The encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia : Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, society and culture / edited by Dr David Horton.

Canberra : Aboriginal Studies Press, 1994.

13047

Aboriginal Australians.

Aboriginal Australians -- Encyclopedias.

This Encyclopaedia is the first significant authoritative and comprehensive reference on all apects of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, society and culture. Containing some 2000 clearly written and informative entries by over 200 authors from all parts of Australia, and illustrated with around 1000 colour and black and white photographs, maps and drawings, this work is an indispensable resource for government and community organisations, schools, tertiary institutions, libraries and for the home. Entries range across all major subject categories (Ancient History, Art, Economy, Education, Food, Health, Land Ownership, Language, Law, LIterature, media, Music, Politics, Recent History, Sport) and also cover current topics contemporary art and music, mining and royalties, land rights, deaths in custody, housing, legal services and language maintenance, as well as including biographies, historical sketches of significant places, and profiles of the approximately 500 indigenous "tribal" peoples of Australia. These 500 groups are divided into 18 geographic regions which form an additional framework of organisation to the subject groupings. There are in addition many appendices with, for example statistical information and timelines. There is a comprehensive index in addition to the cross-linkings between every entry and every other entry. Finally there is an extensive bibliography of some 1800 items. The maps of the tribal groupings were also combined into a single large wall map "Aboriginal Australia" which includes the regions and an extensive index of synonyms to tribal/langage names. The Encyclopaedia itself was also released in an electronic interactive form (on a CD Rom, for both Windows and Apple systems) which contained all the above and also added music and film material. The Encyclopaedia was well received by Aboriginal people, and Charles Perkins, David Mowaljarlai, and Galarrwuy Yunupingu all wrote endorsements for the cover. - Abstract supplied by general editor, David Horton.

General editor: Dr David Horton

Published for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.

0855752343

2 volumes : illustrations ; 29 cm.