Book
Flood, J, 2019, The Original Australians: The Story of the Aboriginal People, Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest.
Description
The Original Australians tells the story of Australian Aboriginal history and society from its distant beginnings to the present day. From the wisdom and paintings of the Dreamtime to the first contact between Europeans and Indigenous Australians, through to the Uluru Statement, it offers an insight into the life and experiences of the world’s oldest surviving culture. The resilience and adaptability of Aboriginal people over millennia is one of the great human stories of all time. Josephine Flood answers the questions that Australians and visitors often ask about Aboriginal Australia: Where did the Aboriginal people come from and when? How did they survive in Australia’s harsh environment? What was the traditional role of indigenous women? What are land rights? How do Aboriginal people maintain their culture today? And many more. This bestselling account has been updated and is fascinating reading for anyone who wants to discover Aboriginal Australia (WorldCat | The original Australians : the story of the Aboriginal people)
Parts, chapters and sections
Preface xi
Notes on terminology xix
Chapter 1. Exploration: European discovery of Australia p. 1
- Dutch encounters and the first kidnappings p. 2
- Dampier p. 5
- Further Dutch voyages p. 8
- The Macassans p. 8
- Captain Cook p. 11
- The question of consent p. 19
- Bands and tribes p. 21
- Were treaties possible p. 22
- Terra nullius p. 23
- The question of cultivation p. 25
- Conservatism p. 30
- Nomadism p. 31
- A sparse population p. 33
Chapter 2. Colonisation: Early Sydney P. 37
- New arrivals p. 38
- Laperouse p. 43
- The first year p. 44
- Winter food shortages p. 46
- Conflict p. 47
- Disaster p. 48
- Hunger and kidnapping p. 50
- The governor is speared p. 51
- ‘Coming in’ p. 53
- Violence p. 55
- Aboriginal treatment of women p. 59
- Spiritual life p. 61
- British expansion p. 63
- Frontier conflict p. 63
- Bungaree’s circumnavigation of Australia p. 67
- Cultural clash p. 69
Chapter 3. Confrontation: Early Tasmania and Victoria p. 73
- Tasmanian society p. 77
- Social organisation p. 80
- Population size and disease p. 81
- Marriage p. 83
- Rock art p. 84
- Beliefs p. 84
- Artefacts p. 86
- Why didn’t the Tasmanians eat fish?
- Survival p. 89
- Sealers and whalers p. 90
- The arrival of colonists p. 94
- Coexistence p. 97
- Free settlers p. 98
- The Cape Grim massacre p. 101
- Reserves p. 102
- Martial law and the ‘Black Line’ p. 103
- The ‘Friendly’ mission p. 106
- Disease and depopulation p. 107
- The question of treaties p. 111
- Batman’s treaty p. 113
- Effects of Batman’s treaty p. 115
Chapter 4. Depopulation: a century of struggle (1820s-1920s) p. 117
- Wiradjuri country p. 118
- Conflict p. 119
- Marital law in New South Wales p. 121
- Accommodation with settlers p. 123
- The rolling frontier p. 124
- Casualty rates p. 125
- Massacres p. 130
- Battle of Pinjarra, Western Australia (1834) p. 131
- Waterloo creek, New South Wales (1838) p. 131
- Myall creek, New South Wales (1838) p. 132
- Hornet Bank, Queensland (1857) p. 133
- Cullinlaringo, Queensland (1861) p. 133
- Forrest River, Western Australia (1926) p. 134
- Coniston massacre, Northern Territory (1928) p. 136
- Oral history p. 137
- Causes of depopulation p. 138
- Traditional violence p. 138
- Infanticide and abortion p. 142
- Pre-contact health p. 143
- Ancient disease p. 145
- Prehistoric trauma p. 146
- Arthritis p. 147
- New diseases p. 147
- Smallpox p. 148
- Venereal disease p. 155
- Yaws and treponarid p. 157
- Other new diseases p. 158
Chapter 5. Tradition: Indigenous life at first contact p. 161
- Spirituality p. 163
- Totemism and animism p. 165
- Dreaming p. 166
- Songlines p. 167
- Oral tradition p. 169
- Language p. 172
- Medicine men p. 174
- Magic and sorcerers p. 175
- Shamans p. 177
- Women healers and bush medicine p. 177
- Traditional life p. 178
- Childhood p. 178
- Social organisation p. 181
- Initiation of girls p. 181
- Male initiation p. 182
- Marriage and sex p. 183
- Ceremonies p. 187
- Elders p. 189
- Law and order p. 191
- Traditional economic life p. 194
- Exchange networks p. 197
Chapter 6. Origins: the last 65,000 years p. 203
- People on the move p. 204
- Out of Africa p. 206
- Blood groups p. 209
- From Africa to Australia p. 211
- Culture of the First Australians p. 212
- The world’s first intercontinental crossing p. 214
- A one-way trip p. 215
- Settlement p. 216
- Lake Mungo p. 219
- Origins p. 221
- Tri-hybrid theory p. 222
- Genetics p. 225
- Impact on the environment p. 226
- Impact of the fire stick p. 229
- Pattern of settlement p. 231
- Climate change p. 232
- Appearance of the dingo and new surfaces p. 233
- New developments in rock art p. 235
- Languages p. 237
- New foods in the diet p. 238
- Stone houses in villages p. 239
- Continuity and change p. 240
Chapter 7. Assimilation: A time of trouble (1930s to 1970s) p. 243
- Protection p. 243
- A dying race? p. 248
- Jobs p. 253
- The pastoral industry p. 254
- Changing times p. 257
- First Aboriginal strikes p. 259
- Equal pay p. 261
- Employment to unemployment p. 264
- The ‘coming of the grog’
- Segregation and assimilation? p. 268
- Reserves p. 269
- Aborigines of mixed race p. 272
- Absorption p. 273
- The stolen generations p. 276
- Was it cultural genocide? p. 283
- Numbers moved p. 284
Chapter 8. Resurgence: The story continues p. 287
- Freedom riders and the 1967 referendum p. 291
- Self-determination and self-management p. 294
- Land rights p. 297
- Bicentenary protest p. 298
- The Mabo case p. 299
- The Wik decision p. 300
- Aboriginal deaths in custody p. 302
- Reconciliation p. 303
- Treaty? p. 305
- A long way to go p. 306
- Petrol-sniffing and drugs p. 307
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Action Plan p. 309
- Violence p. 311
- Noel Pearson speaks out p. 312
- Presenting indigenous people to government p. 316
- Little Children are Sacred report p. 317
- The Apology 2008 p. 318
- The intervention p. 318
- Closing the Gap p. 321
- Resilience p. 323
- Is Australia racist? p. 328
- Australia Day p. 329
- Reconciliation? p. 329
- Statement from the Heart, Uluru, 26 May 2017 p. 330
- Reaction to the Statement from the Heart p. 331
- Resurgence p. 334
Appendix: Places to visit, festivals, and tours to experience Australian Indigenous culture p. 337
Abbreviations to the notes and further reading p. 341
Index pp. 397-412
Additional content within the book
- Spears, spear-throwing, and shields pp. 16-17
- A lack of coconut trees pp. 32-33
- Corroberee pp. 64-65
- Boomerangs pp. 68-69
- Firemaking pp. 76-77
- Grave-robbing pp. 112-113
- Native police pp. 128-129
- The didjeridu pp. 170-171
- Fishing methods pp. 192-193
- Torres Strait islanders pp. 198-201
- Genomic map of human spread out of Africa pp. 208-209
- Watercraft pp. 216-217
- Physical characteristics pp. 224-225
- Ernabella/Pukatja pp. 250-253
- The development of Aboriginal art pp. 288-290
- Schooling pp. 324-326
About the Author
Josephine Flood was an archaeologist whose research highlighted the role of Bogong moths in the lives of Aboriginal people in southern highlands of New South Wales. Her excavations of the Cloggs Cave in Victoria revealed considerable evidence of Aboriginal stone and bone tools, and occupation of the cave for over 30,000 years. During her time as Deputy Director of the Australian Heritage Commission over 2,000 Aboriginal sites were added to the Register of the National Estate. She was also involved in the world heritage listing of Kakadu National Park, the Willandra Lakes region in New South Wales, and the Tasmanian south west wilderness area. Between 1981 and 1992 Flood led seven expeditions to record rock art in the Victoria River region of the Northern Territory and on Cape York, Queensland. Her books include Archaeology of the Dreamtime (1983, 7th ed. 2010) and The riches of ancient Australia: a journey into prehistory (1990, 3rd ed. 1999). (Encyclopedia of Australian science and innovation | Flood, Josephine Mary (1936 – ))
Photo of archaeologist Josephine Flood in 1999 at the site of Garnawala in Wardaman country, west of Katherine in the Northern Territory (Supplied: Dr C. Chippindale) from ABC article by Tegan Osborne, 2016.
Where to find
The South Australian public library network holds multiple copies. See Source at Libraries SA.
Where to buy
The Original Australians 2nd Edition is available through the publishing house, local bookstores, and online resellers.
References
- Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation 2025, Flood, Josephine Mary (1936 – ), viewed on 29 February, 2024, <https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P006112b.htm>. This page contains a biography of Josephine Flood, Archeologist.
- Libraries SA 2026, The Original Australians: The Story of the Aboriginal People, viewed on 29 February, 2024, <https://libraries.sa.gov.au/client/en_AU/sapubliclibraries/search/results?qu=The+Original+Australians&te=&dt=list>. This search yields the 2nd edition of The Original Australians by Josephine Flood.
- Osborne, T 2016, New dating shows 25,000 years of history at Birrigai rock shelter in ACT, viewed on 29 February, 2024, <https://www.abc.net.au/news/specials/curious-canberra/2016-04-04/new-research-shows-human-occupation-in-act-extends-25,000-years/7288132>. This page contains an image of Josephine Flood from 1999.
- WorldCat 2026, The original Australians : the story of the Aboriginal people, viewed on 29 February, 2024, <https://search.worldcat.org/title/1450008857>. This search yields information about the 2nd edition of The Original Australians by Josephine Flood