Ancestral Connections: Art and an Aboriginal System of Knowledge

Rating:
Summary: essential guide to Aboriginal religion and symbolism
Review: Dr. Howard Morphy's articles and books are consistently well researched and readable; Ancestral Connections is no exception. This book provides a fascinating and rewarding insight into thought system poorly understood by the average layperson. Although this book presupposes a bit of background knowledge of the social systems and cultures of Arnhem Land, a careful reading of this work will unveil a beautiful and intricate symbolic and artistic system, intimately binding the clans of the Yolngu people to their land and the great ancestral beings who created them. Numbering around 5,000 people organized into 40 clans, the Yolngu are one of the largest and most politically influential Aboriginal groups in Australia, and their social system and totemic organization is representative of many of the cultures of the Top End. Their are few detailed and anthropologically sound studies of Aboriginal thought accessible to the non-specialist; Ancestral Connections is highly recommended as it truly humanizes this poorly understood and complex society, so often subject to inaccurate characterization by the popular media and New Age movement. If you want to understand Aboriginal religion and its place in society, read this book...