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evabails's review against another edition
4.0
A very important read. Agree with the sentiment that every Australian should read this.
imoganthebogan's review
challenging
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.5
I am so happy I finally took the time to sit with this book because it’s message is so important. The central thesis was that the application of the hunter gatherer tag was weaponised by colonisers to describe pre-colonial Aboriginal society in order to validate the dispossession of their land.
Firstly, I thought the book was written clearly and concisely and I seldom found myself confused despite the use of academic sources and heap of information explored. I also loved the act of deconstructing the colonisers journals throughout the text, it was reminiscent of my high school extension history class and I really enjoyed taking a closer look at the language they used to describe a pre-colonial Australia.
Despite not being a huge lover of non-fiction I found myself interested and engaged with Pascoe’s work. It explored the fragile Australian ecosystem which was brilliantly explained by the simple comparison of sheep and kangaroos which highlighted the instantaneous and lasting damage that foreign species can inflict on a new environment. The use of fire as not only a land management technique to reduce deadly fires but also to increase the production of vegetation was something I had not come across before. Lastly, I thought the book succinctly argued how the application of indigenous knowledge would be advantageous to both our economy and our environment.
There are a few things that stopped this from being a 5 star book for me. Whilst the language used by Pascoe was concise, I sometimes found the structure of his chapters to be somewhat meandering and repetitive which meant the book didn’t always flow. I also acknowledge that the use of some sources are not academically validated however, this small number of questionable references does not discredit the key message of this book.
Ultimately, a lot of the controversy for this book surrounds the often blurry line between strict hunter/gatherer societies and more sedentary ones. I don’t believe this book is trying to discredit the usefulness of hunter/gatherer societies but instead highlights that westernised concepts of progress and success cannot be applied to judge the legitimacy indigenous societies. I think this book excels in starting important, and often neglected, conversations around pre-colonial Aboriginal culture and highlights the ingenious ways their indigenous wisdom was used to cultivate and thrive in the Australian environment.
Firstly, I thought the book was written clearly and concisely and I seldom found myself confused despite the use of academic sources and heap of information explored. I also loved the act of deconstructing the colonisers journals throughout the text, it was reminiscent of my high school extension history class and I really enjoyed taking a closer look at the language they used to describe a pre-colonial Australia.
Despite not being a huge lover of non-fiction I found myself interested and engaged with Pascoe’s work. It explored the fragile Australian ecosystem which was brilliantly explained by the simple comparison of sheep and kangaroos which highlighted the instantaneous and lasting damage that foreign species can inflict on a new environment. The use of fire as not only a land management technique to reduce deadly fires but also to increase the production of vegetation was something I had not come across before. Lastly, I thought the book succinctly argued how the application of indigenous knowledge would be advantageous to both our economy and our environment.
There are a few things that stopped this from being a 5 star book for me. Whilst the language used by Pascoe was concise, I sometimes found the structure of his chapters to be somewhat meandering and repetitive which meant the book didn’t always flow. I also acknowledge that the use of some sources are not academically validated however, this small number of questionable references does not discredit the key message of this book.
Ultimately, a lot of the controversy for this book surrounds the often blurry line between strict hunter/gatherer societies and more sedentary ones. I don’t believe this book is trying to discredit the usefulness of hunter/gatherer societies but instead highlights that westernised concepts of progress and success cannot be applied to judge the legitimacy indigenous societies. I think this book excels in starting important, and often neglected, conversations around pre-colonial Aboriginal culture and highlights the ingenious ways their indigenous wisdom was used to cultivate and thrive in the Australian environment.
wanderinggoy's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book after laying aside Bill Gammage’s ‘The Biggest Estate On Earth’, as the latter was too detailed for me to keep on reading. It’s just what I was hoping for: over the course of a weekend, I’ve learned a lot about Aboriginal (agri)culture. The author is not a scholar, however. Some of the scientific plant names are incorrect, and I don’t know how reputable some of his sources are. His reference to Gavin Menzies, for instance, made me raise several eyebrows (I have more than one). Recommended? Yes, but proceed with caution.