My Survival As An Aboriginal rocked Australia and the world with its presentation of atrocities and hardships committed against Aboriginal people. The movie delves beneath surface appearances to reveal a strong resistance to assimilation and loss of identity, as the late Essie Coffey, a Murrawarri woman, takes us into the Aboriginal struggle for survival. She documents the effect of dispossession, the chronic depression, alcoholism, deaths in custody and poverty that were so much a part of life for Aboriginal people. Essie, also affectionately known as the Bush Queen, was a singer and activist from the far northwest of New South Wales. This film will have interest and relevance for teachers and students at secondary and tertiary levels. Curriculum links include: Indigenous Studies, Australian History, SOSE, Legal Studies, Media Studies and English. Looks in particular at the lives of the Murruwarri people of northwestern New South Wales.