Every Hill Got a Story
From living off the land to negotiating their place in the digital age, Every Hill Got a Story is the first comprehensive history of Central Australia’s Aboriginal people, as told in their own words and their many languages.
Heartbreaking, funny and poignant, 127 eminent men and women remember surviving first contact, massacres and forced removals and resisting more than a century of top-down government policies. Their testimonies, some accessible as audio sound bites, paint a devastatingly honest picture of life and work on the missions, cattle stations and the fringes of towns.
They speak eloquently of their struggle for self-determination and citizen rights such as health, housing, education and freedom from violence. The storytellers also celebrate winning back ownership of more than 410,000 square kilometres of their ancestral lands.
The beautifully presented oral history collecton has many previously unpublished photos and a foreword by Rachel Perkins.
The stoytellers launched their book at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station in September 2015. The launch marked the Central Land Council’s 40th anniversary. It is published by Hardie Grant and available from all good booksellers.
Study Guide
Australian Teachers of Media have developed a great study guide about our oral history collection for secondary and tertiary teachers. It’s free!
Download
Listen to Our Storytellers
Many storytellers have given us permission to publish highlights from the hundreds of original oral history recordings that went into making Every Hill Got A Story. You can also listen to short audio grabs from the book here.
Media Coverage
Articles
Centralian Advocate – Indigenous voices ring out across ancient hills
ABC – David Ross voices concern over Government review of NT’s sacred site laws
Alice Springs News – Story-tellers look back and look forwards
Weekend Australian – “They rolled them in ashes”
Batchelor Institute – Every hill got a story