Naku Dharuk The Bark Petitions

‘This is officially the first history of the Uluru Statement era: the very messy story of power, subjugation and co-existence told by a brilliant historian. Clare Wright pioneers a way forward for the nation, starting with voice. The genesis of the right to be heard started with a bark petition.’

* Prof. Megan Davis, Scientia Professor & Balnaves Chair in Constitutional Law, UNSW *
‘A masterpiece.’ * Thomas Mayo, co-author of The Voice to Parliament Handbook *
‘A story that cannot be forgotten [by] one of Australia’s most revered historians.’ * National Indigenous Times *
‘A masterful and definitive account of one of the most important political documents in Australian history. Wright brings to life this moving story of unwavering Yolngu resistance and the enduring legacy of their political actions.’ * Larissa Behrendt, Distinguished Professor, UTS *
‘Meticulous, fair, important and powerful.’ * Ted Egan AO *

‘What an important book this is…A delight to read.’

* Henry Reynolds, Australian Historical Studies *
‘Stunningly beautiful…I am in awe of this book. It’s like nothing I’ve ever read.’ * Prof. Frank Bongiorno, author of Dreamers and Schemers: A Political History of Australia *
‘A stunning work of history. Deep and rich, complex and expansive.’ * Prof. Anna Clark, author of Making Australian History *
‘Clare Wright is the most remarkable and striking voice working on recovering the lost and forgotten pages of Australian history. Her work, as accessible as it is scholarly, is of the greatest importance.’ * William Dalrymple *
‘Charged with wit, compassion and integrity…a shimmering force.’ * Prof. Tom Griffiths, author of The Art of Time Travel *
‘Of monumental importance.’ * Age *
‘An impossibly important book.’ * Australian *
‘What distinguishes Wright’s account of the disorder among settler authorities is the length, detail and intimacy of her narration.’ * Conversation *
‘A major contribution…This is Australian political history in its most urgent form.’ * Prof. John Carty, author of Sun and Shadow *
‘Impressively researched…An unforgettable saga of Australian democracy’s engagement with deep Indigenous sovereignty.’ * Age *
‘A minutely rendered account of an undertaking that would, ultimately, upend the political and social assumptions on which Australian society had been based, and a primer on the elegant, pragmatic, complex otherness of Indigenous thought, culture and law…Generous, rigorously argued and artfully curated.’ * Australian *

‘Wright’s masterful work has ensured this remarkable event will forever be understood and properly appreciated.’

* Barrie Cassidy *
‘Get the third in this trilogy. Get all of them…They’re fantastic, they’re gripping, and beautifully presented and written.’ * James Valentine, ABC Radio NSW *
‘The non-fiction book to know about…An essential account of the land rights movement and beyond.’ * Qantas Magazine *
‘Wright is creating an entirely new narrative, a reading of Australian history grounded in her own experience, a story only she is qualified to tell. It is a powerful account, and a weighty one.’ * Inside Story *
‘The most painstaking and beautiful reconstruction of mission life…feels like a revolutionarily good piece of history…exhilarating to read…so gripping.’ * Annabel Crabb *
‘A dazzling conclusion to [the] Democracy Trilogy…Both a triumph of storytelling and a near-unparalleled feat of two-worlds thinking, this book—and the Trilogy—will stand as a milestone in Australian history.’ * Yves Rees, Best Books of 2024, Spectrum *

‘Vivid detail and masterful storytelling.’

* Steph, Better Read Than Dead *
‘A rare example of a finely honed, lived-in history.’ * Mark McKenna, Best Books of 2024, Spectrum *

‘My most important book of 2024 is Clare Wright’s Naku Dharuk…What she has done, weaving forensic historical research with Yolngu knowledge is nothing short of brilliant…Naku Dharuk, with its cultural respect and drive for truth-telling, left me awestruck and sobbing.’

* Bernadette Brennan, Best Books of 2024, Spectrum *
‘A powerful picture of hope in the face of injustice, and of other, deeper ways of going forward. It is inspiring. My complete admiration.’ * Steve Vizard *
‘5 stars. Meticulously researched…Wright’s masterful writing—studious but not overbearing—ensures that this is neither dry nor dusty.’ * Good Reading *
‘A page-turner…I highly recommend this book.’ * Independent Australia *
‘Magnificent…Not only tells a vital tale of Australian democracy but offers so many insights into the world view that creates such great Yolŋu art.’ * Aboriginal Art Directory *
‘Ground-breaking yet surprisingly propulsive…Narrated through the eyes of its many characters, it manages like no other narrative—save perhaps the specialised work of anthropologists—to impart a palpable sense of the intricacy and depth of the relationship between Indigenous identity and the land itself.’ * Sunday Times, South Africa *
‘A living testament to the struggle of the Yolngu people to protect and celebrate their connection to country.’ * Age Book of the Year Judges *
‘Lucid, accessible, and engaging…Wright has written this story with an exciting creativity—and it is a story in the most powerful sense of the word!’ * Australian Book Review *
‘Näku Dhäruk reaches back toward the Yolŋu people with love, respect, admiration, and the gift of truth-telling and recognition… an immensely valuable resource.’ * Sydney Review of Books *

Professor Clare Wright OAM is an award-winning historian, author, broadcaster, podcaster, and public commentator who has worked in politics, academia, and the media. She is currently Professor of History and Professor of Public Engagement at La Trobe University.

Professor Wright is the author of five works of history, including the best-selling The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka (winner of the 2014 Stella Prize) and You Daughters of Freedom. Her latest book, and the final instalment in her Democracy Trilogy, is the highly acclaimed Balan Ku Dhruk, The Bark Petitions. This book won the Australian Political Book of the Year, Queensland Literary Award for Non-Fiction, and NT History Book Award. It was also shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, Victorian Premiers Literary Awards, Age Book of the Year Awards, and ABIA Awards, and was longlisted for a Walkley Award and the NIB Literary Award.

Clare has written and presented history documentaries for ABC TV and is Associate Producer of the feature film One Mind One Heart, written and directed by Larissa Behrendt, which won the NSW Digital History Award. She hosts the ABC Radio National history podcast, Shooting the Past, co-hosts the La Trobe University podcast Archive Fever (with Yves Rees), and is Executive Producer of Hey History!, the first Australian history podcast designed for use in the classroom.

In 2020, Clare was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours list for “services to literature and to historical research”. She is Chair of the National Museum of Australia Council and was a past Board Director of the Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas.