The social history of the Sydney district does not begin with the First Fleet - it is in fact thousands of years old. This revised and expanded edition reveals glimpses of the daily life of the Aborigines, their languages, weapons, tools and food resources, before European encroachment had taken its toll. The surviving songs, stories and rock art of the Sydney people are disclosed, along with their span of occupation, population and social organisation (including marriage and the family, religion, initiation and more).
The author makes good use of the contemporary diaries and journals of colonists and missionaries together with the memoirs of old Aborigines and the work of the anthropologists.
In many parts of Sydney reminders of the ancient Aboriginal occupation are still visible: there are shell middens, rock engravings, and axe grinding grooves. This book should interest anyone visiting these relics and wondering about the people responsible for them.
