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Trees and connection

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Trees and connection

Subjects: Geography, History, Science, Technologies
Years: 5–6, 7–8, 9–10

Bruce Pascoe explains his connection to Country and introduces us to a family of trees.

Learn about the importance of trees, their cultural significance and how we can read their histories.

Pascoe introduces us to the idea that the Country is our mother and that trees are family.

In what ways is Pascoe's relationship with the Earth similar to or different from yours?

Things to think about

  1. 1.What do you think "connection to Country" means?

  2. 2.Consider the way Aboriginal people used bark to make a shield or coolamon. What does the scar on the grey box tree tell us?

  3. 3.

    In this video, Pascoe says everything is related and nothing is dead. What do you think he means by this?

View the full Bruce Pascoe: Aboriginal Agriculture, Technology and Ingenuity collection.

Teachers

In 2014, Bruce Pascoe wrote a book called Dark Emu that challenged the belief that the First Australians were hunter-gatherers. In researching his book, Bruce examined the journals of the early explorers and found evidence of a complex civilisation that was using sophisticated technologies to live, farm and manage the land.

Researchers continue to discover new evidence of the earliest human occupation of Australia.

Acknowledgements

All videos produced by Tim Purdie and Beth Shepherd for ABC Education.


Production Date: 2019

Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation 2019 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

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