Sydney's Aboriginal Past: Investigating the Archaeological and Historical Records

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UNSW Press, 2010 - History - 226 pages

Revealing the diversity of Aboriginal life in the Sydney region, this study examines a variety of source documents that discuss not only Aboriginal life before colonization in 1788 but also the early years of first contact. This is the only work to explore the minutiae of Sydney Aboriginal daily life, detailing the food they ate; the tools, weapons, and equipment they used; and the beliefs, ceremonial life, and rituals they practiced. This updated edition has been revised to include recent discoveries and the analyses of the past seven years, adding yet more value to this 2004 winner of the John Mulvaney award for best archaeology book from the Australian Archaeological Association. The inclusion of a special supplement that details the important sites in the Sydney region and how to access them makes the book especially appealing to those interested in visiting the sites.

 

Contents

INTRODUCTION
1
THE GATHERERS OF THE DATA
5
NUMBERS NAMES AND LANGUAGE S
17
THE RICH RESOURCES OF THE LAND AND ITS WATERS
37
IDENTIFYING WHERE PEOPLE CAMPED AND LAND USE PATTERNS
47
THEIR SOCIAL ORGANISATION
57
THE FOODS PEOPLE ATE AND HOW THEY WERE OBTAINED
62
THEIR TOOLS WEAPONS AND OTHER EQUIPMENT
85
BELIEFS TOTEMS RITES AND CEREMONIES
126
DESIGNS AND IMAGES
143
AN OVERVIEW
152
Sitestovisit supplement
161
Notes
189
Glossary
203
Abbreviations
209
Index
220

SHELTER CLOTHING AND PERSONAL ADORNMENT
105
MAKING USE OF AVAILABLE RAW MATERIALS
112

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About the author (2010)

Val Attenbrow is a senior research scientist in the anthropology branch of the Australian Museum. She has focused her research on the Aboriginal archaeology of southeastern Australia, particularly the Port Jackson catchment area around Sydney Harbor.

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