Eliza and Chief Boni work with Aboriginal poet Wallati

Eliza wins the confidence of Aboriginal Elders, especially Chief Boni (Potembo, Ford p78), and records some verse of the Aboriginal poet Wallati (or Wullati, English spelling “Wollaje”)into English. Collaborative projects between Chief Boni, Wallati, Eliza and others are published or set to music by Isaac Nathan and become valuable works for preserving Indigenous vocabularies and culture. One early poem “The Eagle Chief” records a chant associated with Malivan, the totemic Eagle Hawk venerated by Aboriginal people as an ancestor. Native Poetry comprises three short “nung ngnun” (songs) composed by renowned poet, Wullati.