Pila Nguru: The Spinifex People

The People of the Sun and Shadow, the Spinifex People, were cocooned within the Spinifex plains of the Western Desert for hundreds of generations until shaken from their nomadic solitude by the atomic shock of Maralinga. When they returned to their homelands in the 1980s, after their displacement, they found the southern third of their country had been converted into a nature reserve, the northern third leased to Aboriginal people in the north and the center deemed vacant crown land. This is a detailed account, in words and artworks, of the culture and history of the Spinifex People, an almost invisible people in modern Australia.

Scott Cane, who has written extensively about Aboriginal cultural heritage, community life, and relations to land, provides a detailed report on the culture and history of the Spinifex people, who are almost invisible in modern Aboriginal Australia and were hidden from European eyes until the 1950s. Following an introduction, which presents a general history of the people and their relationship with the Australian government, he tells about his journey through their land, their spiritual and daily life, their myths, and their art. The book is generously illustrated with color plates of the art works and b&w photographs of the people. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Booknews

Scott Cane, who has written extensively about Aboriginal cultural heritage, community life, and relations to land, provides a detailed report on the culture and history of the Spinifex people, who are almost invisible in modern Aboriginal Australia and were hidden from European eyes until the 1950s. Following an introduction, which presents a general history of the people and their relationship with the Australian government, he tells about his journey through their land, their spiritual and daily life, their myths, and their art. The book is generously illustrated with color plates of the art works and b&w photographs of the people. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Scott Cane works as a consultant and is the coauthor of Land Use and Resources in Desert Homelands. He has written more than 90 reports and 25 published papers about Aboriginal cultural heritage, community life, and relations to land.