Have (finally!) kurnell.blogspot.au/2010/10/book-review-dharawal-seasons-and.htmljust started reading Dharawal Seasons and Climatic Cycles by Frances Bodkin which is utterly fascinating. By describing the indicators the locals used (Dharawal land is basically from the south shore of Sydney Harbour to the north of the Shoalhaven) to read the six seasons of the year Im finally seeing the different plants and animal changes that I normally just wander through blankly. Other cool insights - that Aboriginal maths is base five, not base ten, and every indigenous language had a corresponding sign language (useful for hunters). Today Jess Sinnott, one of the Aboriginal Education Officers at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, told me that Pemulwuys famous fleck in the eye was actually astigmatism and it was only because he was so big that they thought he was a reborn ancestor spirit that he wasnt left to die at birth. Heres a review of the book (which you can buy at the RBGS shop) with a description of the seasons.
Posted on: Tue, 05 Nov 2013 04:20:05 +0000
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