Indigenous Australia and the Nation: John Frith’s Cartoon From the Rich Man’s Table Essay 2022

Running head: INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIA AND THE NATION

INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIA AND THE NATION1
INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIA AND THE NATION: JOHN FRITH’S CARTOON
“FROM THE RICH MAN’S TABLE”
Name of the Student:

INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIA AND THE NATION2
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIA AND THE NATION3
As opined by Smallwood1, over the years it had been seen that the artists or the
painters had taken the help of genre of satire for the purpose of shedding light or for that
matter highlighting the most important issues of the day. Biddle and Tess2 are of the
viewpoint that the major focus of these artists or the painters had been to bring about the
much needed change within the societal framework while escaping censorship or for that
matter the ire of the authorities. In this regard, John Frith’s cartoon “From the rich man’s
table” (1966) is an important satirical cartoon which sought to capture the essence of the
protest of the Gurindji people of the Northern Territory of Australia against its national
government for their lands which originally belonged to them and were being taken by the
European settlers3. Frith in a satirical manner highlights the power dynamics or the status quo
which existed between the indigenous people of Australia and the settler community of the
same and also the manner in which the indigenous people of Australia were being deprived of
their basic rights in the nation4. The cartoon through its succinct portrayal of the social
condition of the nation not only made the indigenous people of Australia aware of their
position in the concerned nation but at the same time brought the much needed change within
its societal framework as well.
This paper will undertake a critical analysis of John Frith’s cartoon “From the rich
man’s table” in the light of the political context in which it was created. The essay will firstly
discuss the prevalent condition of the indigenous people in Australia and the manner in which
this backdrop was being used by Frith for the creation of the cartoon. The essay will next
1 Smallwood, Gracelyn. "The social justice foundation of Aboriginal community development." Mia Mia
Aboriginal Community Development: Fostering Cultural Security (2016): 37.
2 Biddle, Jennifer L., and Tess Lea. "Hyperrealism and Other Indigenous Forms of ‘Faking It with the
Truth’." Visual Anthropology Review 34, no. 1 (2018): 5-14.
3 Frith.moadoph.gov.au. "From The Rich Man’S Table — John Frith: The Art Of Politics". 2019.
https://frith.moadoph.gov.au/the-best-of/11-from-the-rich-man-s-table/.
4 McLaren, Annemarie. "A Handful of Sand: The Gurindji Struggle, After the Walk-Off by Charlie Russell
Ward." Native American and Indigenous Studies 4, no. 2 (2017): 115-116.