Bill Gammage is an adjunct professor in the Humanities Research Centre at the Australian National University (ANU) studying Aboriginal attitudes to land management from a historical perspective. He grew up in Wagga, and later studied as an undergraduate and postgraduate at the ANU. He taught history at the Universities of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Adelaide before returning to ANU to write several books. These include The Sky Travellers on cultural contact in PNG, and The Biggest Estate on Earth on Aboriginal land management. His other main books are The Broken Years on Australian soldiers in the Great War, and Narrandera Shire. Bill also served the National Museum of Australia for three years as Council member, deputy chair, and acting chair. He is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences.
The lecture outlines the logic of Aboriginal land management in 1788. It shows why Australia’s plants and animals made long-term, precise and detailed management possible. The lecture illustrates Aboriginal land management with examples, and explains how land management rules were enforced. Country was maintained locally, but conformed to universal religious sanctions and prescriptions. Australia was thus a single estate - not an untamed wilderness as newcomers thought. It was made to obey the Law, to ensure biodiversity, and to make all life abundant, convenient and predictable.
Event Manager: Mitchell Piercey
Phone: (02) 6201 9462
Bill Gammage is an adjunct professor in the Humanities Research Centre at the Australian National University (ANU) studying Aboriginal attitudes to land management from a historical perspective. He grew up in Wagga, and later studied as an undergraduate and postgraduate at the ANU. He taught history at the Universities of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Adelaide before returning to ANU to write several books. These include The Sky Travellers on cultural contact in PNG, and The Biggest Estate on Earth on Aboriginal land management. His other main books are The Broken Years on Australian soldiers in the Great War, and Narrandera Shire. Bill also served the National Museum of Australia for three years as Council member, deputy chair, and acting chair. He is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences.
The lecture outlines the logic of Aboriginal land management in 1788. It shows why Australia’s plants and animals made long-term, precise and detailed management possible. The lecture illustrates Aboriginal land management with examples, and explains how land management rules were enforced. Country was maintained locally, but conformed to universal religious sanctions and prescriptions. Australia was thus a single estate - not an untamed wilderness as newcomers thought. It was made to obey the Law, to ensure biodiversity, and to make all life abundant, convenient and predictable.
Shine Dome,9 Gordon Street Australian Capital Territory false DD/MM/YYYYEvent Manager: Mitchell Piercey
Phone: (02) 6201 9462
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