986 by the Government of South Australia, announced during Adelaide Writers' Week, as part of the Adelaide Festival. The awards i ...
John Bray Poetry Award, shortlisted for ''Ruby Moonlight''
* 2015
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards
The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...
, shortlisted for Indigenous Writers' Prize for ''Inside My Mother''
* 2016
Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing
The Victorian Premier's Prize for Indigenous Writing is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award
The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Government with the aim of raising the profile of cont ...
, shortlisted for ''Inside My Mother
''
* 2017
Windham-Campbell Literature Prizes for Poetry
* 2018
Australia Council for the Arts
The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austra ...
Literature Fellowship
Bibliography
* (poetry collection)
* (poetry collection)
* (verse novel)
* (poetry collection)
* (memoir)
* (poetry collection)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eckermann, Ali Cobby
1963 births
Living people
Australian women poets
Indigenous Australian writers
Writers from South Australia
21st-century Australian novelists
21st-century Australian women writers
21st-century Australian poets