The point of spinifex : Aboriginal uses of spinifex grasses in Australia

Date
2012
Authors
Pitman, Heidi T.
Wallis, Lynley A.
Contributor
Advisor
Department
Instructor
Depositor
Speaker
Researcher
Consultant
Interviewer
Annotator
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Botany Department, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Volume
Number/Issue
Starting Page
Ending Page
Alternative Title
Abstract
For thousands of years spinifex grasses were utilized by Indigenous Australians, most commonly for the production of resin that was then used as a hafting adhesive. While varying levels of knowledge about this particular use are retained in Indigenous communities, museum collections serve as a valuable repository of little known information about a multitude of other uses of spinifex including ornamental, medicinal, structural and ceremonial functions. In this paper we describe the range of uses of spinifex, based on examinations of objects and photographs held in various museum collections, coupled with reviews of the ethnographic and ethnohistoric literature. This study (1) brings together disparate sources of knowledge about Indigenous uses of spinifex that are not well known among the scientific community and (2) demonstrates the value of museum collections for Indigenous communities seeking to ‘reconnect’ with aspects of so-called ‘lost traditional culture’.
Description
Keywords
Hawaiians--Ethnobotany--Periodicals., Ethnobotany--Hawaii--Periodicals., Plants, Medicinal--Periodicals., Ethnobotany--Periodicals.
Citation
Pitman HT, Wallis LA. 2012. The point of spinifex: Aboriginal uses of spinifex grasses in Australia. Ethnobotany Research & Applications 10: 109-131.
Extent
24 pages
Format
Geographic Location
Time Period
Related To
Table of Contents
Rights
Rights Holder
Local Contexts
Email libraryada-l@lists.hawaii.edu if you need this content in ADA-compliant format.