HOUSE:ED 2012

Stag RESOURCES
es 2
,3&4

Photo: Jon Green

honey
spot

TEAC
HERS

INTRODUCTION
Sydney Opera House acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia and
their continuing connection to land and community. We pay our respect to them and their
cultures, and to the Elders both past and present.
These teachers notes have been designed to assist you with classroom preparation in relation to the
performance of Honey Spot. We hope that this resource will assist your students to further enjoy and
enhance their performing arts experience back in the classroom. The pre- and post-show activities are
designed for students from years 3-8 and some ideas for extending the activities are included.
The activities included in this resource provide opportunities for students to explore the themes of
friendship, racism and Reconciliation. Through exploring the themes presented in the play students
can learn about Aboriginal language, belief systems and culture. The activities featured are designed to
help your students understand the importance of Aboriginal identity, history and culture and affirm
the important place that Reconciliation and a shared history holds in their learning.
NSW Board of Studies Syllabi has been used as guides for the planning of these activities. You should
adapt the activities to suit the student age and stage of your class and the curriculum foci and
outcomes used in your school.
Some websites are suggested throughout this resource. It is recommended that you first visit the sites
and assess the suitability of the content for your particular school environment before setting the
activities based on these.

PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTION AND SYNOPSIS

One of Jack Davis' most celebrated theatrical works, Honey Spot is given new life by the highly
acclaimed Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company.
A young girl makes friends with the new boy at school. Peggy is a budding dancer and daughter of the
local forest ranger. Tim lives in a forestry owned house and dances to the rhythm of his cousin's
didgeridoo. As their friendship grows, Tim agrees to help Peggy create a dance piece for the ballet
scholarship competition - and together, they blend the earthy feel of traditional Noongar dance and the
fluid grace of classical ballet into one.
Honey Spot is a play about friendship and its power to bring worlds and cultures together. First staged
in Western Australia in 1985 during the emerging reconciliation movement, is presents an optimistic,
funny and moving story about the power of friendship to overcome racial differences and prejudices.
With a striking original score performed live on cello and didgeridoo, Honey Spot is an iconic piece of
Indigenous theatre for adults and children alike.

CLASSROOM CONTEXT & CURRICULUM LINKS

This performance provides the classroom teacher with opportunities for learning activities that link to
the following curriculum areas:

STAGE 2 & 3

HSIE, English, Creative Arts Drama, Visual Art, Dance

STAGE 4

English, Drama, History

HONEY SPOT
ENGLISH
RS2.5
Reads independently a wide
range of texts on increasingly
challenging topics and justifies
own interpretation of ideas,
information and events.
TS2.1
Communicates in informal
and formal classroom
activities in school and social
situations for an increasing
range of purposes on a variety
of topics across the
curriculum.

CREATIVE ARTS: DRAMA

INDICATORS

DRAS2.1
Takes on and sustains roles
in a variety of drama forms
to express meaning in a wide
range of imagined situations.

INDICATORS

DRAS2.3
Sequences the action of the
INDICATORS
drama to create meaning for
Justifies a point of view with supporting evidence the audience.
Discusses and reflects upon a variety of
responses and views
DRAS 2.4
Participate in class discussions on a variety of
Responds to, and interprets,
topics
drama experiences and
Engages in improvisation or role-play based on
performances.
texts read, heard or viewed

INDICATORS

Makes inference about ideas implicit in a text

Contributes to a class summary after reading or
viewing
Reacts to texts that express a point of view,
using supportive arguments

HSIE
CUS2.3
Explains how shared customs,
practices, symbols, languages
and traditions in communities
contribute to Australian and
community identities

Interprets a wide range of imagined situations through

the use of a various drama forms
Takes on both individual and group roles

Relates to an audience in performance

INDICATORS
Shares the process of shaping and making their own
drama and the reasons for their choices
Forms and exchanges opinions with others about
drama experiences and performances

CREATIVE ARTS: DANCE

INDICATORS
Identifies the advantages and disadvantages of
living within a community

CREATIVE ARTS: VISUAL ART

VAS2.1
Represents the qualities of
experiences and things that
are interesting or beautiful by
choosing among aspects of
subject matter.

STAGE 2:
OUTCOMES AND INDICATORS

INDICATORS
Focuses on details of subject matter and areas of
beauty, interest, awe, wonder and delight

DAS2.2
Explores, selects and
combines movement using
the elements of dance to
communicate ideas, feelings
or moods.

INDICATORS

DAS2.3
Gives personal opinions
about the use of elements
and meaning in their own
and others dances.

INDICATORS

Mirrors, complements and contrasts shapes

Constructs sequences of movements that combine
shapes
Uses the elements of space and relationships to create
movement sequences
Responds to imagery through movement
Observes and discusses the movements, shapes and
transitions in a movement sequence
Considers and discusses how the processes of group
decision-making have contributed to the construction
of a dance

HONEY SPOT
ENGLISH
TS3.2
Interacts productively
and with autonomy in
pairs and groups of
various sizes and
composition, uses
effective oral
presentation skills and
strategies and listens
attentively.

CREATIVE ARTS: DRAMA

INDICATORS
Use gesture, posture, facial expression, tone of voice,
pace of speaking to engage the interest of an
audience as culturally appropriate
Uses a variety of ways to seek relevant information
Uses group interaction strategies to work
collaboratively
Uses a range of strategies to participate
cooperatively in small-group discussions, e.g. taking
turns, asking questions to gain more information,
adding to the groups idea

CREATIVE ARTS: VISUAL ART

VAS3.3
Acknowledges that
audiences respond in
different ways to
artworks and that there
are different opinions
about the value of
artworks.

STAGE 3:
OUTCOMES AND INDICATORS
DRAS3.3
Devises, acts and
rehearses drama for
performance to an
audience.

INDICATORS

DRAS3.4
Responds critically to a
range of drama works
and performance styles.

INDICATORS

Devises drama in collaboration with others using scripted

and unscripted material as resources for drama
performances
Devises, rehearses and acts in drama using voice and
movement skills to convey meaning to an audience
Forms and communicates opinions about a range of
drama works created by themselves and others
Evaluate drama performances in order to reflect upon and
enhance their own drama work and the work of others

CREATIVE ARTS: DANCE

INDICATORS
Talks about and writes about the meaning of
artworks recognising how artworks, can be valued in
different ways by themselves as audience members,
and by others
Identifies some of the reasons why artworks are
made (e.g. the artists personal interest and
experience, a work commissioned for a site, a work
made to commemorate an event in a community)
recognises that an artist may have a different view
about the meaning of the work he or she has made, to
the view of an audience who responds to it
recognises that views about artworks can change
over time and are affected by different theories and
beliefs

DAS3.2
Explores, selects
organises and refines
movement using the
elements of dance to
communicate intent.

INDICATORS

DAS3.3
Discusses and interprets
the relationship between
content, meaning and
context of their own and
others dances.

INDICATORS

Develops and refines movement sequences that are

influenced by contemporary Aboriginal styles of dance

Associates dance with the values and meaning of

Aboriginal storytelling

HONEY SPOT

STAGE 4:
OUTCOMES AND INDICATORS

ENGLISH
OUTCOME 4
A student uses and
describes language forms
and features, and
structures of texts
appropriate to different
purposes, audiences and
contexts.

INDICATORS
4.6 use Standard Australian English, its variations and
different levels of usage appropriately

OUTCOME 10
A student identifies,
considers and
appreciates cultural
expression in texts.

INDICATORS
10.1 recognise and consider cultural factors, including
cultural background and perspective, when
responding to and composing texts
10.2 identify and explore the ways different cultures,
cultural stories and icons, including Australian
images and significant Australians, including
Aboriginal Australians, are depicted in texts
10.3 identify and describe cultural expressions in texts
10.4 identify and describe the ways assumptions
underlying cultural expressions in texts can lead
to different reading positions

OUTCOME 6
A student draws on
experience, information
and ideas to
imaginatively and
interpretively respond to
and compose texts.

INDICATORS
6.1 compose coherent, imaginative texts that use and
explore students own experiences, thoughts and
feelings and their imaginings
6.2 compose a range of imaginative texts including
narrative, poetry, instructions, scripts, advertisements
and websites
6.3 explore real and imagined (including virtual) worlds
through close and wide engagement with texts
6.4 use the features and structures of imaginative texts to
compose their own texts and engage their audience
6.5 identify the ways characters, situations and concerns in
texts connect to students own experiences, thoughts
and feelings
6.6 use imaginative texts as models to replicate or subvert
into new texts
6.7 use verbal, aural and visual techniques to create
imaginative texts

DRAMA
OUTCOME 4.1.2
Improvises and play
builds through groupdevised processes.

INDICATORS
Use improvisation as a form as well as a key technique to
devise play building
Play build using a variety of stimuli
Link play building scenes

LESSON

TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES

RESOURCES

PRE-SHOW ACTIVITIES
1

ABORIGINAL LANGUAGES
At the time of European colonisation there were hundreds of different traditional Aboriginal languages and several
geographically defined Torres Strait Islander languages spoken in Australia. Historically, clan groups could speak not
only their own language but also the language belonging to their neighbours. This was very important when trade and
travel occurred across traditional language boundaries. Language helps us to understand and identify the many
Indigenous groups in Australia. While some languages are no longer spoken and have been lost, others are still spoken
each day. Even though English is widely used, many groups are still actively researching and reviving their traditional
languages and are teaching them to their younger generations.
In Honey Spot, the Aboriginal characters use many Aboriginal words. At the end of the play, Peggy, too begins to use
Aboriginal words to name things.
Interactive Language Map Activity
Aboriginal peoples have a special relationship with the land and the sea. Honey Spot is set in country WA in the 1980s.
1. Show the students the Interactive Indigenous Language Map located at: www.abc.net.au/indigenous/map/
2. Hover over the map and locate the Aboriginal language groups of the area in which the students live
3. Hover over Western Australia, where Honey Spot is set.
4. Locate the language groups in Western Australia.
5. Ask the students to make a list of these language groups.
6. Complete the Noongar Language Worksheet activity in the resources section.
Tips for Pronouncing Aboriginal Languages

Interactive Whiteboard
and access to the internet
Pencils
Paper
Noongar Language
Worksheet (see
resources section)

Stress for most Australian languages is usually on the first syllable

The letters t, p, & k, sound more like d, b & g
a is as in father
u as in put
i as in hid
ng as in singer
tj has more of a dy sound
ny is as ni in onion
ly as lli in million

EXTENSION ACTIVITY
Discuss the fact that before settlement over 250 Languages were spoken in Australia. Discuss Western Desert
Language family and all of the languages spoken in Western Australia.
Discuss and Share Information
Create a mind map of the Aboriginal languages of Western Australia (see following page)

Website resources:
www.clc.org.au/articles/
info/aboriginallanguages

REGISTER

Western Desert language family

Stretches from WA through northern SA into southern NT. Traditional dialectal regional distinctions are less defined
these days due to people's movement throughout the region, brought about largely by European contact, particularly
through missionary contact, the cattle industry and the building of the railway.
Pitjantjatjara
The main language spoken in the Pitjantjatjara Lands (commonly referred to as the 'Pit Lands') in the north-west of SA
in communities including Ernabella (Pukatja), Fregon, Amata in SA, Wingellina (Irrunytju) in WA and around Docker
River (Kaltukatjara), Mutitjulu and Areyonga (Utju) in NT.
Luritja
Spoken to the east of the Pit Lands (see above) from Oodnadatta in SA (in the past) through Finke (Aputula), Maryvale
(Titjikala), Kings Canyon area, Areyonga (Utju), Jay Creek, Imanpa and Mutijtulu in the NT. It has often been used as the
lingua franca between Western Desert and Arandic and Warlpiri speakers. There are various ideas about the origin of
the term Luritja, one being that it comes from the Arrernte word for non-Arrernte people, Ulerenye. At Hermannsburg
Mission all the Western Desert speaking people were called Lurinya/Luritja and this label remains today (Heffernan and
Heffernan 1999).
Pintupi Luritja
This is the name given to the Western Desert dialect as spoken from around Papunya to the WA border. It exhibits
features of neighbouring languages such as Warlpiri and Arrernte, since once the Pintupi came out of the bush, relatively
recently, they have often lived in close proximity at Hermannsburg Mission and Papunya and Haasts Bluff
ration stations.
Pintupi
Speakers of Pintupi tend to come from across the border in the WA desert region around Kiwirrkura community. People
who identify as Pintupi tend to be from the west, whereas Pintupi Luritja speakers tend to have had more contact with
the mission at Hermannsburg and the ration stations at Papunya and Haasts Bluff.
Kukatja
Speakers can be found around Kintore in the NT through to Kiwirrkura in WA and north as far as the Balgo region. This
label is confusing as it also refers to the original landowners around Haasts Bluff (Heffernan and Heffernan 1999:5), as
well as to dialects that were spoken in SA and QLD.
Ngaatjatjarra
A dialect spoken by only a few families around the WA border communities of Tjukurla, Warakurna, Blackstone
(Papulankutja) and Docker River (Kaltukutjara).
Ngaanyatjarra
The main language of the Ngaanyatjarra Lands communities in WA including Warakurna, Blackstone (Papulankutja),
Jameson (Mantamaru), Wanarn, Warburton (Mirlirrtjarra) and Tjirrkarli. Speakers can also be found as far west
as Kalgoolie.

ABORIGINAL BELEF SYSTEMS TOTEMS

A totem is an object or thing in nature that is adopted as a family or clan emblem. Different clans are assigned different
totems and in some cases individuals are given personal totems at birth. Their totems can identify some Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people, which can be birds, reptiles (like turtles), sharks, crocodiles and fish. They are an
important part of their cultural identity and are especially significant in song, dance and music as names and on
cultural implements. Some clans forbid their individuals from eating the animal that is their totem. All Aboriginal people
have totems, or animals that they care for.
Read
Read script excerpt 1 in the resources section about Bees (Plura) and the Nyoongah way.

Script Excerpt 1 (see

resources section)

Discuss / Brainstorm
Discuss the way that Tim looks after bees in the play.
Ask the students to consider which animal would be their totem and how they would look after that animal.
Ask the students to share their ideas with the group.

White board/blackboard
or butchers paper

Brainstorm a list of native Australian animals and record on white board or butchers paper.
Visual Art Activity
Ask the students to choose their totem and draw it in earth colours browns, yellows, reds, or white
Display the students work and lead a discussion with the students about their work
EXTENSION ACTIVITY: Reading and Discussion
Aboriginal people have a special relationship with the land through their totems.
Ask a student to read out the following excerpt from the play.
Discuss the ways in which the character of William suggests that we stop using and owning the land.
Discuss how this speech represents Aboriginal beliefs and values.
Discuss the differences in how Aboriginal people care for their land as opposed to Rangers, in National Parks around
Australia.
WILLIAM:
Give up using the land the way you white people do. Stop owning it and let it own you. Start with the children. When theyre
born, give them the names of the rocks, the trees, the rivers and the plains. The trees wilyuwa, the wattle- kudden, the red
gum-jarraly, the jarrah. The animals yonga, the kangaroo kumal, the possum tjutidj, the native cat. The birds
kulbardi-the magpie waitj, the emu-gnwirlak, the black cockatoo. Then your children will learn to love and guard their
namesakes for the rest of their lives.
Honey Spot, (1987). Currency Press, Sydney (page 48).

Paper
Art supplies- Charcoal or
Paint, Textas, Pencils etc.

POST-SHOW ACTIVITIES
3

COMPOSING A DANCE
In Honey Spot Tim and Peggy work on a dance where elements of Aboriginal dance and modern dance are incorporated.
At the end of the play, Mother shows the children how to beat the ground on their own footsteps and chant.
This activity is designed to be practised and performed outside. In this activity you will first prepare your students for
dancing work by completing a physical warm-up.
Warm Up
Ask the students to remove their shoes.
Ask the students to stand in a circle, bare foot and close their eyes. Encourage them to listen to the sounds around
them.
Ask the students to share what they heard (birds, cicadas, voices).
Ask the students to walk around the space and become particularly aware of their bare feet on the ground.
Begin to tap the sticks. Vary the tempo and ask the students to move in time with the rhythm of the sticks.
Ask the students to tread lightly and then heavily; slowly and then quickly.
Ask the students to slowly begin to stamp their feet into the earth as they have seen in the performance.
Discussion Circle

Space to move
preferably outside on
the oval, in an
amphitheater or in the
playground
Clapping sticks or 2
pieces of wood to tap
together
A class set of tap sticks
(optional)

Bring the students into a circle and discuss the warm up.
How did the students feel working without their shoes?
How did the students feel stamping the earth?
What was it like to work outside?
Creating a Dance
Give each student a copy of the chant in the resources section.
Ask the students to repeat the chant after you and as a group. Explain the translation.
Ask the students to work in small groups of 4-6 and using the Aboriginal chant, and stamping, work on a group
devised dance. The students may like to include a representation of the bee, or any of the characters or themes in the
play. In the play, the character Tim performs a short emu and goanna dance. Whilst William and Tim dance a
kangaroo hunt. The students may like to incorporate some of the movements that they observed during the
performance and add them to their own dance. If your school has a class set of clapping sticks, the students may like
to use them in their dance.
Share each dance and ask students to reflect on what they see.

Photocopy of the
Aboriginal words of the
chant (see resources
section) for each student

EXTENSION ACTIVITY
In pairs, research Bangarra Dance Theatre through the web.
Watch some excerpts of their dances on You Tube.
Write a paragraph describing one of their dances.

Computers with internet

for students to access
website resources

Report back to the class with a verbal report. Students may like to show some dance excerpts through You Tube.
www.bangarra.com.au/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YLJOyjhBTM
www.youtube.com/watch?v=84pnW-eHBjs
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcrQZEISK8w

THEMES OF RACISM
Honey Spot is a play that explores the themes of racism and prejudice in a small town. It presents ideas about small
town gossip and the dangers of stereotyping, or labeling people and judging them by what other say about them. It
shows how friendships can grow despite the obstacles of bigotry and intolerance.
Discussion
Ask the students if they can write down what racism is.
Share the definitions.
Using an Interactive Whiteboard, access the Racism No Way web site: www.racismnoway.com.au
Click on Teaching Resources and then Anti Racism Activities Year 4-12 and then click on Comics.
Choose several of the comics from the Fair Game examples (Fair Game from Reconciliation courtesy of Streetwise
comics 2000) and read through the comic.
Discuss the themes explored by the comics and ask the students to share their opinions about the themes and
images presented.

Pens and paper

Interactive Whiteboard
with internet access
White board/black
board/butchers paper

Ask the students to break up into pairs and spend five minutes sharing examples of racism that they may have
experienced or seen.
Share examples as a large group.
Honey Spot Shared Reading
As a class, read through script excerpt 2 from the play, in the resources section.
Brainstorm and record the themes explored in the conversation between Peggy and her father (Ranger).

Student copies of the

Script Excerpt 2 (see
resources section)

EXTENSION ACTIVITY
Ask students to break up into pairs and work on an improvisation, or imagined piece based on the excerpt.
The students may like to change the setting, the names and gender of the characters. They may like to set it in their
school, their hometown, on a sports field or at the local swimming pool. The improvisation needs to show a
conversation between two people showing that one person is racist.
Ask the pairs to perform their improvisations to the larger group.
Discuss the performances.

RECONCILIATION ACTIVITY
First staged in Western Australia in 1985, Honey Spot was written during the emerging Reconciliation movement and
Reconciliation is an important theme in the play.
Reconciliation Fact Sharing
Download a copy of Five Fast Facts Reconciliation and National Reconciliation Week:
www.reconciliation.org.au/getfile?id=1092&file=5+Fast+Facts+-+Reconciliation+and+NRW+25052010.pdf
Share the information with the students through student copies or Interactive Whiteboard.
Discuss the Bridge Walk of 2000. See here for more information:
www.reconciliation.org.au/home/resources/factsheets/q-a-factsheets/bridge-walk-anniversary
Reconciliation Bridge Walk Interview
On May 28, 2000 more than 300,000 people walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in support of Indigenous
Australians and reconciliation. This improvised interview is set on this historic day.
In preparation for this activity students may access facts about the walk from Reconciliation Australias web site:
www.reconciliation.org.au/home/resources/factsheets/q-a-factsheets/bridge-walk-anniversary
Ask the students to group themselves into groups of four.
Ask the students in each group to select one character from the following list:
- a Reporter
- an Aboriginal Elder
- a non-Aboriginal supporter of the Reconciliation movement
- a non-Aboriginal politician who opposed the Bridge Walk
Ask the students to build a scene around the reporter interviewing the three characters
Ask the students to rehearse their work.
Ask the students to present their interviews to the larger class.
Build a scene where a reporter interviews:
- an Aboriginal Elder about her/his experiences of the day
- a non-Aboriginal person who participated in the day and a politician who did not support the walk

Web site Resources:

www.reconciliation.org.a
u/
www.reconciliation.org.a
u/nrw2012/

EXTENSION ACTIVITY: Designing a Poster

Each year, National Reconciliation Week has a different theme. Some past themes have been Communities working
Together (1998), Walking Together (1999), Sharing our future: The next steps (2000), Reconciliation: Keeping the Flame
Alive (2001), and Reconciliation: Its Not Hard to Understand (2003). The theme for 2012 is Lets talks recognition!. with
a focus on how Australians can better recognise each other, and recognise the contributions, cultures and histories of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Individually, in pairs or groups of three, design a Poster Advertising National Reconciliation Week 2013.
Students must create a theme for the week and this theme must be featured on the poster.
The 2012 poster can be accessed through: www.reconciliation.org.au/nrw2012/

TEACHERS OVERVIEW AND UNIT EVALUATION

Large paper, textas,

pencils and paints.

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES

Other plays by Jack Davis
Kullark (1972)
The Dreamers (1982)
No Sugar (1985)
Moorli and the Leprechaun (1986)
Burungin (1988)
Plays from Black Australia (1989)
In Our Town (1990)
Further readings
Contemporary Indigenous Plays by:
- Vivienne Cleven
- Wesley Enoch
- David Milroy & Geoffrey Narkle
- Jane Harrison
- David Milroy
Honey Spot Reviews (2010)
http://au.news.yahoo.com/entertainment/a/-/entertainment/7431268/theatre-review-honey-spot/
http://poetsvegananarchistpacifist.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/review-of-honey-spot.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM_BNowF1Lo
Advice for working with Aboriginal Peoples
Working with Aboriginal People and Communities is an excellent document containing advice for
working with more traditional Aboriginal people. It can be downloaded at:
www.community.nsw.gov.au/docswr/_assets/main/documents/working_with_aboriginal.pdf
Advice about Improving Outcomes for Aboriginal Students
What Works, The Work Program

www.whatworks.edu.au

Information about Racism

www.racismnoway.com.au

Information about Reconciliation

www.reconciliation.org.au

Helpful information about the culture and histories of our Aboriginal Peoples
www.humanrights.gov.au/racial_discrimination/face_facts/

STUDENT WORKSHEET

NOONGAR LANGUAGE
Honey Spot is set in a National Park near a country town in Western Australia.
The Aboriginal language used in the play, usually called Noongar, literally
means man but has become a general term for Aboriginality in the South
West of Western Australia.
Through the Aboriginal words that the characters use in the play, the
audience gains information about the birds, animals and trees in the area. In
the play language is an important part of the way that we learn about the
setting. Over 70 different Noongar word are featured in Honey Spot and on
the next page is a table, which shows some of them.
ACTIVITY ONE: Speaking Language
As a group, say the Aboriginal words in the table. (Tips for pronunciation are
featured below)
ACTIVITY TWO: Cut, Paste & Draw
Choose 5 of the Noongar words shown in the table.
Cut them out and paste them onto a large sheet of paper
Draw an image next to the Aboriginal word to show what it means.
Display your work in the classroom.
Tips for Pronouncing Aboriginal Languages

Stress for most Australian languages is usually on the first syllable

The letters t, p, & k, sound more like d, b & g
a is as in father
u as in put
i as in hid
ng as in singer
tj has more of a dy sound
ny is as ni in onion
ly as lli in million

For more information on Aboriginal Languages, visit the Central Land Council website:
www.clc.org.au/articles/info/aboriginal-languages

STUDENT WORKSHEET

NOONGAR WORD TABLE

Noongar

English

Yonga

Animals

Jarraly

Red Gum

Kudden

Wattle

Wilyuwa

Trees

Yorga

Girl

Gnwirlak

The black cockatoo

Bungarra

Goanna

Waitj

Emu

Moorditj

Good

Wadjella

White fellas

Kumal

Possum

Plura

Bee

Waitj

Magpie

Tjutidj

Native Cat

HONEY SPOT: SCRIPT EXCERPT 1

TIM

They dont sting me

PEGGY

Step on it!

TIM

No, theyre my brothers. (He cradles the bee in his cupped hands,
then releases it into the air)

PEGGY

Who?

TIM

The bees. Theyre my totem.

PEGGY

Your totem?

TIM

When I was born, a bee came and dropped some honey in my

hair. Now I am brother to the plura.

PEGGY

Whats the plura?

TIM

The bees. Thats our law, Nyoongah way.

Honey Spot, (1987). Currency Press, Sydney (page 5).

HONEY SPOT: SCRIPT EXCERPT 2

PEGGY

Daddy

RANGER

Yes?

PEGGY

Are you racist?

RANGER

Am I what?

PEGGY

Are you a racist?

RANGER

Good Lord, whatever made you think of a thing like that?

PEGGY

Well, you dont seem to like some people.

RANGER

Go on.

PEGGY

You dont seem to like Aborigines

RANGER

Some of them are all right, I suppose. Its just some of them cant be trusted.

PEGGY

Do you know any?

RANGER

Not personally. Now look, I know what youre getting at and its got nothing
to do with it. If anyone, black or white, is damaging the forest its my job to

PEGGY

If you dont know any Aborigines how do you know they cant be trusted?

RANGER

Because everybody says so.

PEGGY

White people say so?

RANGER

Yes, now listen young lady, Im not going to talk about this any longer. All this talk
about racism and me not liking people- its ridiculousstupid.just plain dumb.

PEGGY

Im glad you think its dumb.

RANGER

Why?

PEGGY

Because my friend is coming over here to help me with my dance.

RANGER

Oh, I dont know about that, love.

PEGGY

And his mum and his cousin, cause they can play Aboriginal music.

RANGER

Coming here? The whole flaming tribe?

PEGGY

Daddy!

RANGER

Now look, Peggy, you really shouldn get too friendly with these people.

PEGGY

Why not?

RANGER

Well, its not their faultweve done some bad things to them in the past.

PEGGY

Yes?

RANGER

Well, some things just dont mix. Theyre not like us. They have different
habits, they live differentlyand Im sure they wouldnt feel comfortable
coming to this house.

PEGGY

How do you know? You dont know any Aborigines.

Honey Spot, (1987). Currency Press, Sydney (p. 25-26)

HONEY SPOT: CHANT

CHANT
Gnuny nooning tijinna barminy
Tjinna barminy tjinna barminy
Noonuk warrah yorga warra nop
Gnuny nooning tjinna barminy
Tjinna barminy tjinna barminy
Noonuk warrah yorga warra nop
Gnuny nooning tjinna barminy
Tjinna nooning tjinna barminy
Tjinna barminy tjinna barminy
Cooooooo
Translation
I will beat your footsteps
Beat your footsteps beat your footsteps
You are a bad girl and a bad boy
I will beat your footsteps
Beat your footsteps beat your footsteps
You are a bad girl and a bad boy
I will beat your footsteps beat your foot steps
Beat your footsteps beat your foot steps
Woe
Honey Spot, (1987). Currency Press, Sydney (page 56).