Description
Book SynopsisAustralia is home to many distinctive species of birds, and Aboriginal peoples have developed close alliances with them over the millennia of their custodianship of the country. This book provides a review of the broad physical, historical and cultural relationships that Aboriginal people have had with the Australian avifauna.
Trade Review"With its exploration of Indigenous knowledge of birds, this book should help inform future research in ornithology, anthropology and ethnoscience, and will be of interest to everyone who has an interest in the Australian landscape, ecology and it’s avian inhabitants." * Wildlife Health Australia *
From the Prologue: "Since the dawn of time our people have had a spiritual, environmental and cultural connection to all birds and their habitats. Whether it be through our Ngartji [ngaitji] system which defines our roles and responsibilities of caring for Country and all in it, our storylines and songlines, as a food source, as a material source or as a transmitter of messages – birds are and have always been a part of our daily rituals and wellbeing. This book encompasses all that is our connection to Country and self." -- Mark Koolmatrie * Ngarrindjeri Elder *
"This is a very welcome publication. Anthropologist Philip Clarke has produced a wide-ranging survey of the historical and cultural relationships between Australia’s aboriginal peoples and its distinctive avifauna." -- Jeremy Mynott * Association of Field Ornithologists BookReview *
