“The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal: A Critical Analysis

Introduction: “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal

“The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal first appeared in The Dawn Is at Hand (1966), a landmark poetry collection that cemented her place as a foundational voice in Australian Aboriginal literature. The poem reflects on the enduring presence of Indigenous history and identity, asserting that the past is not a distant or irrelevant time, but something that lives on intimately within Aboriginal people. Noonuccal contrasts the modern comforts of suburbia—“deep chair and electric radiator”—with a vivid dreamscape of ancestral connection: “a thousand camp fires in the forest / Are in my blood.” The poem’s power lies in its blending of personal reflection with collective memory, making it both a deeply individual and politically resonant piece. Its popularity stems from this lyrical assertion of cultural survival and identity in the face of colonial erasure, captured in lines like, “Let no one say the past is dead / The past is all about us and within.” These lines serve not just as poetic statement, but as cultural resistance, reinforcing the continuity of Aboriginal tradition across generations.

Text: “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal

Let no one say the past is dead.
The past is all about us and within.
Haunted by tribal memories, I know
This little now, this accidental present
Is not the all of me, whose long making
Is so much of the past.

Tonight here in suburbia as I sit
In easy chair before electric heater,
Warmed by the red glow, I fall into dream:
I am away
At the camp fire in the bush, among
My own people, sitting on the ground,
No walls around me,
The stars over me,
The tall surrounding trees that stir in the wind
Making their own music,
Soft cries of the night coming to us, there
Where we are one with all old Nature’s lives
Known and unknown,
In scenes where we belong but have now forsaken.
Deep chair and electric radiator
Are but since yesterday,
But a thousand camp fires in the forest
Are in my blood.
Let none tell me the past is wholly gone.
Now is so small a part of time, so small a part
Of all the race years that have moulded me.

Annotations: “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal

Line	Literary Devices	Annotation (Simple English)
Let no one say the past is dead.	Metaphor, Imperative	The poet strongly says the past is still alive and important.
The past is all about us and within.	Repetition, Metaphor	The past surrounds us and lives inside us—part of our identity.
Haunted by tribal memories, I know	Metaphor,	Tribal memories stay with the poet deeply, almost like ghosts.
This little now, this accidental present	Juxtaposition, Diminutive language	The present is small and unplanned compared to the long history behind it.
Is not the all of me, whose long making	Enjambment, Personal tone	The poet’s identity was formed over many years, not just by the present.
Is so much of the past.	Repetition, Reflection	Emphasizes how much of the poet’s being comes from past generations.
Tonight here in suburbia as I sit	Setting, Contrast	The poet is now in a modern place, far from her cultural roots.
In easy chair before electric heater,	Symbolism, Imagery	Modern comfort represents how far she is from her past.
Warmed by the red glow, I fall into dream:	Imagery, Transition	The warmth makes her drift into memories of the past.
I am away	Short sentence, Symbolism	Signals a shift from present to a memory or dream.
At the camp fire in the bush, among	Symbolism, Imagery	Describes a return to traditional Aboriginal life.
My own people, sitting on the ground,	Community, Imagery	Shows belonging and togetherness with her people.
No walls around me,	Symbolism, Contrast	Freedom in nature—opposite of modern enclosed spaces.
The stars over me,	Imagery, Symbolism	Nature is above and around her—peaceful and vast.
The tall surrounding trees that stir in the wind	Personification, Imagery	Trees seem alive, adding to the natural connection.
Making their own music,	Personification, Metaphor	Nature creates its own sounds like music.
Soft cries of the night coming to us, there	Auditory imagery, Personification	Night sounds create a spiritual feeling of belonging.
Where we are one with all old Nature’s lives	Unity, Personification	Describes unity with all living things in nature.
Known and unknown,	Juxtaposition	Both seen and unseen aspects of nature are part of life.
In scenes where we belong but have now forsaken.	Tone of loss, Contrast	Shows sadness about leaving traditional life behind.
Deep chair and electric radiator	Symbolism, Contrast	Modern items represent disconnection from culture.
Are but since yesterday,	Metaphor, Time contrast	Modern life is very new compared to ancient culture.
But a thousand camp fires in the forest	Hyperbole, Symbolism	Represents the deep, rich history in her bloodline.
Are in my blood.	Metaphor, Identity	Culture and ancestry are part of her inner being.
Let none tell me the past is wholly gone.	Repetition, Defiance	She strongly rejects the idea that the past is over.
Now is so small a part of time, so small a part	Repetition, Diminutive language	Emphasizes how short the present is compared to history.
Of all the race years that have moulded me.	Historical reflection, Metaphor	Her identity is shaped by generations of Aboriginal history.

Literary And Poetic Devices: “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal

Device	Example from Poem	Explanation
🔁 Anaphora	“The past is all about us and within… The past is not wholly gone”	Repeating “The…” at the start of lines reinforces its significance, creating a rhythmic insistence on its role in shaping the speaker’s identity.
🌳 Imagery	“The tall surrounding trees that stir in the wind / Making their own music”	Vivid sensory details evoke the ancestral bush setting, appealing to sight and sound to deepen the reader’s connection to the speaker’s heritage.
🌌 Metaphor	“The past is all about us and within”	The past is likened to a living entity that surrounds and inhabits the speaker, emphasizing its pervasive influence on their identity.
🎶 Personification	“The tall surrounding trees that stir in the wind / Making their own music”	Trees are given human-like qualities, creating music, which animates nature and highlights the speaker’s unity with the environment.
⚖️ Contrast	“Deep chair and electric radiator / Are but since yesterday, / But a thousand camp fires in the forest / Are in my blood”	Juxtaposing modern comforts with ancestral campfires highlights the tension between the present and the past, emphasizing the enduring power of heritage.
🔥 Symbolism	“A thousand camp fires in the forest”	Campfires symbolize warmth, community, and ancestral traditions, representing the speaker’s deep cultural roots.
➡️ Enjambment	“Haunted by tribal memories, I know / This little now, this accidental present”	The thought spills over to the next line, mimicking the overflow of memories and emphasizing the fleeting nature of the present compared to the past.
🌀 Assonance	“Warmed by the red glow, I fall into dream”	The repetition of the “o” sound creates a soothing, dreamlike tone, enhancing the speaker’s drift into ancestral memories.
🔗 Consonance	“Let none tell me the past is wholly gone”	The repetition of the “l” sound links key words, reinforcing the speaker’s assertion that the past remains alive.
🔂 Repetition	“The past” (repeated multiple times)	Repeating “the past” underscores its centrality to the poem’s theme, emphasizing its inescapable presence in the speaker’s life.
📜 Allusion	“Tribal memories”	References to Indigenous heritage evoke a collective history, grounding the poem in the cultural identity of Aboriginal people.
↔️ Juxtaposition	“Tonight here in suburbia… / At the camp fire in the bush”	The modern suburban setting is placed alongside the ancestral bush, highlighting the speaker’s dual existence and longing for the past.
😔 Tone	“I am away / At the camp fire in the bush”	The reflective and nostalgic tone conveys longing for the past, creating an emotional connection with the reader and emphasizing cultural loss.
🗣️ Diction	Words like “tribal,” “camp fire,” “bush”	Word choices rooted in Indigenous culture evoke authenticity, contrasting with modern terms like “suburbia” and “radiator” to highlight cultural displacement.
🩺 Synecdoche	“A thousand camp fires in the forest / Are in my blood”	Campfires represent the entirety of ancestral traditions, suggesting that heritage is an intrinsic part of the speaker’s being.
⏸️ Caesura	“This little now, this accidental present”	The comma creates a pause, emphasizing the insignificance of the present compared to the vastness of the past.
📈 Hyperbole	“A thousand camp fires”	Exaggeration emphasizes the immense scope of the speaker’s ancestral history, suggesting a profound and enduring legacy.
🌊 Free Verse	The poem’s lack of consistent meter or rhyme	The unstructured form mirrors the natural flow of memory and the organic connection to the past, free from rigid constraints.
🗣️ Apostrophe	“Let no one say the past is dead”	The speaker addresses an absent audience, passionately asserting the vitality of the past, engaging the reader directly.

Themes: “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal

🌿 1. Connection to Ancestry and Cultural Identity: In “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal, the poet explores a profound connection to her Aboriginal ancestry and cultural heritage. She asserts that identity is deeply rooted in the past, not merely shaped by the present. The opening lines, “Let no one say the past is dead. / The past is all about us and within,” directly challenge any dismissal of Indigenous history, claiming it as a living part of her. This sense of ancestral continuity is further expressed when she says, “A thousand camp fires in the forest / Are in my blood,” symbolizing how culture and memory are inseparable from her being. The poem illustrates that identity for Aboriginal people is collective, spiritual, and built upon thousands of years of lived experience—passed down through land, story, and tradition.

---

🏙️ 2. Disconnection from Nature and Modern Life: In “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal, the contrast between traditional Indigenous life and the modern, urban world is stark and deliberate. The poet describes her current setting in “suburbia” with “easy chair before electric heater,” showing physical comfort but spiritual emptiness. This artificial environment is juxtaposed with the natural world of her dreams, where she is “at the camp fire in the bush, among / My own people.” The presence of “no walls around me” and “the stars over me” evokes freedom and harmony with nature, in contrast to the confined, materialistic world of modern living. Noonuccal suggests that urbanization and Western lifestyles have caused Indigenous people to “forsake” the sacred bond with the land—leading to cultural and spiritual loss.

---

🔥 3. Memory and Dream as Resistance: In “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal, memory and dream serve as powerful tools of resistance against cultural erasure. The poet transitions from her present reality into a vivid dream: “I fall into dream: / I am away / At the camp fire in the bush.” This dream is not escapism, but a reclaiming of what has been lost. Through dream and memory, she revives her ancestors, her traditions, and the unity of her people with nature. These inner visions defy the colonial narrative that Indigenous culture is “dead” or irrelevant. Her strong declaration—“Let none tell me the past is wholly gone”—reaffirms the power of remembering as a form of cultural survival. Through poetic language, Noonuccal resists forgetting and asserts the truth of Indigenous presence across time.

---

⏳ 4. Time and the Continuity of History: In “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal, the concept of time is central to the poem’s message. The poet challenges the dominance of the present moment by describing it as “this little now, this accidental present,” suggesting that it is small and insignificant when compared to the vast expanse of Indigenous history. She writes, “Now is so small a part of time, so small a part / Of all the race years that have moulded me,” portraying history not as a relic, but as an active force in shaping her identity. This cyclical and layered sense of time contrasts sharply with the linear, Eurocentric view that sees history as past and gone. For Noonuccal, time is fluid, and the past lives on through the land, the people, and the stories they carry forward.

Literary Theories and “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal

🌐 Literary Theory	🔍 How it Applies	📝 References from the Poem
🧬 Postcolonial Theory	Examines the impact of colonization and cultural erasure. Noonuccal critiques Western modernity and reclaims Aboriginal identity.	“Let no one say the past is dead” challenges colonial narratives that dismiss Indigenous history. The “electric radiator” vs “camp fire” symbolizes tension between colonized and traditional life.
🌀 Psychoanalytic Theory	Focuses on the subconscious and dream states as expressions of inner self and trauma.	The poet falls “into dream”, revealing repressed cultural memories. The dreamscape—“no walls around me, / the stars over me”—reflects her inner longing for cultural wholeness.
🌱 Eco-Criticism	Explores human relationships with nature and environmental identity. Noonuccal emphasizes spiritual unity with the land.	Nature is personified: “trees that stir in the wind / Making their own music”. The land is not just background—it’s sacred, alive, and integral to identity.
🧑🏾‍🤝‍🧑🏽 Indigenous Literary Theory	Centers Indigenous worldviews, oral traditions, and relationships with ancestry and Country.	The speaker declares: “a thousand camp fires in the forest / Are in my blood”, asserting that Aboriginal cultural memory is alive and embodied. The poem itself functions as oral testimony and resistance.

Critical Questions about “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal

🌌 How does “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal explore the theme of cultural identity through the speaker’s connection to their ancestral heritage?
“The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal delves into cultural identity by portraying the speaker’s deep, living connection to their Indigenous heritage, which persists despite their modern surroundings. The poem opens with the resolute declaration, “Let no one say the past is dead. / The past is all about us and within,” asserting that the speaker’s Aboriginal identity is inseparable from their ancestral roots. Vivid imagery of “the camp fire in the bush” and “tall surrounding trees that stir in the wind” evokes a sensory return to a traditional Indigenous setting, grounding the speaker in their cultural origins. The assertion that “a thousand camp fires in the forest / Are in my blood” emphasizes a visceral, intrinsic link to heritage, contrasting with the transient modernity of “suburbia” and “electric radiator,” dismissed as “but since yesterday.” Noonuccal uses this contrast to underscore the resilience of cultural identity, suggesting that the “tribal memories” shaping the speaker endure despite colonial displacement. The free verse structure mirrors the fluid, unbroken flow of these memories, reinforcing the poem’s portrayal of cultural identity as a dynamic, enduring force.

⚖️ How does “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal use contrast to highlight the tension between modernity and tradition?
“The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal employs contrast to highlight the tension between the speaker’s modern environment and their ancestral traditions, critiquing the alienation of a colonized world. The poem juxtaposes the artificiality of “suburbia,” with its “easy chair” and “electric radiator,” against the vibrant memory of “the camp fire in the bush, among / My own people.” The modern elements, described as “but since yesterday,” feel fleeting compared to the timeless “thousand camp fires in the forest” that reside “in my blood.” This opposition underscores the enduring power of Indigenous traditions over the superficiality of modern comforts. Natural imagery, such as “stars over me” and “tall surrounding trees,” evokes a profound sense of belonging to “old Nature’s lives,” while the suburban setting feels sterile and disconnected. Noonuccal uses this contrast to critique the cultural displacement caused by colonization, affirming the speaker’s rootedness in tradition and their resistance to the erasure of their heritage.

🗣️ How does the use of direct address in “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal contribute to the poem’s emotional and rhetorical impact?
“The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal uses direct address to create a compelling emotional and rhetorical effect, engaging readers and defending the vitality of Indigenous heritage. The poem begins with the commanding apostrophe, “Let no one say the past is dead,” directly challenging those who might dismiss the relevance of ancestral history. This defiance is reinforced in “Let none tell me the past is wholly gone,” where repetition amplifies the speaker’s conviction. By addressing an imagined audience, Noonuccal invites readers to confront their assumptions about Indigenous culture, transforming the poem into a powerful assertion of cultural continuity. The emotional resonance of this direct address is heightened by intimate imagery, such as “sitting on the ground, / No walls around me,” which conveys a lost sense of freedom and connection. This rhetorical strategy blends personal passion with universal appeal, making “The Past” both a personal testament and a broader call to recognize the enduring presence of Indigenous heritage.

🌊 How does the structure of “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal reflect the poem’s themes of memory and time?
“The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal uses a free verse structure to mirror the fluid, timeless nature of memory and the enduring power of ancestral heritage. The poem’s lack of fixed meter or rhyme, seen in the seamless transition from “Haunted by tribal memories, I know / This little now, this accidental present” to the dream of “the camp fire in the bush,” reflects the organic flow of recollection. Enjambment, as in “I am away / At the camp fire in the bush,” allows thoughts to spill across lines, suggesting that the past flows unbound into the present. This structure contrasts the fleeting “now” with the vast “race years that have moulded me,” emphasizing the insignificance of the present against the depth of ancestral time. The open, unstructured form embodies the speaker’s connection to “old Nature’s lives,” free from the constraints of colonial modernity. Noonuccal’s structure thus reinforces the theme that cultural memory is a living, dynamic force, shaping the speaker’s identity across the expanse of time.

Literary Works Similar to “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal

Representative Quotations of “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal

🌟 Quotation	📜 Context	🔍 Theoretical Perspective
🌿 “Let no one say the past is dead.”	The opening line asserts that Indigenous history is alive and must not be dismissed.	Postcolonial Theory – challenges colonial erasure of Aboriginal history.
🧬 “The past is all about us and within.”	Emphasizes how the past is not distant but part of personal and collective identity.	Indigenous Literary Theory – affirms that culture lives within the body and soul.
🔥 “Haunted by tribal memories, I know”	Memories of ancestry and cultural trauma continue to shape the poet’s consciousness.	Psychoanalytic Theory – explores how memory and trauma reside in the subconscious.
🌀 “This little now, this accidental present”	The poet diminishes the present moment compared to the long span of Aboriginal time.	Postcolonial Theory – critiques Western linear time and values ancestral depth.
🌌 “At the camp fire in the bush, among / My own people”	A dream returns the poet to a setting of cultural belonging and unity.	Indigenous Literary Theory – centers communal identity, oral tradition, and land.
🌳 “No walls around me, / The stars over me”	Imagery of freedom in nature contrasts with modern confinement.	Eco-Criticism – celebrates nature as sacred and central to Indigenous worldview.
🎶 “The tall surrounding trees that stir in the wind / Making their own music”	Nature is alive and speaks in its own rhythm and language.	Eco-Criticism – nature is personified and spiritually connected to human life.
🧑🏾‍🤝‍🧑🏽 “Where we are one with all old Nature’s lives”	Expresses unity with all life forms, seen and unseen.	Indigenous Literary Theory – emphasizes deep, holistic connection with the environment.
⏳ “Now is so small a part of time”	Minimizes the present to highlight the magnitude of historical experience.	Postcolonial Theory – critiques modernity’s disregard for Indigenous time and legacy.
🩸 “A thousand camp fires in the forest / Are in my blood.”	Ancestral presence is not past—it’s physically and spiritually embedded in her.	Psychoanalytic Theory – memory is bodily, inherited, and ever-present.

Suggested Readings: “The Past” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal

1. Harris, Michael. “The Aboriginal Voice in Australian Poetry.” Antipodes, vol. 4, no. 1, 1990, pp. 4–8. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41958155. Accessed 17 Aug. 2025.
2. Swan, Quito. “Oodgeroo Noonuccal: Black Women’s Internationalism in Australia.” Pasifika Black: Oceania, Anti-Colonialism, and the African World, vol. 5, NYU Press, 2022, pp. 73–96. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/jj.13944179.7. Accessed 17 Aug. 2025.
3. Shoemaker, Adam. “The Poetry of Politics: Australian Aboriginal Verse.” Black Words White Page: New Edition, ANU Press, 2004, pp. 179–230. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt2jbkhp.13. Accessed 17 Aug. 2025.
4. Furaih, Ameer Chasib. “OODGEROO NOONUCCAL’S INTERDISCIPLINARY POETICS (1920–1993).” Poetry of the Civil Rights Movements in Australia and the United States, 1960s-1980s, Anthem Press, 2024, pp. 63–100. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.18979312.7. Accessed 17 Aug. 2025.