Author: Claire Smith | Publisher: Wakefield Press
When Captain Cook landed on Australian shores he came into contact with one of the most dynamic, culturally rich and socially sophisticated societies that had ever existed. This book documents how one such community drew upon their sense of country, kin and culture to survive the incursions of British colonisation. It outlines their histories from before contact to the present, through protectionism and assimilation, to self-determination and reconciliation. It presents the direct voices of Aboriginal people and government authorities through interviews and archival documents. This is a history not just of colonisation and resistance, but of cultural, social and political survival, even in the present day.
Claire Smith is Professor in Archaeology at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. Accompanied by her husband, Gary Jackson, and son, Jimmy Smith, she has worked closely with the Barunga, Manyallaluk and Wugularr communities every year since 1990.
