Tuesday, 15 July 2025 Books+Publishing @booksandpublishing
University of Western Australia Publishing (UWAP) has acquired world rights to Stories about Fire, Wind, the Moon and other Dreamings – Warinypa wariny Mangunyjaja muwarr wirlarrapa wangalpa wika by Solomon Cocky, edited by Barbara Hale and Inge Kral.
‘Solomon Cocky recorded more than 200 stories on cassette tapes during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, about the Dreaming, hunting, and everyday life in the desert. The stories were transcribed by the Nyangumarta linguist Monty Hale,’ said the publisher. ‘Fourteen of these stories have been newly translated by Monty’s daughter and Nyangumarta elder Barbara Hale for Stories about Fire, Wind, the Moon and other Dreamings – Warinypa wariny Mangunyjaja muwarr wirlarrapa wangalpa wika.
‘Drawing with felt pens and occasionally with coloured pencils, Solomon’s stories probably come from his Country around Nullagine, his landscapes like the creeks, sand dunes and vegetation.’
Solomon (Ngalyarrkiny) Cocky was born around 1930, in or around the gold mining town of Nullagine and grew up with his father on Noreena Downs Station. As a young man he joined the Pilbara Strike, mining for tin and other minerals around Moolyella, Mount Frisco and Blue Bar in the Pilbara region. By the late 1970s he had become part of the everyday working life of Strelley School, founded by the strikers. As one of the elders he taught the children the skills of surviving in the desert, including making spears and fire, while also illustrating school books in Nyangumarta for the Strelley Literature Production Centre. He passed away in 1993.
UWAP publisher Kate Pickard said, ‘The stories were originally created and published by Solomon Cocky in the 1970s to 1990s through his work with the Literature Production Centre based at the Strelley School in the Pilbara . Barbara Hale and Inge Kral have collected and translated the works from Nyangumarta into English. The work of translation has revealed how fragile this Indigenous Australian language is and how important it is to keep language alive.’
Inge Kral said, ‘It is wonderful that the unique artwork and stories of Solomon Cocky can now reach a wider audience and that children especially can enjoy his traditional tales and his delightful illustrations.’
UWAP plans to publish Stories about Fire, Wind, the Moon and other Dreamings – Warinypa wariny Mangunyjaja muwarr wirlarrapa wangalpa wika on 1 November 2025.
Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions