Aboriginal Placenames: Naming and Re-naming the Australian Landscape

Koch, Harold and Luise Hercus(eds)

ISBN 10: 1921666080 / ISBN 13: 9781921666087

Published by Canberra; ANU E Press; 2009, 2011

About this Item

paperback in good condition, cover a little creased; 496 pages, heavy book which will require excess postage outside Australia.

Seller Inventory # 88146

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Aboriginal Placenames: Naming and Re-naming the Australian Landscape
• Publisher: Canberra; ANU E Press; 2009
• Publication Date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1921666080
• ISBN 13: 9781921666087
• Binding: Soft cover
• Seller catalogs:
  • Australian Aborigines

About this title

Synopsis

Aboriginal approaches to the naming of places across Australia differ radically from the official introduced Anglo-Australian system. However, many of these earlier names have been incorporated into contemporary nomenclature, with considerable reinterpretations of their function and form. Recently, state jurisdictions have encouraged the adoption of a greater number of Indigenous names, sometimes alongside the accepted Anglo-Australian terms, around Sydney Harbour, for example. In some cases, the use of an introduced name, such as Gove, has been contested by local Indigenous people. The 19 studies brought together in this book present an overview of current issues involving Indigenous placenames across the whole of Australia, drawing on the disciplines of geography, linguistics, history, and anthropology. They include meticulous studies of historical records, and perspectives stemming from contemporary Indigenous communities. The book includes a wealth of documentary information on some 400 specific placenames, including those of Sydney Harbour, the Blue Mountains, Canberra, western Victoria, the Lake Eyre district, the Victoria River District, and southwestern Cape York Peninsula.