First Nations writer Elfie Shiosaki's provocative new book explores the profound impact of colonialisation in Western Australia through poems about survival, resilience but most of all, hope.

The Noongar and Yawuru writer has written her second book of poetry, called Refugia, which examines and contests the occupation of Noongar country by British colonialists.

"The book invites the reader to immerse themselves in Noongar world views and it hopes to build a shared understanding of colonisation," she told National Indigenous Times.

"Because colonisation is still living in the southwest regions, and I think what it wants to do is create this new space so that we no longer live in two worlds with two different histories.

"We actually come together and there is a shared understanding of our history and our stories but that is one of the intentions of truth-telling. You can't step into the next stage of reconciliation until you agree on the harm caused in Western Australia because we don't yet agree on the harm caused."

Like with her previous work, Homecoming, Dr Shiosaki delved into colonial archives to tell the compelling story of her ancestor Mattalan, who was born around the time of the Swan River Colony was established in WA in 1829.

Dr Shiosaki also explores the heartbreaking anguish of the removal of Noongar children from her family over four generations.

"Mattalan must've been a formidable woman because she had a large number of children who all went on to become activist for the Noongar people," she said.

"The history of Western Australia is so brutal that there are these parallel histories within them of these great agencies of Noongar people speaking against brutality.

"State Governments around Australia at the time would punish aboriginal people that were involved in political activism often by removing their children. So, they would try to shut down this resistance via this brutal act of taking someone's child from them."

At the heart of Dr Shiosaki's writing is country and her family.

The associate professor at the College of Arts and Social Sciences at the Australian National University said she couldn't imagine writing in a space where family and country didn't exist.

"For me, part of my writing is about my human rights work… I write to inform my community about Indigenous rights, sovereignty, and self-determination," she said.

"First Nations stories have this power to change the way the community thinks of our history and our stories and who we are and where we come from.

"So that's probably why my writing has focused on country and family."

One of Dr Shiosaki's more powerful poems is the one that depicts the erection of the statue of the first governor of the colony of Western Australia, Captain James Stirling.

She said there still needs to be more community education about the historic crimes and genocide committed by Stirling.

"Poetry in particular has this power of having a broader reach and engagement because what it challenges the reader to do, is to feel history," she said.

"I think some of us know our history but don't necessarily feel it… we don't invoke the emotions of what it would be like to have a lived experience of genocide or invasion.

"That feeling of history is what is needed to have a more compassionate relationship between the First Nations community in Western Australia and the broader community.

"If that compassion was there, it would be reflected in our actions and the way we acknowledge our history, particularly the way we choose to acknowledge the bicentennial of our state in 2029."

Ultimately Dr Shiosaki's poems are about hope and forgiveness. She acknowledges the absence of venom in her writing is a positive step forward towards truth-telling and healing.

"It's an important theme (forgiveness) because it acknowledges and confronts the painful past – it acknowledges the was violence and harm," she said.

"But it also acknowledges this other process within the poet who says 'I'm going to release this venom of that history because I don't want to live my life with that venom in my body'.

"And I don't want to pass it on to my children or grandchildren. So, the power of forgiveness which we rarely talk about in human rights, allows you to embrace this possibility of a new beginning."

Refugia is available in all good bookshops and online through Magabala Books.