The Eagle and the Crow

by JM Field

Part instruction manual and part philosophical text, The Eagle and the Crow is a profound work of First Nations knowledge and research. Written as a series of lyric essays, JM Field' s book traverses Gamilaraay conceptions of time and place, the ways English can quietly disrupt languages and cultures, and the form and practical functions of kinship systems. Most importantly, Field' s fascinating insights from mathematics offer a map for the revitalisation of Gamilaraay social structures once prohibited during the Missionary Era. Generous yet restrained, this collection is an important act of resistance.

Genres: Nonfiction

125 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 29, 2025

Reviews

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning, this looks like a soft and fuzzy read, but you will exercise some serious maths/logic muscles following along. Despite a somewhat stern tone by JC Field, however, he holds your hand in stepping through a Gamilaraay relationship cosmology. I downright adored this book, which starts each chapter by explaining the likely failure of translating Gamilaraay concepts into a colonial language, but pledges to try anyway. This is not going to make you an expert on anything, but it will open some eyes to the difference in our worlds, and help to glimpse the depth of Gamilaraay culture, in ways that resist simplification and ensure strength and survival.

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un recordatori per les qui som europees dels presents efectes de la colonització sobre multitud de cultures diverses i riques i la conseqüent homogeneïtzació del pensament i els modes de coneixement.

Deixo un fragment que em va agradar molt: "Ideed, why should they ask about the warm wind, Yarragaa, that kisses some of the trees to make them bloom if instead a direct translation to the European idea of spring is given? An idea, mind you, that due to our longitude and latitudr makes not a lick sense on Gamilaraay Country."

[Ellen Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating and deeply poetic book.

I loved the kinship structures and the non-linear concepts of time and place.
“The location that I occupy right now has been and will be again; I am, so to speak, keeping the seat and the name warm. This is to say that the location itself, and the relationships it grants, are much more important than any person's unique experience of it."


I also didn’t know that Gamilaraay is also spelled “Kamilaroi” - so I realised I’ve read a bit about them already. I did get lost in some of the explanations due to the level of technical breakdown (you can tell the author is a mathematician) but otherwise, I thought it was beautiful book, particularly “Dhulanbaa VI”.

[Jacob Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 star streak continues

[Dillon Gorton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to some complex topics that certainly challenge the western perception of familial relationships and connectedness. The format of this book worked really well, however I perhaps didn't realise the subject would be so narrow as it does get a little repetitive towards the end. Definitely a worthwhile and quick read, and a good place to start for Australians wanting to get a better understanding of the systems that have underlined this place for millennia.

[R.F. Veer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Eagle and The Crow is a brilliant primer on the complexity and mathematical beauty of Gamilaraay kinship systems. It also encourages those that approach to understand, whether they are kin or not, to do so with humility and an openness to accepting your place and your responsibilities within an enduring social structure that will outlive the efforts of colonisation.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important book to read, so as to begin to understand kinship relationships between Gamilaraay people, and others too, for example Arrernte. the concept that there is no time without place is profound. there are many other insights gleaned from reading and pondering this book. Highly recommend to anyone who wants to understand the complexity and interconnectedness within kinship relationships.

[Caitlin Baker]

In a sense un-rateable.

Beautiful and overwhelming to consider.