‘For two years, Zohl dé Ishtar lived in a one-room tin shed with the elders of Wirrimanu. As their ‘Culture Woman’, Zohl assisted the elders in establishing and coordinating the Kapululangu Women’s Law and Culture Centre.
Holding Yawulyu: White Culture and Black Women’s Law tells the amazing story of Zohl’s journey as she documents White culture’s effects on Indigenous Women’s Law.
Zohil examaines the inter-cultural relationship of White and Indigenous societies through successive waves of missionary, bureaucratic and art industry influence. She conveys the incredible strength of the Kapululangu elders throughout this period, as they strive to pass their Yawalyu (Law) on to younger generations.
Deeply moving, Holding Yawulyu is an historical account of Wirrimanu (Balgo), a profound insight into the pressures White culture exerts on Indigenous Women and their Law. It is a touching personal story of courage and resilience in the face of adversity.
Zohl dé Ishtar presents an insightful analysis of competing interests that make Indigenous and White interactions complex, often painful, and fraught with problems.’
In recognition of her outstanding and varied work, Zohl was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005 as part of the global “1000 Peace Women for the Nobel Peace Prize” project initiated by SwissPeace, the Swiss Peace Foundation, and supported by the Swiss government. Raising awareness of women peace builders around the world covering 150 countries, this ambitious campaign to continues as Peace Women Across the Globe.
Please check out the Kapululangu Women’s Law and Culture Centre, the Kapululangu Culture Camps and Zohl’s facebook page.