The poem “We are Going” by Kath Walker “depicts the murder of an entire civilization and way of life.” Give your response to this statement .
The poem “We are Going” by Kath Walker “depicts the murder – Kath Walker (later known by her Aboriginal name Oodgeroo Noonuccal) is widely recognized as one of the first Aboriginal poets to bring Indigenous Australian experiences, pain, and resilience into the mainstream of English literature. Her 1964 poem “We Are Going” is both an elegy and a protest — a moving expression of cultural dislocation, identity loss, and the spiritual devastation inflicted upon Aboriginal people through colonization. The poem, through its direct voice and collective tone, indeed “depicts the murder of an entire civilization and way of life.” It portrays not just physical displacement but also the erosion of sacred traditions, language, and belonging that once defined Aboriginal existence.
Context and Background
Written during a period of growing Aboriginal activism in Australia, “We Are Going” captures the historical and emotional aftermath of colonization. The mid-20th century saw Aboriginal people fighting for land rights, recognition, and dignity — all of which had been systematically denied under white Australian governance.
Oodgeroo’s poem was groundbreaking in that it spoke from an Aboriginal collective consciousness, not as an outsider describing Indigenous suffering, but as an insider reclaiming the right to speak, to remember, and to mourn. The poem reflects the deep rupture caused by European settlement — the spiritual “murder” of an ancient, harmonious civilization whose roots extended tens of thousands of years into the land.
Through simple yet powerful language, Walker constructs a collective Aboriginal voice that narrates their loss, grief, and eventual disappearance from their ancestral ground — a metaphorical death of culture and community.
Theme of Cultural Genocide and Dispossession
The poem “We are Going” by Kath Walker “depicts the murder -At the core of “We Are Going” lies the theme of cultural genocide — not the physical annihilation of a people alone, but the destruction of their culture, traditions, and connection to the land. The poem begins with an image of intrusion and misunderstanding:
“They came in to the little town
A semi-naked band subdued and silent.”
This opening evokes both historical displacement and the continuing alienation of Aboriginal people in modern Australia. The words “subdued and silent” convey resignation and loss of vitality — a people stripped of their agency and voice. The “little town” stands as a symbol of European colonization — an artificial construction imposed upon ancient Aboriginal spaces.
The repeated pronoun “They” represents the colonizers who have taken possession not only of land but also of the narrative of history. The Aboriginal people are seen as outsiders in their own home, treated as remnants of a bygone past. Their silence becomes emblematic of the larger historical silencing of Indigenous voices.
As the poem unfolds, the Indigenous identity, once inseparable from the natural environment, becomes dislocated. The poet writes:
“We are the corroboree and the bora ground,
We are the old sacred ceremonies, the laws of the elders.”
This line encapsulates the Aboriginal worldview where identity and land are one — a worldview that contrasts starkly with Western materialism. The use of “We are” repeatedly in the poem reinforces a spiritual unity among people, land, animals, and rituals. Yet, by the end, this unity has been disrupted, replaced by an overwhelming sense of loss:
“We are going.”
This phrase — simple yet devastating — echoes like a death knell, marking the erasure of an entire civilization. It signifies both physical displacement and existential extinction.
The Murder of a Way of Life
The statement that “We Are Going” depicts “the murder of an entire civilization” is profoundly accurate. Walker uses vivid imagery and repetition to describe the gradual killing of Aboriginal traditions, beliefs, and relationships with nature.
The “murder” here is not literal but cultural — a systematic destruction carried out through colonization, forced displacement, religious conversion, and the imposition of Western values. The poem describes a sacred site turned into a tourist spot or rubbish heap:
“The scrubs are gone, the hunting and the laughter.
The eagle is gone, the emu and the kangaroo are gone from this place.”
Each repetition of “gone” reinforces the irreversible loss — not only of the natural environment but of spiritual life. The Aboriginal people’s existence was deeply tied to these animals and landscapes; their disappearance marks a profound severance of cultural continuity.
The tone of the poem alternates between sorrow and quiet anger. The speaker mourns not just for the past but for the present ignorance of white Australians who fail to understand the sacredness of what they have destroyed. The colonizers see the land merely as property; for the Aboriginals, it is identity itself. Thus, the colonizers have not just taken the land — they have killed a world-view, a sacred connection to life and creation.
Collective Voice and Communal Identity
The poem “We are Going” by Kath Walker “depicts the murder -Walker’s choice to write in the first-person plural (“We”) is deliberate and powerful. It transforms the poem from an individual lament into a collective cry of an entire people. The “we” speaks for generations — past, present, and future — merging individual pain into collective memory.
This communal voice underscores the Aboriginal concept of interconnectedness. Unlike Western individualism, Aboriginal identity is communal, rooted in kinship and shared spiritual life. By using “We,” the poet restores the communal voice that colonization tried to erase.
The poem’s rhythmic simplicity and direct diction make it sound like an oral chant — a lament meant to be recited, remembered, and passed down. In doing so, Walker revives an Indigenous oral tradition within the framework of English poetry — itself an act of cultural resistance.
Loss of Land and Spiritual Displacement
Land, in “We Are Going”, is not a mere physical space but the foundation of Aboriginal identity and spirituality. The Aboriginal people do not possess the land — they belong to it. The destruction of land, therefore, equals spiritual death.
When the poet says,
“We are the children of the earth and sky,”
she asserts a cosmology where human life is inseparable from nature. However, colonization replaced this sacred ecology with ownership, fences, and laws — alien constructs that fragmented both the landscape and the Aboriginal sense of self.
By the poem’s conclusion, the speaker’s declaration “We are going” signals an irreversible end. It is both a statement of resignation and a warning — a prophecy of cultural extinction if the injustices of colonialism continue.
Tone, Imagery, and Symbolism
Walker’s tone throughout the poem oscillates between grief and protest. The imagery of death and disappearance — “gone,” “silent,” “bones,” “empty” — creates a mournful rhythm, echoing a funeral chant. Yet, beneath this mourning lies defiance. The poem insists on memory and acknowledgment.
Symbolically, the repeated references to nature — the eagle, emu, and bora ground — represent sacred aspects of Aboriginal life now desecrated. Their absence marks not only environmental destruction but also the collapse of spiritual order.
Even the title, “We Are Going”, functions symbolically: it evokes both physical departure and existential vanishing. The use of the present continuous tense (“are going”) implies an ongoing process — the Aboriginal culture is still being erased, not yet fully gone.
Resistance Through Remembrance
The poem “We are Going” by Kath Walker “depicts the murder -Although the poem mourns loss, it is not without resistance. By writing the poem itself, Walker performs an act of cultural reclamation. She reasserts Aboriginal presence through the very medium — English — that once silenced her people.
The act of naming, remembering, and mourning becomes political. The poem transforms grief into witness. In declaring “We are going,” the speaker refuses to disappear quietly; she forces the reader to confront the moral weight of cultural destruction.
Thus, “We Are Going” stands as both a eulogy and a call to conscience — an insistence that what has been lost must be remembered, and that the murder of culture must not go unacknowledged.
Conclusion
The poem “We are Going” by Kath Walker “depicts the murder -Kath Walker’s “We Are Going” is a powerful poetic expression of cultural annihilation and survival. It depicts, with haunting simplicity, the murder of an entire civilization — not through weapons, but through colonization, erasure, and the denial of Aboriginal humanity. The poem mourns the death of traditions, language, and sacred connection to land, while simultaneously reclaiming the right to voice this loss.
In its closing refrain, “We are going,” lies the ache of departure — yet also the defiant assertion of existence. For even as they “go,” the Aboriginal people, through Walker’s voice, continue to speak, remember, and resist. The poem becomes a living memorial — a song for a people whose way of life may have been wounded but whose spirit endures.
Ultimately, “We Are Going” remains one of the most poignant poetic testaments to the enduring trauma of colonization and the resilience of Indigenous identity. It turns the tragedy of cultural death into a universal plea for recognition, empathy, and justice.
