Aboriginal peoples and birds in Australia : historical and cultural relationships

Australia is home to many distinctive species of birds, and Aboriginal peoples have developed close alliances with them over the millennia of their custodianship of this country. Aboriginal Peoples and Birds in Australia: Historical and Cultural Relationships provides a review of the broad physical, historical and cultural relationships that Aboriginal people have had with the Australian avifauna. This book raises awareness of the alternative bodies of ornithological knowledge that reside outside of Western science. It describes the role of birds as totemic ancestors and spirit beings, and explores Aboriginal bird nomenclature, foraging techniques and the use of avian materials to make food, medicine and artefacts. Through a historical perspective, this book examines the gaps between knowledge systems of Indigenous peoples and Western science, to encourage greater collaboration and acknowledgment in the future. Features: Provides a historical review of the cultural roles of birds and their importance to Aboriginal peoples in Australia. Explores Indigenous knowledge, to inform future research in ornithology, anthropology and ethnoscience. Illustrated with photos taken by the author over 40 years of fieldwork. Cultural Sensitivity Readers are warned that there may be words, descriptions and terms used in this book that are culturally sensitive, and which might not normally be used in certain public or community contexts. While this information may not reflect current understanding, it is provided by the author in a historical context. This publication may also contain quotations, terms and annotations that reflect the historical attitude of the original author or that of the period in which the item was written, and may be considered inappropriate today. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this publication may contain the names and images of people who have passed away. Australia is home to many distinctive species of birds, and Aboriginal peoples have developed close alliances with them over the millennia of their custodianship of this country. Aboriginal Peoples and Birds in Australia: Historical and Cultural Relationships provides a review of the broad physical, historical and cultural relationships that Aboriginal people have had with the Australian avifauna. This book aims to raise awareness of the alternative bodies of ornithological knowledge that reside outside of Western science. It describes the role of birds as totemic ancestors and spirit beings, and explores Aboriginal bird nomenclature, foraging techniques and the use of avian materials to make food, medicine and artefacts. Through a historical perspective, this book examines the gaps between knowledge systems of Indigenous peoples and Western science, to encourage greater collaboration and acknowledgment in the future. Cultural sensitivity Readers are warned that there may be words, descriptions and terms used in this book that are culturally sensitive, and which might not normally be used in certain public or community contexts. While this information may not reflect current understanding, it is provided by the author in a historical context. This publication may also contain quotations, terms and annotations that reflect the historical attitude of the original author or that of the period in which the item was written, and may be considered inappropriate today. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this publication may contain the names and images of people who have passed away Cover 1 Half Title 2 Dedication 3 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Foreword 6 Contents 8 Prologue 10 Acknowledgments 11 Cultural sensitivity warning 12 1: Introduction 14 Ethno-ornithology and environmental knowledge 15 The written sources 17 Book structure 20 2: Birds as ancestors 23 Recording myths 24 Birds in myths 28 Totemic beings 33 3: Birds as creators 43 Wedge-tailed eagle 44 Crow/raven 46 Emu and brolga 49 Bird fishers 53 Capturing fire 55 Birds, minerals and gemstones 58 Celestial beings 60 4: Birds and the spirit world 71 Spirit beings 72 Totemic spirits 88 5: Bird nomenclature 97 Indigenous classifications 98 Some derivations 106 Extending bird names 112 6: Early hunting and gathering 128 What gamebird is that? 128 Foraging 132 Egg and nestling collecting 134 Stalking 138 Swimming 143 Emu drives 145 Hides 146 Lures, calls and decoys 148 Charms and rituals 153 Snares and traps 155 Netting of birds in flight 157 Poisons 158 7: Birds working with people 170 Controlling sea incursions and floods 170 Forecasting weather and seasonal change 172 Bush intelligence 177 Birds as ‘firestick farmers’ 182 Birds who help to collect and find food 184 Amusements 186 Colour plates 194 8: Food and medicine from birds 226 Food preparation 227 Preventative and medicinal treatments 239 9: Material culture 246 Feather objects 247 Sinews, skin and intestines 261 Egg shells, bone, beaks and claws 263 Oil 268 10: Conclusion 276 References 287 Index 330 Australia 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.