| Barlow, Alex; Hill, Marji., ed., The
Macmillan Encyclopedia of Australia's Aboriginal Peoples.
South Yarra: Macmillan Education Australia, 2000., 6 vol., individually
paged, index. A$355 hardbound ISBN: 0-7329-5426-7 (set).
Haven't things changed?
Encyclopedias used to be heavy, full of dense boring text and about
somewhere else. Now the best are bright, and informative,
anything but boring and, like this one, about our own country.
The Macmillan Encyclopedia of Australia's Aboriginal Peoples
is an accessible colourful introduction to this important subject
area. The Introduction says it is a "reference for young Australians
which will help them appreciate the historic and contemporary diversity
of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and lifestyles".
I believe these nine slim volumes have achieved this aim admirably.
This set comes at a time
when many schools are including Aboriginal Studies in their curricula.
The books are full of photographs with well-balanced white space
and clear text. Each page contains a surprising amount of information.
The set is suitable for middle primary to lower secondary. It does
not pretend to be all-inclusive but has a wide range of entries
dealing with the major areas of aboriginal life and history.
Articles range from places
like Battle Mountain to people like Cathy Freeman to historical
events like the Freedom Rides. Articles about organisations (like
AIATIS) are included (maybe a web page reference would have been
a good idea?) as are articles about places (Palm Island) and artefacts
(Message Sticks). Christine Anu, Maureen Watson, Eddie Mabo, Lionel
Rose are only four out of about one hundred and twenty short interesting
biographies some with extensive detail. All articles are highly
illustrated with relevant photographs, maps or paintings. There
are some omissions (where is the information about Water Rats
actor Aaron Pederson?), but an introductory work can not be
comprehensive. Each article includes "See Also" references
to other related articles. For example, the Freedom Rides article
refers to Charles Perkins and Racism.
Although organised alphabetically,
each article has also been allocated to at least one of 22 themes,
which are indicated by a symbol. Themes include Literature, History,
People and Personalities, and Land. The index volume includes a
thematic index as well as a comprehensive alphabetical one as well
as a map of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups and regions.
There is a Teachers' Resource Book with theme related background
notes, student learning guides, lesson suggestions and blackline
masters.
There is a disclaimer
on the title page of each volume warning of the need to be sensitive
and to consult local district members in respecting deceased members
of the community. The publishers have conferred with aboriginal
consultants from the main areas of Australia and checked accuracy
and truth. The authors, Alex Barlow and Marji Hill, are the editors
of Black Australia: An Annotated Bibliography and Teacher's Guide
to Resources on Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders and authors
of the Macmillan's Australian Aborigines series. They acknowledge
their debt to the publication The Encyclopedia of Aboriginal
Australia published by in 1994 by AIATIS. This more exhaustive
encyclopedia is suitable for older students who require a more thorough
coverage.
Although expensive, this
set is well worth the price and it is highly recommended. It is
extremely accessible, attractive and informative. I believe young
students will find it enlightening and easy to use. If our young
people can use these books to help understand that "Through
the Dreaming, Aboriginal people are bound to the land, law, spirit,
art, family and to each other", then it will well worth while
adding this set to your library.
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