Young Dark Emu

by Bruce Pascoe

Bruce Pascoe has collected a swathe of literary awards for Dark Emu and now he has brought together the research and compelling first person accounts in a book for younger readers. Using the accounts of early European explorers, colonists and farmers, Bruce Pascoe compellingly argues for a reconsideration of the hunter-gatherer label for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians. He allows the reader to see Australia as it was before Europeans arrived – a land of cultivated farming areas, productive fisheries, permanent homes, and an understanding of the environment and its natural resources that supported thriving villages across the continent. Young Dark Emu - A Truer History asks young readers to consider a different version of Australia’s history pre-European colonisation.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Australia, Indigenous, Childrens, Cultural, Picture Books

80 pages, Hardcover

Published June 1, 2016

About the author

Bruce Pascoe was born of Bunurong and Tasmanian Aboriginal heritage in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond and graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Education. He is a member of the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative of southern Victoria and has been the director of the Australian Studies Project for the Commonwealth Schools Commission.

Bruce has had a varied career as a teacher, farmer, fisherman, barman, fencing contractor, lecturer, Aboriginal language researcher, archaeological site worker and editor.

He won the Fellowship of Australian Writers´ Literature Award in 1999 and his novel Fog a Dox (published by Magabala Books in 2012), won the Young Adult category of the 2013 Prime Minister's Literary Awards.
Source: http://brucepascoe.com.au/about/

Reviews

[Paul Christensen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pascoe tries to paint Aborigines as some kind of rustic, pastoral race, ignoring overwhelming amounts of evidence (found in the journals of explorers like Sturt) that they actually invented differential calculus, built gothic cathedrals full of esoteric symbolism (Europeans simply ripped these off), and even had the first intergalactic civilisation, before evil white supremacists like Pascoe conspired to cover up the full, awe-inspiring scale of their achievements.

[Anna Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book that is a must read for all Australian children (and adults), providing evidence about the truth of Aboriginal life before colonisation; the sophisticated agricultural, aquaculture and housing practices that many Australians are unaware of.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is persuasive rather than informative, and at times inaccurate. For example Bruce puts a photo of a Meriam Island House (Torres Strait) in his section on ‘Arnhem Land Dome Houses'. He also quotes from Mitchell, Sturt, and Dawson very selectively, leaving out all the parts that contradict his argument. Read these primary sources and you get a different picture to the one Bruce paints. His mention of stone houses is exaggerated, because the location he discusses (lake Condah) while certainly containing Aboriginal structure, also has the remains of European structures according to some archaeologists (eg. Sharon Lane). He says fish traps are aquaculture which is just silly. It's good that Bruce draws attention to the fact that Aboriginal people managed the land (not farmed) in a sustainable manner, and cared for the environment as opposed to the capitalist system which destroys the environment. This book will be accepted by most of the public who normally just believe nice stories rather than true stories. My advice if you are genuinely interested in the truth on this subject is to read the primary sources Bruce uses, but also to read the multitude of other sources on Aboriginal culture, bush food & land management practices; many written by Aboriginal people living traditionally today.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having found the original Dark Emu (my review here) fascinating, I was keen to get my hands on a copy of this alternate edition aimed at younger readers, to share with my daughter (aged 10).
Young Dark Emu is structured in much the same way as its adult predecessor, and contains many of the same illuminating illustrations and photographs. Sections address elements of pre-colonial Aboriginal civilization in Australia including Agriculture, Aquaculture, Home (Structural Shelters), Food Storage, Fire and Sacred Places. There's also an introduction, entitled "The Land Grab", which summarises the process by which Aboriginal land was forcibly sequestered by European colonists during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
A section entitled "Sustainable Futures" ends the book on a hopeful note, advocating for the reclamation and acknowledgement of Australian colonial history from the indigenous perspective, and championing the use of indigenous land management techniques as Australia (and the world) battles climate change. A Bibliography setting out additional reading and a comprehensive list of photo credits provide additional resources for those readers who seek to enquire further into the subject matter.
I found the book well written, in clear and accessible language for readers between 6 and adult (the book would be quite appropriate for adult readers seeking a "potted version" of Pascoe's bestseller). The diagrams, illustrations and photos are well-matched to the text and evocative, particularly those of Kwat Kwat artist Tommy McRae, whose 1862 illustrations are peppered throughout the book.
Highly recommended for those who are interested in Australian history and environmental issues.

[Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to Dark Emu on audiobook a couple of years ago and it has completely transformed the way I understand Australian Indigenous cultures, the way they lived, and the extent of the invasion by the English. Also the way I see the Australian landscape - it was not wild and untouched, but cultivated when white people arrived. It has made me think again about bushfires, and wonder how different they could have been if the practices of the traditional owners of the land had been continued.
I grew up in Australia, read My Place by Morgan as a teenager, studied Australian history in year 12 and Aboriginal Religions in first year uni, so I would say my knowledge was already above average.
Once I listened to the full version, I wished I had an easy way of referencing back, to remember specifics so I could discuss it, share what I learnt with family and others, and teach my daughter what I have always wished was in my education.
This book is the answer to that wish.
It contains specific examples with primary source extracts, locations, academic references and illustrations, in a concise format so you can easily flick through and find what you’re looking for. I read it last night, next I intend to read it with my daughter (grade 5) and encourage her to take it to school and show her teacher. This is the version for children, for people who are interested but won’t get around to reading the full version. It’s written in an intelligent voice, which is strong but not angry.
As a white Australian, there is something so healing in finding out the truth. I grew up with a horrible, vague feeling of guilt of being born and continuing to live where I did. The silence and minimisation, made me feel like I was carrying a dirty secret. We can only start to move forward once we admit the truth of genocide and massive cultural and environmental destruction which occurred. I feel relieved that I don’t need to hold a dirty secret any longer.

[Kelly Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've cheated reading the kids' version first, but I have already learnt so much I didn't know I can't wait to read Dark Emu.

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fabulous. This is a book for everyone. The language is clear, direct and scientific. It captures the evidence and argument in a logical sequence and presents it graphically and beautifully.

The illustrations are integral to the narrative and inseparable from the text. It says it all.

A landmark book - every Australian should read it.

[Gail Chilianis · Rating 5 out of 5]

an important book which is a must for every school library and a wonderful gift for children or adults

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was saddened by reading this book, yet I encourage all Australians to read it.
To hear the callous way this land was “settled” is horrifying.
To realise how much ability to live on this land has been lost, how much culture lost, mostly beyond restoration, is shocking.
We can’t change what has been, but I hope we can learn from what culture and stories remain to teach us how better to live on Country.

[Samantha Hartig · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read, especially for all Australians.
Many presume indigenous Australians were nomadic, living a basic even uncivilised life, hunting, fishing, foraging to survive. This version of history is the white European version. A version that makes it easier to overlook the massacres and tragic destruction of their culture, their lives, their country.

This book describes the reality, as documented by some white European settlers 200+years ago. A country full of villages, permanent housing and communities with sophisticated fishing systems, fields of crops, methods for storing foods and preserving and nurturing the land. If we all understood this, Australia, the indigenous population and the ‘newer Australians’ could begin to better co-exist, and hopefully one day thrive together. #changethedate

This book should be in all schools and part of the curriculum.

[Andreea]

Long story short but I ended up with the children’s version of Dark Emu. A good introduction that skims the surface of what I assume Bruce Pascoe gets into in Dark Emu - an alternative history of indigenous agriculture and land management, challenging prevailing ideas that the first Australians were nomadic and lacked settlements. Lots of first hand accounts from early British colonisers that show how wilfully ignorant they chose to be about what they were experiencing!

[Ita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with other readers that this is an important book that everyone should read, but even though it was interesting to learn the facts in this book, it was super boring for me to read, even this young version. I'm listening to the adult audio version now and that is a bit more in-depth but Bruce's voice is sleep-inducing.

[Tricia Greig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this to read with my daughter, we read the first 2 parts and I just sat and finished it because my interest was sparked. Everything I was taught in school (which truthfully was fuck all) about aboriginal groups was false. They were not nomads, they built towns and farmed the land, they stored food, and they built fish traps.
So much history in this country.
Time to listen and learn.

[Steve Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written specifically for younger readers, this retelling of the book Dark Emu, goes a long way to dispelling the many rumours of what Aboriginal life was like in Australia before and after the white invasion.

Quoting many European explorers, Bruce Pascoe sheds a lot of light on the myths of Aboriginal life and lifestyle that we've been taught.

A beautiful read for everyone!!!!

[Maryanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful images and riveting text. This is one of the greatest stories.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended for people of all ages.

[Joy Reading]

The production of this audiobook is spectacular. I was incredibly interested in learning all that the book had to teach me, without thinking much about the audio production, and was pleasantly blindsided and can't compliment it enough.

This is essential reading and I would recommend it to all Australian's and our international friends.

[Kim Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must have book for every school library, and a must read book for every Australian.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truer history.
Forget what you were taught at school and read the evidence for an established agricultural community living in Australia before white man came. This book contains extracts from the journals of many earlier explorers/settlers in Australia that give first hand accounts of established communities that lived in permanent housing with farming, harvesting and storage areas.
This book is well worth reading for yourself and your children to gain a better and truer picture of Australian history.

[Alan James · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bruce Pascoe is a White Australian who suffers from racial disphoria. He would love to be an Aborigine, and in fact he claims to be an Aborigine. His writings are as full of fantasies as you would expect from such a disturbed individual.

[Steven Kolber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to pick exactly what age group is expected to engage with this, but it was clear and concise compared to the full book.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young Dark Emu: A Truer History is a children’s version of Bruce Pascoe’s challenging and thought provoking Dark Emu. Drawing on diary entries, sketches and art works of early white explorers, Pasco meticulously explains that, at the time of British colonisation, Australian Aboriginals were not only hunter gatherers, but also a settled people who made agricultural use of their land. Based on this premise, he presents a convincing case that under British law, they had no right to take the land form the original owners. They were people who settled and built villages – something the British ignored, denied or just did not see through there 'civilized' eyes, in order to establish their own claim over the land.

The book is beautifully presented in picture book format and size, smooth glossy pages, but quite detailed, informative and accessible text. Rich earthy tones, often subtly patterned, provide backdrops to sketches and sepia coloured reproductions of primary sources. Pasco methodically covers all segments of a settled, rather than nomadic existence - agriculture, aquaculture, permanent dwellings, food storage and the use of fire to manage the land.

The presentation celebrates the ingenuity and affinity of the indigenous tribes with the land that they nurtured, followed by rapid destruction brought about white colonisation. The book is easily navigable with a contents page and index and a useful springboard for personal inquiry through the bibliography and picture credits.

Every Australian child should have a chance to explore this book and talk about its contents and the participating adults will have their eyes and minds opened as the traditional sanctioned (and sanitised) history we learnt in school is convincingly and quietly challenged.

Highly recommended and a worthy inclusion on the 2020 CBCA Eve Pownall Award short list for information books - I hope it wins!

[Kt · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

In 2020 I read Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu. It was a compelling read that presented a very different and convincing view on why the long held notion of Australia’s First Nations people only being hunter gatherers is not correct. Therefore, when I heard that Pascoe had released a young adult version of it called Young Dark Emu; I knew had to get my hands on it. I’m pleased to say that this instinct was a good one.

A much shorter read than the book it was inspired by, Young Dark Emu elucidates the main themes that Pascoe covered in Dark Emu and provides a page or two on each of them. I was very impressed with the way in which Pascoe did this, and applaud his ability to take the technical arguments and primary sources that were in Dark Emu and simplify them into a cohesive and informative account of his position of why the hunter gather myth is wrong for young adult readers.

Although a book that is clearly written for high school students, it’s format is more that of a children’s picture book. The text is set against a background containing bright colours, Indigenous artwork and drawings from primary sources. The pages are loud and busy but it works in this instance. Instead of distracting me, I found this drew me in and made me want to look at everything on the page before moving forward.

Just as I highly recommended that everyone, regardless of their cultural heritage; should read Dark Emu so too do I say the same about Young Dark Emu. Although marketed as a YA book, it’s also suitable for adults. Those that have read Dark Emu will enjoy it as recap; whilst adults and young adults alike who haven’t read it, will ravish it as a taster and overview of what they can expect to learn about if they do. A book that everyone and anyone should read, it’s more than worthy of five stars.

Young Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoeis my nineteenth read in #ktbookbingo, category ‘non-fiction and not a memoir’. To play along with my book bingo and to see what else I’m reading, go to #ktbookbingo or @kt_elder on Instagram.

[Serene Conneeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young Dark Emu: A Truer History by Bruce Pascoe should be required reading for every student – and every adult – in Australia. Based on his award-winning book Dark Emu, it’s condensed for younger readers (upper MG and YA), and sets out simply but comprehensively so much evidence that fundamentally changes the assumptions that were made, and are still believed and being taught, about Australia pre-colonisation. Using the eyewitness accounts of early European invaders, explorers, colonists and farmers, it reveals that far from being the nomadic hunter-gatherers used by the British to justify dispossession of their lands, the First Australians lived on and cared for a Country consisting of cultivated farming areas, fisheries and other agricultural systems, and had built permanent homes and community buildings in thriving villages across the continent. And they had – and continue to have – an understanding of the environment, climate and natural resources of this country that should be respected, acknowledged, celebrated – and learned from. Compelling and extensively researched, Dark Emu and Young Dark Emu transform our understanding of Australian history – and will hopefully transform the way First Nations people are treated by society, and within the legal, political, education, healthcare and other systems. This book is a gift of knowledge we should all be grateful for.

[Cate Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the simple writing accessible and thought provoking. Grains, sheep and a drying continent discussed with care towards Aboriginal cultural practices in Australia. The confidence and questioning of standard historical narratives drew my attention to each piece of information. The Emu people, their intertwined with grain fascinates me, like Pascoe's simple story about grinding grain to make bread. A woman, 65000 years ago was responsible for the grain grindstone, a science that came much later for other civilisations. Or the Aboriginal grain map of Australia, where it grew unexpected from where it is currently grown now. The creator spirit Emu, seen in the night sky stars, Pascoe poetically connects Aboriginal cultures to seeing the spaces in between, not simply looking at a star and this opens our perpective to sustainable and shared ecological practices tbat have been denied a place in Australian history since white colonialism. This book opens the spaces in between, the not celebrated or experienced in books and through farming practices.
The Emu, often overlooked except for its eggs as unintelligent and the more colourful or rarer birds draw interest, now like the Ibis in Ancient Egyptian beliefs, presents us with a widened-view (more of the sky than given) wiseness that takes a wider perspective or different look at the drying continent.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young Dark Emu made me uncomfortable. And as a white person, I think that was the whole point of this book. To show that the history of Australia we were taught in school is only a fraction of our land’s long history, and a lot of it is omitted to soothe our own guilt at the way our forefathers treated Aboriginal people.

This was a book I had to put down several times to take a breather because it made me mad. I wish this wasn’t a part of our history. I wish the settlers would have down things a hell of a lot differently, less take and more learn. How fucking arrogant we were in taking over the land and we can’t even look after it nearly half as well as our indigenous peoples can.

I might have flaked out by reading the version aimed at younger people but a) I am housesitting and this is the version that is available to me, b) sometimes with the adult version of these books I miss a lot of information coz I’m a bit daft and c), I like the pictures. Sue me 🤷‍♀️
I definitely think reading Young Dark Emu means I am more likely to take in a lot more information if I was to read Dark Emu. It’s just really depressing and rage inducing, for me as a white woman, that I can’t imagine the roiling emotions our Aboriginal communities feel in this regard. No wonder they don’t trust us. Australia is racist as fuck.

[Mehreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short read (an hour or so) and provided a brief overview of colonists land grabbing, and how the native people lived in Australia prior to the arrival of Europeans. It discusses agriculture, aquaculture, permanent settlements, climate change and sustainability (particularly in relation to agricultural management of land and use of fire) and sacred places.

The indigenous people were not hunter-gatherers moving about with temporary shelters, rather they lived amongst their crops and streams in permanent settlements (towns), within sturdy and skilled architectural structures for homes and storage. Their knowledge of the land and climate allowed them to live in parts of Australia that were considered uninhabited, such as the desert.

It also touches on the destruction of these centuries old settlements within the short span of a decade or less. For instance, the introduction of sheep and cattle that trampled over the soft fertile soil hardening it. And the spread of unfamiliar disease, such as small pox, via the Europeans, which was said to wipe out about 80% of some clans.

It was nice to focus on the achievements and life of the Aboriginal people instead of focusing on the European colonisers, which has been the case for history taught in Australia for some time.

[Liz Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2014 Bruce Pascoe, a Yuin, Bunurong and Tasmanian man, published Dark Emu as a book for adults. This is for younger audiences. In his introduction to Young Dark Emu Pascoe writes that "In their [colonisers] rush for possession of land, they turned their eyes away from the obvious signs of the civilisation that already existed". The book covers: The Land Grab; Agriculture, Aquaculture, Home (housing), Food Storage and Fire. It also addresses Sacred Places and Sustainable Futures. As with the adult version, Pascoe draws on primary source documents from the beginning colonial times. The book is beautifully designed with full page glossy artworks, photos and other drawings. It's not a book to read through as a read-aloud. Information is presented in a clear and straight forward manner. It is a stepping off point for further exploration and resources are shared at the end. It could be used with small groups in grades 5/6 or around that age. It could also be a case of choosing one of the main topics and researching more about that topic. It's a visually appealing book and one that is easy to look back at and enjoy along with learning from Pascoe's research and findings.

[Margo Hutchison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently bought Young Dark Emu for my grandson and I hope he will enjoy it despite my comments below.
Bruce Pascoe writes well and his thorough research has uncovered details within the records that reveal an indigenous history that has been lost, forgotten or discounted.
It is a fascinating story and I wanted to read it straight through. However I found it was hard work due to the strong colours used as background; black print on white pages is easier on the eye than on ochre pages. The ochre colour used throughout is overpowering, monotonous, and off-putting and does not do justice to the photographs and illustrations which would be more interesting and dramatic in their original colour or black & white.
The colours on the front cover are the only colours employed within the book and make the details in some of the illustrations quite difficult to distinguish. Some lighter shades of green, yellow or red would be more visually appealing and make the experience of reading it more enjoyable for young readers. Maybe it could be considered it for the next print run.

[Tessa Wooldridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Dark Emu is a richly illustrated children’s version of Bruce Pascoe’s 2014 award-winning Dark Emu also published by Magabala Books.

Pascoe re-examines the records of early ‘European explorers and settlers’ whose ‘eyewitness accounts tell us how Aboriginal people lived’. These accounts enable readers ‘to consider a different view of how Australia was before the British arrived. They offer a truer history’.

Chapters focus on Aboriginal agriculture and aquaculture, housing, food storage, the use of fire as a land management tool, and sacred places.

For more Australian Indigenous history books for children, see my blog post on this theme: https://tessawooldridge.com/2020/10/0...