The Queen Gave Us the Land: Aboriginal People's Histories and Memories of Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria is a potent figure in Aboriginal people's histories and memories. The study examines Aboriginal people's interactions with and interpretations of her as a means by which to chart their changing understandings about such matters as sovereignty, the authority and morality of the British Crown, and their relationship to it. By examining both interactions and interpretations, a key aim is to explore and theorise the relationship between historical experience and historical remembrance or storytelling. As such, the study will contribute to knowledge about the ways in which Aboriginal people sought to endure and to make sense of their experiences in imperial and colonial contexts by telling richly symbolic historical stories.