The Aborigines Of South-Eastern Australia: As They Were
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Edition: First Edition Thus
Condition remarks:
Book: Very good
Jacket: Very good
Pages: Good
Before European settlement irrevocably altered the landscape and lives of Australia's First Peoples, the Aboriginal communities of south-eastern Australia maintained rich, complex cultures shaped by tens of thousands of years of tradition — and Aldo Massola's landmark work stands as one of the most compelling documentary records of that world. Drawing on historical accounts, anthropological fieldwork, and a deep personal engagement with the subject, the book chronicles the customs, spiritual beliefs, social structures, and daily lives of the Aboriginal peoples of Victoria and surrounding regions, presenting a vivid and respectful portrait of civilisations on the cusp of catastrophic change. Massola, a curator at the Museum of Victoria and a dedicated researcher of Aboriginal heritage, writes with scholarly authority tempered by genuine humanity, constructing a narrative that is both an academic resource and an impassioned act of preservation. The work stands as a crucial corrective to the colonial erasure that defined so much of early Australian historiography, arguing implicitly and powerfully for the dignity and sophistication of pre-contact Aboriginal society. For anyone seeking to understand the true depth of Australia's Indigenous heritage, this volume raises a haunting and vital question: how much more was lost before anyone thought to look?
Author: Aldo Massola
Format: Hardback
Published: 1971, Heinemann
Genre: Australian history
Edition: First Edition Thus
Condition remarks:
Book: Very good
Jacket: Very good
Pages: Good
Before European settlement irrevocably altered the landscape and lives of Australia's First Peoples, the Aboriginal communities of south-eastern Australia maintained rich, complex cultures shaped by tens of thousands of years of tradition — and Aldo Massola's landmark work stands as one of the most compelling documentary records of that world. Drawing on historical accounts, anthropological fieldwork, and a deep personal engagement with the subject, the book chronicles the customs, spiritual beliefs, social structures, and daily lives of the Aboriginal peoples of Victoria and surrounding regions, presenting a vivid and respectful portrait of civilisations on the cusp of catastrophic change. Massola, a curator at the Museum of Victoria and a dedicated researcher of Aboriginal heritage, writes with scholarly authority tempered by genuine humanity, constructing a narrative that is both an academic resource and an impassioned act of preservation. The work stands as a crucial corrective to the colonial erasure that defined so much of early Australian historiography, arguing implicitly and powerfully for the dignity and sophistication of pre-contact Aboriginal society. For anyone seeking to understand the true depth of Australia's Indigenous heritage, this volume raises a haunting and vital question: how much more was lost before anyone thought to look?