The Last of the Nomads
Described by the Australian Book Review as 'deeply moving', this is the story of Warri and Yatungka, an exiled couple who spent thirty years exiled in the Gibson Desert. Partners for life, Warri and Yatungka were believed to be the last of the Mandildjara tribe of desert nomads to live permanently in the traditional way. Their deaths in the late 1970s marked the end of a tribal lifestyle that stretched back more than 30,000 years. The Last of the Nomads tells the journey of Mudjon, a Mandildjara elder, and anthropologist W.J. Peasley, as together they searched for the exiled couple. This is the extraordinary story of the rescue of Warri and Yatungka, and how they survived for thirty years in the unrelenting Gibson Desert.
W.J. Peasley AM was born in the central west of New South Wales and spent his boyhood on his father's farm. While working as a flying doctor in Western Australia, he developed a strong interest in Indigenous history. He passed away on 2 January 2020.
Author: W J Peasley
Format: Paperback, 176 pages, 130mm x 197mm, 176 g
Published: 2024, Fremantle Press, Australia
Genre: Autobiography: General
Described by the Australian Book Review as 'deeply moving', this is the story of Warri and Yatungka, an exiled couple who spent thirty years exiled in the Gibson Desert. Partners for life, Warri and Yatungka were believed to be the last of the Mandildjara tribe of desert nomads to live permanently in the traditional way. Their deaths in the late 1970s marked the end of a tribal lifestyle that stretched back more than 30,000 years. The Last of the Nomads tells the journey of Mudjon, a Mandildjara elder, and anthropologist W.J. Peasley, as together they searched for the exiled couple. This is the extraordinary story of the rescue of Warri and Yatungka, and how they survived for thirty years in the unrelenting Gibson Desert.
W.J. Peasley AM was born in the central west of New South Wales and spent his boyhood on his father's farm. While working as a flying doctor in Western Australia, he developed a strong interest in Indigenous history. He passed away on 2 January 2020.