Aboriginal Men of High Degree: Initiation and Sorcery in the World's Oldest Tradition

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book on a historical subject
Review: I deal in Australian artifacts and associated material, as well as studying the culture and beliefs of Aboriginal Society within Australia. Living in Australia I can verify a lot of facts this book contains, fisrt hand. It is well written, concise and accurate from cover to cover. It is a good starting point for anyone interested in the world's oldest tribal customs. A lot of the facts are based on the dreaming of the aboriginals and oral history. When read one must remember that some 'facts' are beliefs of the peoples, such as being able to fly, restoring limbs to bodies etc. If you have a basic knowledge of Aboriginal 'knowledge' this is one of the best books on the subject. It deasl mainly with beliefs and customs, not glossy coffee table book items. Well worth the money!!

Rating:
Summary: Awful. Badly written, boring
Review: This subject is fascinating. It is amazing that such a load of drivel could be written about it. The author is clearly an observer who has not been invited to participate in the knowledge of the subject by it's practitioners. Elkin's style is to list a bunch of claims over and over with no flow or emotion - If you are thinking about buying this book then please try to get a copy from the library first and sample it before wasting hard earned money. I totally recommend a book called Chamalu though - one of the best books I have ever read!