That Deadman Dance

Kim Scott won the 2011 Miles Franklin Award for his novel - That Deadman Dance - which explores the fascination felt between Noongar and the white men when they first come into contact in the early years of the 19th century. The Miles Franklin is a prestigious annual award with a $50,000 prize.

Kim Scott is an indigenous Australian writer who was born in 1957, to a white mother and an Aboriginal father, a descendant of the Noongar people of West Australian. Scott has written three novels and a children's book, poetry and short stories.

This is his second Miles Franklin win. The second novel he published, Benang, won the Miles Franklin Award in 2000 when he tied with writer Thea Astley.
Benang, which means from the heart, explores the self-identity issues faced by light-skinned Aboriginal people.

"As an Indigenous writer I think there is such enormous potential and promise in front of us... there's a lot happening around the country and there are enormous things to move forward towards," Scott said.

See anther photograph and more of the ABC's post on the 22nd June, 2011.

Above Photo: Wolter Peeters, Sydney Morning Herald.