Teaching notes for Rainbow's End by Jane Harrison from VATE

2023 INSIDE STORIES

IS
2023
INSIDE
STORIES
Rainbow's End
by Jane Harrison
Teaching notes prepared
by Ernest Price
IMMER & ABERANT
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ERMER # WEBALE
VICTORIAN ASSOCIATION FOR
THE TEACHING OF ENGLISHcc
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Cover image: Viveka de Costa (with minor manipulation).
Original image sourced via Creative Commons.IS
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2023 INSIDE STORIES

Rainbow's End by Jane Harrison

Teaching Notes by Ernest Price

IS
2023
INSIDE
STORIES
Rainbow's End
by Jane Harrison
Teaching notes prepared by Ernest Price
Edited by Faye Crossman
C VATE 2022
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2023 INSIDE STORIES

Introduction to Rainbow's End

Jane Harrison's Rainbow's End is a reverent depiction
of the way that women have held together First
Nations communities that have been traumatised
by the racist policies of successive Australian
governments. The play examines, and celebrates, the
everyday battles waged by women tasked with raising
families and protecting children, all while under the
relentless pressure of organisations and policies
intended to diminish the power of their community.
The play was originally commissioned by Ilbijerri
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Co-operative,
who asked Harrison to commemorate Koorie
heroes from the 1950s. She responded to this brief
by shining a spotlight on the contributions of three
generations of fierce women, the kind of heroes
often ignored by history books that focus on the acts
of great men. The play has its own great man, Papa
Dear, whose role in his community is unquestionable,
but Harrison shows the cost of his activism. In his
absence, his wife Nan and daughter Gladys must fight
racism every day, work low-paying jobs and always
tirelessly strive to protect Dolly from the authorities.
The play is set against the backdrop of the
tumultuous 1950s. The community is captivated
by the Royal Tour, an event that Harrison utilises
to underscore the blatant hypocrisy of a country
whose original inhabitants have not yet been
afforded the courtesy of citizenship. Gladys lost
her husband at war, fighting for a country that did
not even recognise his humanity. The play, by its
very focus on the lives of women, also highlights
the shifting gender dynamics of a society finally
starting to question conservative notions of what
constitutes 'men's business' and 'women's business'.
Harrison's play is a celebration of knowledge and
the myriad ways of knowing. Gladys is driven by
the desire for her daughter to have doors open for
her; she sees education as a crucial element to her
advancement. Gladys works to overcome her own
illiteracy, a product of her own removal from her
home. By the end of the play, Gladys realises that as
important as a formal education may be, there is also an
importance in society reevaluating its understanding
of knowledge, in order to more fully recognise
the contribution of First Nations communities.
Rainbow's End is also a celebration of love. The
three women are tightly connected, bound by
their love for each other and their love for their
community. Dolly and Errol overcome the barriers
of race and racism to find a future together, signalling
the capacity for individuals to change, and to find a way
to reshape their world views.

Ways into the Text

In preparing for the activities presented below, it
is important that both teachers and students take
some time initially to understand the nuances of their
own relationship to the issues facing First Nations
communities. Whilst Rainbow's End was explicitly
designed to explore historical events, it is being read
and studied within a contemporary context. Therefore,
to do justice to Harrison's play, classes should expect
to undertake a journey (at least in part) towards a
better understanding of the history revealed, and
the issues faced by the characters in this text.
Prior to commencing study of the play, articulate
your own relationship to the work as the key
educator, and encourage students to explicitly
articulate theirs. For example, I am preparing these
notes as a white person who is a descendant of a
settler community which has benefitted (knowingly
or unknowingly) from the injustices perpetrated
against First Nations people and communities. I
currently work on the lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung
people, and continue to develop my understanding
of the ways that I need to work to ensure justice for
present and future First Nations communities.

Suggested Classroom Activities

Vocabulary Exploration

• Unpack the vocabulary that students will need to
  read, understand and discuss this text. Identify
  the vocabulary that Harrison draws on to set the
  context for this play. With students, reflect on
  the nature of the dominant words and phrases
  that were commonly used at the time, words that
  most Australians used without consideration for
  their inherent racism and sexism. Discuss with
  students the vocabulary that is now considered
  more appropriate in our contemporary context, for
  discussing the play's key issues and themes. Help
  students to comprehend that 'Language' as a term
  itself has a particular meaning for First Nations
  peoples, one which is inextricably linked to culture
  and identity. Discuss with students that language
  is never neutral, and reinforce the importance of
  language in building cultural understanding. Some
  terms that are crucial to explore at the start of
  your text discussion include: Country, Aboriginal,
  First Nations, Koorie, Settler and Colonisation.
  Vocabulary such as 'structural racism' should be
  included to assist students in being able to appraise
  the broader implications of laws and values that
  adversely affected First Nations people in this text
  such as the Dear family and their community.

Land, Culture, and Identity

• Research and discuss the concept and role of
  Country in First Nations communities. Consider
  the way that the Australian Institute of Aboriginal
  and Torres Strait Islander Studies defines Country
  (see References). Invite students to reflect on
  the relationship that they may have to the land
  on which they are living and learning. Have
  students research the history of this land, and its
  Traditional Owners. Extend the investigation to
  consider the other lands on which students have
  lived. Discuss how their relationship to the land
  is influenced by their own cultural background.

History and Contemporary Issues

• Invite students to investigate the historical
  significance of The Flats to First Nations
  communities. This will necessitate an understanding
  of both the role that Missions played in the
  government's policies about First Nations
  communities, as well as the importance of the
  Walk Off from Cummeragunja Mission Station
  in the history of First Nations' resistance to
  racist government policies (see References).
• Students should also research the ongoing
  importance of the area surrounding Shepparton
  in Yorta Yorta culture. Areas of investigation
  could include: the role and function of the
  Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation; the
  nature of the Land Rights' claim held over the
  region; and programs that are in place to ensure
  the maintenance of language and culture.
• Ask students to research, and then reflect upon,
  the significance of the movements for the rights of
  First Nations people in the 1950s. What evidence
  can students find of attitudes held by the ruling
  government and wider community towards First
  Nations people in the 1950s? What was the state
  of the campaign for citizenship? What laws and
  social values shaped the everyday lives of First
  Nations people during the 1950s (see References)?
• What were some of the issues facing
  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who
  had participated in the war effort?
• Encourage research into some of the core issues
  associated with housing and land for First
  Nations people in the 1950s. Students should
  consider the evolution of the 'humpy', the role of
  Missions, and the politics of self-determination.
  Drawing on relevant conversations and events
  in the text, students could discuss the competing
  impulses at play for First Nations communities,
  including: the importance of the relationship
  with Country; the need for safe and secure
  housing; the demands of the environment; and
  the evolving needs of communities.
• Ask students to investigate the Queen's visit to
  Australia in 1954. They should consider the timing,
  scale and itinerary of the trip. Students could
  try to locate evidence such as old news reports,
  women's magazine feature articles and photographic
  archives to help build their understanding of
  the significance of this visit by the (then young)
  Queen to different groups in Australia. Discuss the
  significance of this trip for Australia as a British
  colony, and for First Nations people in particular.
  It is important to remember that terms such as
  'First Nations' were not employed in normal
  discourse in the 1950s. Ask students to locate
  evidence of the attitudes held by white Australians
  towards First Nations people in that era.
• Before embarking on a close study of the text, invite
  students to predict the way that the characters in
  the play, especially the First Nations characters,
  will perceive and engage with the Queen's visit.

Author's Note and Additional Resources

• Read Jane Harrison's 'Author's Note' (p. 121). What
  was the commissioning brief for Rainbow's End?
  How did Harrison interrupt this brief? How might
  this have shaped the play? What is the relationship
  between historical facts and the play itself? What
  does Harrison mean by the 'emotional truth' (p.
  121)? In what ways does Harrison's approach disrupt
  settler understandings of First Nations history?
• Research the Ilbijerri Aboriginal and Torres
  Strait Islander Co-operative and the Ilbijerri
  Theatre Company. What is their mission?
  How might this differ from the mission of
  predominantly white theatre companies?
• Consider the supplementary resources offered by
  National Indigenous Television, which may augment
  students' understanding of the play's historical
  context or its themes. One such documentary that
  may be useful could include Servant or Slave, which
  looks at the domestic labour required of many
  First Nations women. This may give students an
  insight into the experiences alluded to in the play.
• Read Larissa Behrendt's Introduction to the
  collection of plays (p. vii). How does she situate
  Rainbow's End within the context of Indigenous
  performance culture? What does this reveal about
  the purpose and context of Harrison's play?