A network of support: Mothering across the Koorie community in Victoria, Australia

The invasion and subsequent colonisation of Australia took a particularly h eavy toll on Indigenous families, systematically separating children from t heir parents under the guise of welfare and assimilation and destroying int ergenerational links. Sue Atkinson's case study of mothering in the contemp orary Koorie community, however, has show that traditional patterns of mult iple mothering have survived this assault. This article argues for the stre ngth of such patterns, which construct a network of support within the comm unity for children growing up as outsiders in a racist society.