Nargun
Ian Lipke’s “Nargun” tells the story of love and jealousy between members of a tribe of Australian aborigines and their conflict with white settlers and another tribe. While undergoing rigorous training, Nargun begins a romantic relationship with Woreena. Drangan, a tribal member, snatches Woreena away from the tribe. Nargun and his mentor Gomerrigal are directed to hunt him down and kill him. In the ensuing battle only Nargun survives. Soon after, Nargun learns of the spread of white settlement and makes his first contact with white people.
Mary and Emily Jacobsen and their cook, Maisie, live nearby. Mary becomes friends with Nargun and his people. She tries to establish harmony between the two races but the whites are determined to drive the aborigines off their land. Nargun leads the aborigines in a war with the whites. The story plays out on top of Tibrogargan, one of the Glasshouse Mountains in Southern Queensland.
