Spanning five decades from the early 1940s to early 1990s, Butterfly Song by Terri Janke is a beautifully written story that stirs the senses as well as the emotions as it reveals the significance of a sentimental heirloom in the life of a family through the generations.
Tarena Shaw has just finished studying law in Sydney. While she waits for her results, she is filled with doubts about whether a young female indigenous lawyer can possibly function within a legal system established by white men.
Tarena is forced to face her fears about her abilities when her mother, Lily, contacts her for assistance. A lost family heirloom, a butterfly brooch carved from a shell by Tarena’s grandfather, has turned up as an item in an auction. Lily convinces Tarena that she should help the family reclaim their property.
As Tarena learns more about the origins of the butterfly carving, she returns to Thursday Island where her grandparents met. Retracing the journey of the brooch from the Island to the mainland and then to its eventual disappearance after the death of her grandmother in Cairns, Tarena is also retracing the history of her family and her people.
Part romance and part crime novel, Butterfly Song is a gently told story with an emphasis on the memories and experiences that connect us with our family and our past. It is also offers insights into indigenous title law, particularly the role played by Mabo, and the experiences of Indigenous Australians through the mid to late 1900s.
One of the most striking aspects of the novel is the evocative nature of the descriptions. While most of the characters are not particularly confronting or challenging for readers, the descriptions of places and experiences are extremely sensory, conjuring vivid images of tastes, smells, sounds and textures. These sensory impressions offer readers a way to connect with the story despite the unfamiliarity with some of the locations and/or no personal connection with indigenous Australian history.
As a white Australian born long after the time in which many of the story’s scenes were set, it was fascinating to learn more about the culture and experiences of Indigenous Australians during the 1940s, 50s and 60s and stories of life on Thursday Island in the 40s and early 90s were particularly interesting.
The contrast in roles for young Indigenous Australians over the generations was also interesting with Tarena’s grandmother expected to remain to care for her unmarried brother on Thursday Island, while Tarena herself was able to study law in Sydney and live independently. This is perhaps not entirely dissimilar from expectations on women in general during those years.
Tarena’s difficulties feeling connected in Sydney and the ongoing prejudice she faced in her studies during years when many Australians might consider that such issues had largely been resolved was also interesting. Her experiences and emotions offer readers insight into the personal courage and self-belief required by young Indigenous Australians wanting to create a path for themselves in a culture still dominated by white European customs and perspectives.
Terri Janke is a descendant of the Meriam people of the Torres Strait Islands and the Wuthathi people of mainland Australia. She was born in Cairns and now lives in Sydney with her husband and two children.
Janke is the Solicitor Director of her own law firm, which specialises in Indigenous cultural and intellectual property. She has had short stories published in Island and Southerly. Butterfly Song is her first novel.
In a culture that so often focuses on the future, Butterfly Song is a touching reminder of the strength that can come from remaining connected to the past. It is a love story, a crime story and the story of a young woman trying to find a place for herself in a modern world.
Butterfly Song is enjoyable to read both as a novel and as a small piece of Australia’s diverse and intriguing cultural history.
Book Details
Title: Butterfly Song
Author: Terri Janke
ISBN: 978-0-14-300262-8
Penguin, 2005
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