Abstract

Little has been written about the history of Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia, during World War II. Written evidence derives primarily from mission, police, and military records. The most prolific written material comes from the anthropologist Dr. Donald Thomson, who led a Yolngu guerilla and scouting unit in 1942-3. Thomson presents the Yolngu participation as indispensable and his own leadership as critical in fomenting Yolngu support against Japan. But oral testimonies from Yolngu Elders present alternative accounts. Yolngu acted with their own agency to defend their own homelands, and these efforts proved critical in the defense of northern Australia. This article examines how Yolngu oral testimonies of the war contest white knowledge and bring new histories to the foray.

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