Kath Walker, known as Oodgeroo of the Tribe Noonuccal from 1988 onward, was a formative figure in the field of contemporary Australian indigenous literature in English. We Are Going (1964) was the first book of poetry by an indigenous Australian to be published in the country. It was an overnight success and a landmark in giving indigenous people a presence and voice in the fields of both Australian literature and the political activism and reform that characterized the 1960s. The popularity of We Are Going was a clear indication of the importance of print as a medium for facilitating the development of a national or pan-Aboriginal consciousness at this crucial historical juncture.

A charismatic orator, speaker, storyteller, and educator, Walker played a central role in the agitation for reform that led to the groundbreaking 1967 referendum that gave constitutional recognition to Aborigines. Even after she had developed a high profile both...