Notes

Bruce Pascoe, Aboriginal agriculture, technology and ingenuity
1 online resource.
Website catalogued: 5 June 2019.
Summary: In 2014, Bruce Pascoe wrote a book called Dark Emu that challenged the belief that the First Australians were hunter-gatherers. In researching his book, Bruce examined the journals of the early explorers and found evidence of a complex civilisation that was using sophisticated technologies to live, farm and manage the land. Researchers continue to discover new evidence of the earliest human occupation of Australia. A recent scientific study in south-west Victoria suggests Aboriginal Australians may have been living on the continent for 120,000 years. In this digibook, we learn about the history of Aboriginal agriculture and technology and celebrate the ingenuity of the First Australians. We walk with Bruce around his farm as he reflects on Aboriginal people's relationship with plants, animals and technologies. By looking at scientific research, archival footage and the journals of early explorers, we learn about the vast agricultural fields, ingenious aquaculture systems, sophisticated use of fire and successful industries that existed in Australia prior to colonisation. A note for the audience: many primary sources used in this resource have words to describe Indigenous people that many people find offensive but at the time were widely used and, unfortunately, accepted. Words such as "blacks", "Aborigine" and "natives" were commonly used in colonial Australia to describe Indigenous people, but today they are considered outdated and highly offensive by many people.
Audience user level: Years 1-10.