Ellen van Neerven, an Australian writer of Aboriginal Mununjali Yugambeh and Dutch heritage, discusses their fable about the relationship between humans and the natural world. The story follows two sibling eagles as they navigate their ancestral place and contemplate leaving amidst impending dangers. It explores the complex relationship between two sisters and their responsibilities towards a child, leading to a transformative realization and a call to restore harmony with nature.
The Eagles' Daughters serves as a cautionary tale about the destructive relationship between humans and the environment.
The fable offers a glimmer of hope, suggesting that a more sustainable and harmonious future can be achieved by listening to nature and respecting the land.
Deep dives
The Eagles' Daughters: A Story of Survival
The Eagles' Daughters, young hatchlings, survived a traumatic event where their mother was killed by a man on a farm. Raised by their father, they developed a strong bond and endured the challenges of a diminishing habitat. As they grew, they witnessed the degradation caused by the man's actions and contemplated leaving their ancestral place. However, one sister became obsessed with the growing belly of the man's wife, leading to a dark plan for revenge. The sisters engaged in a fierce and ultimately tragic fight, resulting in the departure of the smaller sister. The bigger sister lived a lonely existence, witnessing the destruction caused by humans. Eventually, she visited a child, showing her a dream of a more harmonious world, leading the child to commit to preserving the land.
Discovering Hope in a Bleak Future
The Eagles' Daughters serves as a cautionary tale about the destructive relationship between humans and the environment. The story highlights the consequences of human actions, such as pollution and habitat destruction, on the lives of animals and the delicate balance of nature. It also emphasizes the resilience and adaptability of wildlife in the face of adversity. Through the child who witnessed the eagle's message, the fable offers a glimmer of hope, suggesting that by listening to nature and respecting the land, a more sustainable and harmonious future can be achieved.
An Australian writer of Aboriginal Mununjali Yugambeh and Dutch heritage, Ellen van Neerven has won various literary prizes for their works of fiction, poetry, drama and non-fiction. Their fable invites us to reflect on the relationship between humans and the lands we inhabit, giving us a bird’s eye view on how we can better understand our connections with the natural world.
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