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Dark Emu

Black Seeds: Agriculture or Accident?

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Dark Emu

By: Bruce Pascoe
Narrated by: Bruce Pascoe
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About this listen

A completely accessible, compelling and riveting account of pre-invasion Aboriginal agricultural systems.

Dark Emu argues for a reconsideration of the 'hunter-gatherer' tag for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians and attempts to rebut the colonial myths that have worked to justify dispossession. Accomplished author Bruce Pascoe provides compelling evidence from the diaries of early explorers that suggests that systems of food production and land management have been blatantly understated in modern retellings of early Aboriginal history, and that a new look at Australia's past is required.

©2014 Bruce Pascoe (P)2017 Bolinda audio Australia, New Zealand & Oceania Oceania Physics Science

Editorial reviews

What you thought you knew about pre-colonial Aboriginal Australia is wrong. Learn the true history of Australia’s first people in Dark Emu. Author Bruce Pascoe lays out the compelling case that Aboriginal culture was far more rich and advanced than we’ve been led to believe, crafting a work that has won two NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, Book of the Year and the Indigenous Writers’ Prize.

Drawing from accounts from some of the first settlers to arrive in Australia, including Charles Sturt and Thomas Mitchell, Pascoe shares evidence of advanced agriculture, engineering and architecture that challenges the fraught concept of Terra Nullius. One of Australia’s most esteemed writers and an advocate for Australia’s Aboriginal people, Pascoe narrates his own work with heart, honesty and expertise.
All stars
Most relevant
I learnt things I never knew about Indigenous Australians. Use of primary sources was persuasive.

Fascinating book

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It's well framed, informative, insightful and vitally important. Unfortunately though, I just found it a bit dull. I

don't deny the possibility that my lack of interest is indicative of the problem, but I can't pretend it was an exciting read/listen. There's nothing particularly original that makes you go wow. So it's good, and I hope more authors tell this truth that needs to be told, but it's not great as a work of non fiction.

A critically important message, that needs to be told better.

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We can't be proud of what has been done, but can learn and move forward. Being sorry is not enough! Thanks, Bruce, for making this information available to those of us who want to know the truth

An eye-opener!

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Not what you'd call an enjoyable read but sadly it was very enlightening. This book highlights the ignorance of white Australia. It sheds much light on the traditional owners of our great land and it should be a compulsory read for every student.

Compulsory read for all Aussies

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This book is a short yet in-depth journey into the question: “to whom does Australia belong”. To some, the answer is simple - it belongs to the Australian Government, and the Commonwealth beyond that. The justification for this is very European and biased against aboriginal ownership of the land in many was. This book has done a fantastic job of informing the reader as to the illegitimacy of the colonial ownership of Australia, even according to the European reasons such as agriculture and sedentism. No honest, proud Australian should skip this read - there is so much to be sorry for that should be acknowledged instead of ignored or suppressed, and so many people for whom these issues of colonialism still cause significant grief.

A read for all proud Australians

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.