Aboriginal Australians: First Nations of an Ancient Continent

by Stephen Muecke, Adam Shoemaker

Ths concise, pocket guide to the social and cultural history of Aboriginal Australia is now available in English. Tracing the origins of these people through to the present day, the authors explore their social structure, spiritual beliefs, the aborigines' relationship with the land and animal world, and their art and literature, which has recently enjoyed a major revival and is now used to represent Australian heritage. The years of colonialism and the impact this has had on the indigenous population is obviously covered as is a discussion of how they managed to survive and maintain their identity.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Australia

127 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2004

About the author

Stephen Muecke is Jury Chair of English language and literature in the School of Humanities at the University of Adelaide, South Australia, and is a fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. He is a writer specialising in cross-generic work, cultural theory and Indigenous studies. His publications include The Mother’s Day Protest and Other Fictocritical Essays (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016). He has recently translated two books, Another Science is Possible (John Wiley) by Isabelle Stengers, and Doctors and Healers (Wiley) by Isabelle Stengers and Tobie Nathan, both published in 2018.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting introduction to the history and society of Aboriginal Australia

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive and well illustrated. Great book to get your feet wet with many resources cited for further investigation. Although very factual and far from taking a stance of victimization, it is quite depressing to learn even more of the details of the rejection and cruel oppression of the Aboriginal culture since encountering the white man. Awareness is the first step towards making better choices in the future. Glad to see so much art by Aboriginal artists, quotes from Aboriginal people who are involved in various aspects of modern life without losing their Aboriginal roots but seeking to better define them to themselves and to members of the surrounding culture who live with/among them.

[Duzzlebrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing my fascination with all things Australian...

This well-illustrated little book gives an introduction to Aboriginal beliefs,
Aboriginal art, the history of Aboriginal interactions with the settlers of Australia, and ends on a where-to-from-here? high note. The writing is brief and concise without being condescending. The end papers, as with all the books in this series, gives a selection of primary source material for additional reading.

[Ana-Maria Bujor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've heard more about the plight of the Aboriginal people when taking a course about Australia's participation in WW1. Aboriginal soldiers were many times treated badly and their families did not receive the compensations considered normal for other families. This book expanded my knowledge regarding the Aboriginal history, myths and resurgence. It is a nice, colorful introduction and it definitely made me more curios.

[Harry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arguably ‘outs’ Australia as the most racist country in the world simply because most Ozzies don’t care that they stole the country from the oldest continuous indigenous peoples. What’s worse, they celebrate it every year on 26 January - the date we British moved in and began the longest illegal occupation in history. Aboriginals see that date as ‘Invasion Day’ or Mourning Day - you can’t argue with it - their land was stolen, their culture is undermined and they are treated badly in terms of health, housing, work and opprtunity. I’m so ashamed of what my ancestors have done to them.

[Hara Gavrielatou · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was not bad but I wanted to learn more about everyday life of aborigine people before the British came to Australia. There were some information but not much.

[Anne Mey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un bon résumé historique sur les aborigènes d'Australie avec pas mal d'illustrations et d'extraits de textes. Une bonne introduction à ce peuple envahit par les colons, qui possède une culture très intéressante en lien très fort avec la nature. Grâce aux peintures qu'ils vendent désormais ils peuvent perpétuer leurs traditions et imposer leur culture en Australie et auprès du monde entier.

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful text on the Aboriginal Peoples of Australia. Read for an assignment but still very fascinating and a text I will keep on my shelf.