No Sugar

No Sugar

by

Jack Davis

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Sam Millimurra Character Analysis

A middle-aged Aboriginal man. He is Milly’s husband, and Joe, Cissie, and David’s father. Sam is technically the patriarch of the family, but much of the of the parenting and decision making is done by Milly and Gran. Sam always puts family first, most frequently contributing to his family by catching meat for dinner or else working on nearby farms in exchange for food or supplies. Sam and his brother-in-law Jimmy have a complicated relationship. Sam is more willing to cooperate and comply with the white officials who oversee his life, whereas Jimmy is more rebellious. Still, both men care about the wellbeing of the family and are willing to overlook their differences in the service of their relatives.

Sam Millimurra Quotes in No Sugar

The No Sugar quotes below are all either spoken by Sam Millimurra or refer to Sam Millimurra. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Racism, Discrimination, and Colonial Violence  Theme Icon
).
Act 1, Scene 1 Quotes

JOE: ‘The—blood—was stirred…as if by a trumpet… by the history-ical…Headed by a tab-leau… […] ‘…Commemorating the pioneers whose lives…’ […] ‘…Were a steadfast performance of duty in the face of difficulty and danger. With them was a reminder of the dangers they faced, in the shape of three lorries…carrying Aborigines.

[They all stop what they are doing and listen.]

[…]

JOE: All right! ‘…Dancing…to a brass-band.’

SAM: Koorawoorung! Nyoongahs corrobereein’ to a wetjala’s brass band!
JIMMY: Ah! That beats everythin’: stupid bloody blackfellas…You fellas, you know why them wetjalas marchin’ down the street, eh? I’ll tell youse why. ‘Cause them bastards took our country and them blackfellas dancin’ for ‘em. Bastards!

[…]

JOE: ‘The pag…page…page-ant pre-sented a picture of Western Australia’s pre-sent condition of hopeful optimum-optimis-tic prosperity, and gave some idea of what men mean when they talk about the soul of the nation.’

SAM: Sounds like bullshit to me.

Related Characters: James “Jimmy” Munday (speaker), Sam Millimurra (speaker), Joe Millimurra (speaker)
Page Number: 15-16
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 1, Scene 6 Quotes

CISSIE: [holding her throat] Hurts, Mum, here; hurts when I cough.

MILLY: Well, no school for you today, my girl. [To SAM] You ain’t goin’ post cuttin’ today, and David, you walk to school.

DAVID: Aw, Mum!

MILLY: Don’t, ‘Aw Mum’ me. Joe, you git on that bike and go and ask Uncle Herbie for a lend of his horse and cart. We takin’ her to the doctor straight away.

[JOE takes the bike from DAVID.]

SAM: Aw Mill, can’t you and Mum take her? I only want another hundred posts and I’ll have enough boondah to pay me fine.

Related Characters: Milly Millimurra (speaker), Sam Millimurra (speaker), Cissie Millimurra (speaker), David Millimurra (speaker), Joe Millimurra
Page Number: 37-38
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 2, Scene 6 Quotes

[He picks up inji sticks. The Nyoongahs, SAM, JIMMY and JOE, dance with them. BILLY joins in. They dance with increasing speed and energy, stamping their feet, whirling in front of the fire, their bodies appearing and disappearing as the paint catches the firelight. The dance becomes faster and more frantic until finally SAM lets out a yell and they collapse, dropping back to their positions around the fire. JIMMY coughs and pants painfully.]

[…]

BILLY: This country got plenty good dance, eh?

BLUEY: Wee-ah!

JIMMY: Ah, yuart, not too many left now. Nearly all finish.

BILLY: No, no, no. You song man, you fella dance men. This still your country. [Flinging his arms wide] You, you, you, you listen! Gudeeah make ’em fences, windmill, make ’em road for motor car, big house, cut ’em down trees. Still your country! Not like my country, finish… finish.

[He sits in silence. They watch him intently. JOE puts wood on the fire. He speaks slowly.]

BILLY: Kuliyah. [Miming pulling a trigger, grunting] Gudeeah bin kill ’em. Finish, kill ’em. Big mob, 1926, kill ’em big mob my country.

Related Characters: James “Jimmy” Munday (speaker), Billy Kimberley (speaker), Bluey (speaker), Sam Millimurra, Joe Millimurra
Page Number: 66-67
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 4, Scene 10 Quotes

DAVID: Eh, brother, you want my pocket knife? You might need it.

JOE: No, Brudge, I can use glass if I wanna gut a rabbit.

[SAM hands JOE a home-made knife.]

SAM: Here, son, take this one.

JOE: No, I’ll be all right.

SAM: Take it. I can git another bit of steel and make another one. Here, take it.

[Magpies squawk. GRAN begins to sing. They farewell each member of the family, then walk off into the distance.]

Related Characters: Sam Millimurra (speaker), Joe Millimurra (speaker), David Millimurra (speaker), Gran Munday, Mary Daragurru
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis:
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Sam Millimurra Quotes in No Sugar

The No Sugar quotes below are all either spoken by Sam Millimurra or refer to Sam Millimurra. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Racism, Discrimination, and Colonial Violence  Theme Icon
).
Act 1, Scene 1 Quotes

JOE: ‘The—blood—was stirred…as if by a trumpet… by the history-ical…Headed by a tab-leau… […] ‘…Commemorating the pioneers whose lives…’ […] ‘…Were a steadfast performance of duty in the face of difficulty and danger. With them was a reminder of the dangers they faced, in the shape of three lorries…carrying Aborigines.

[They all stop what they are doing and listen.]

[…]

JOE: All right! ‘…Dancing…to a brass-band.’

SAM: Koorawoorung! Nyoongahs corrobereein’ to a wetjala’s brass band!
JIMMY: Ah! That beats everythin’: stupid bloody blackfellas…You fellas, you know why them wetjalas marchin’ down the street, eh? I’ll tell youse why. ‘Cause them bastards took our country and them blackfellas dancin’ for ‘em. Bastards!

[…]

JOE: ‘The pag…page…page-ant pre-sented a picture of Western Australia’s pre-sent condition of hopeful optimum-optimis-tic prosperity, and gave some idea of what men mean when they talk about the soul of the nation.’

SAM: Sounds like bullshit to me.

Related Characters: James “Jimmy” Munday (speaker), Sam Millimurra (speaker), Joe Millimurra (speaker)
Page Number: 15-16
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 1, Scene 6 Quotes

CISSIE: [holding her throat] Hurts, Mum, here; hurts when I cough.

MILLY: Well, no school for you today, my girl. [To SAM] You ain’t goin’ post cuttin’ today, and David, you walk to school.

DAVID: Aw, Mum!

MILLY: Don’t, ‘Aw Mum’ me. Joe, you git on that bike and go and ask Uncle Herbie for a lend of his horse and cart. We takin’ her to the doctor straight away.

[JOE takes the bike from DAVID.]

SAM: Aw Mill, can’t you and Mum take her? I only want another hundred posts and I’ll have enough boondah to pay me fine.

Related Characters: Milly Millimurra (speaker), Sam Millimurra (speaker), Cissie Millimurra (speaker), David Millimurra (speaker), Joe Millimurra
Page Number: 37-38
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 2, Scene 6 Quotes

[He picks up inji sticks. The Nyoongahs, SAM, JIMMY and JOE, dance with them. BILLY joins in. They dance with increasing speed and energy, stamping their feet, whirling in front of the fire, their bodies appearing and disappearing as the paint catches the firelight. The dance becomes faster and more frantic until finally SAM lets out a yell and they collapse, dropping back to their positions around the fire. JIMMY coughs and pants painfully.]

[…]

BILLY: This country got plenty good dance, eh?

BLUEY: Wee-ah!

JIMMY: Ah, yuart, not too many left now. Nearly all finish.

BILLY: No, no, no. You song man, you fella dance men. This still your country. [Flinging his arms wide] You, you, you, you listen! Gudeeah make ’em fences, windmill, make ’em road for motor car, big house, cut ’em down trees. Still your country! Not like my country, finish… finish.

[He sits in silence. They watch him intently. JOE puts wood on the fire. He speaks slowly.]

BILLY: Kuliyah. [Miming pulling a trigger, grunting] Gudeeah bin kill ’em. Finish, kill ’em. Big mob, 1926, kill ’em big mob my country.

Related Characters: James “Jimmy” Munday (speaker), Billy Kimberley (speaker), Bluey (speaker), Sam Millimurra, Joe Millimurra
Page Number: 66-67
Explanation and Analysis:
Act 4, Scene 10 Quotes

DAVID: Eh, brother, you want my pocket knife? You might need it.

JOE: No, Brudge, I can use glass if I wanna gut a rabbit.

[SAM hands JOE a home-made knife.]

SAM: Here, son, take this one.

JOE: No, I’ll be all right.

SAM: Take it. I can git another bit of steel and make another one. Here, take it.

[Magpies squawk. GRAN begins to sing. They farewell each member of the family, then walk off into the distance.]

Related Characters: Sam Millimurra (speaker), Joe Millimurra (speaker), David Millimurra (speaker), Gran Munday, Mary Daragurru
Page Number: 109
Explanation and Analysis: