Before the colonisation of Australia, Aboriginal Australians lived on a wonderful larder of fresh fruit, vegetables and lean meat, in a land largely free from disease, with more exercise, less stress and supportive communities.
Today, in Aboriginal communities all over Australia, there are higher instances of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, renal disease, some types of cancer and lung diseases than in the general population. This book is an attempt to preserve bush tucker knowledge for future generations of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people to ensure the information is not lost with the passing of Elders.
The authors describe over 350 species of the edible plants and fungi that were regularly gathered by the Indigenous peoples of the Kimberley in Western Australia before and after colonisation. Many of these plants and fungi are difficult to find today because of land clearing for crops and the farming of sheep and cattle.
