Donald Thomson in Arnhem Land by Peterson Nicolas
I had lived and hunted with these people, accompanied them on their nomadic wanderings and learned their customs and their languages with the result that I understood and believed in them and resented the injustices under which they had suffered for so long at the hands of the white man and other invaders of their territory.' In 1932 33, Yolngu people living in the Caledon Bay area of north-east Arnhem Land were involved in the killing of five Japanese fishermen and three Europeans. A punitive expedition was proposed to teach the Aborigines a lesson'. In response, Donald Thomson, a Melbourne-born anthropologist, offered to investigate the causes of the conflict. After seven months of investigation he persuaded the Federal Government to free the three men convicted of the killings and returned with them to their own country, subsequently spending fifteen months documenting the culture of the region. Whilst in Arnhem Land, Thomson, a superb and enthusiastic photographer, made the most comprehensive photographic record of any fully functioning, self-supporting Aboriginal society that we will ever have. The one hundred and thirty images included in this book cover domestic life, su
Nicolas Peterson teaches anthropology at the Australian National University. In 1965 the half brother of Donald Thomson's Aboriginal friend, Raywala, took him to stay with their relatives who were still living an independent life on the fringe of the Arafura Swamp, to begin the fieldwork for his ecologically oriented doctoral research. Subsequently he has worked with Warlpiri people in central Australia on their religious life and territorial organisation. He has been extensively involved in land and sea claim research and recently edited two books: Photography's Other Histories with Christopher Pinney and Citizenship and Indigenous Australians with Will Sanders.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780522852059 |
| ISBN 10 | 052285205X |
| Title | Donald Thomson in Arnhem Land |
| Author | Nicolas Peterson |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Melbourne University Press |
| Year published | 2005-10-24 |
| Number of pages | 262 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |