Tasting the delights of desert raisin
A unique report written in both in the Alyawarr Aboriginal
language and English marks a new milestone in Australia’s
efforts to perpetuate the deep knowledge and cultural heritage of
desert Aboriginal people.
Titled Angka akatyerr-akert: A Desert raisin report, it
offers Australians from other backgrounds a rare chance to share
the insights, wisdom and cultural traditions of our desert people,
courtesy of nine members of the Alyawarr people from Ampilatwatja
in central Australia, a translator and researchers of the Desert
Knowledge CRC.
It tells the story of one of the most significant and
increasingly valuable native fruits, the Desert raisin – also
known as the bush tomato – from the perspective of the people
who for countless generations have watched over, guarded,
encouraged and harvested it.
“It offers us a first-hand insight into the detail and
complexity of Aboriginal knowledge and practice associated with a
species that forms an important part of the desert landscape and
the cultures that depend on it,” explains project leader Dr
Fiona Walsh of DKCRC and CSIRO. “It is one of the few
Australian research documents written in an Aboriginal language and
English.”
The report has three aims – to record some of the skill
and insight of Alyawarr people, to help keep their traditional
knowledge and practices alive for future generations, and as a way
of thanking them for their generosity in sharing their knowledge,
Fiona explains.
With colourful pictures, original Alyawarr commentary and an
English translation Angka akatyerr-akert: A Desert raisin
report takes the reader on a vivid journey into the past,
present and future of the deserts, through a gathering expedition
for one of their most reliable of food sources.
It describes how, for thousands of years, Aboriginal people
burned patches of desert to promote the growth of Akatyerr
(Desert raisin or bush tomato) explaining how nowadays bushfire
regulations limit this, making the fruit harder to find. It
describes the different creatures that depend on them (emus and
bush turkeys), where the fruit can mostly be found and how to
harvest, process, prepare and store them.
“It’s like an iceberg,” Fiona says.
“Beneath a simple food story sits an enormous wealth of
knowledge and experience, stretching back through time – one
that illuminates our understanding of the depth of the connections
between the Alyawarr and their country.”
Another reason for sharing their harvest story is the growing
consumer demand, both in Australia and round the world, to sample
the delights of desert fare. Traditionally, Alyawarr and other
desert people ate the fruits fresh or made them into seed cakes
that would keep for a year or more. Today the fruit is appearing in
shops and supermarkets in jams, sauces, dressings, marinades and
other products.
“Our report underlines the relevance of Aboriginal
knowledge and practice associated with Aboriginal plants and lands
to national food security, and also the need to find new crops that
suit a drying climate and growing deserts,” she says.
“It also highlights the importance of improving
Australia’s ecosystem management of desert lands with the
help of Aboriginal land management systems, which are a unique
repository of knowledge about species, landscape and
practices.”
The report is partly for non-Aboriginal people who wish to know
more about Aboriginal culture, desert food and how it is obtained,
she says. It is also designed as an educational tool for Aboriginal
children and non-Aboriginal children, to help keep cultural
knowledge alive in Australia and achieve wider recognition of the
special skills and knowledge of desert people. It includes
teacher’s notes with curriculum activities based upon the
plant and local knowledge.
She pays tribute to Edie Holmes, Eileen Bonney, Jilly Holmes,
Frank Holmes and other Alyawarr people whose wisdom and words the
report contains. Also to David Moore who translated it, her
co-author, Josie Douglas (CSIRO Aboriginal Research Fellow) and
teacher linguist Ange Harrison.
This report is now on the web at: http://www.desertknowledgecrc.com.au/publications/downloads/DKCRC_Angka-Akatyerr-akert_A-Desert-raisin-report.pdf
More information:
Fiona Walsh, DKCRC and CSIRO, ph 08 8950 7145 or 0403 868
426
Jan Ferguson, Managing Director, DKCRC, 08 8959 6041 or 0401 719
882
Craig James, General Manager Commercialisation and
Communication, DKCRC, 0408 838 194
Prof. Julian Cribb, DKCRC media, 0418 639 245
You have received this email because you are on the Media
Release mailing list for the DKCRC. If you no longer wish to
receive these emails, reply to the email with the word
'unsubscribe' in the subject line.
