Summary
A land of mulga and spinifex, sand dunes and salt lakes, Australia's Centre is a place of climatic and topographic extremes. In spite of this, the people who have lived here since the Dreamtime have done more than simply eke out an existence, they have lived a comfortable life rich in ceremony and culture. Bushfires & Bushtucker explains how the land's first inhabitants have not been passive figures in the landscape but have actively worked and changed their environment, often by means of fire. Their management of the country has allowed them to survive and prosper, to live through the worst droughts and reap the benefits of good times. This is the most comprehenisve survey ever published of desert plants and plant use. Pitjantjatjara, Warlpiri, Arrernte, Pintupi and many other Central Australian Aboriginal peoples have shared their knowledge with lifelong Centralian Peter Latz to produce this lively and accessible book.
Peter Latz was born in Alice Springs and raised in the Aboriginal community of Hermannsburg, 120 kilometres west of the Alice. His earliest memories are of forays for bushtucker with his young Arrernte friends. It was these trips that formed the basis of a lifelong interest in plants, and the subsequent research for Bushfires & Bushtucker. He has worked in a variety of occupations and is an accomplished photographer. Peter Latz is Senior Botanist at the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, Alice Springs.
