There were, of course, attempts to engage and learn, but eventually these were to give way to violence and attempts to wipe out what were seen as ‘uncivilised’ peoples and to ‘smooth the pillow of a dying race’. When migloos (white people) first came here they had no sense of recognition, or connectedness or regard for our Aboriginal civilisation. I had the sense that these men and women were discovering not only how to do their work as explorers, but how to give and show respect, to consult, to take advice from their subjects, and also how to understand the violent past of Australia’s invasion and dispossession. Some of the work, of course, was controversial, notably that of Rhys Jones and Richard Gould, but no-one can deny the desire of these archaeological explorers to discover evidence and then to share it, and all this with a deep respect and awe about how Aboriginal people survived over millennia in this continent of diverse and difficult environments. I was extremely touched by Isobel McBryde’s underlying social justice purpose and by John Mulvaney’s desire to show an ancient past of deep proportions that were not known or cared about when explorations began in the mid-20 th century. It also shows the tenacity with which these men and women persevered in their scholarship. The book gives the rest of Australia an idea of what it takes for archaeologists – scientific explorers of the environment – to do their work, to analyse their findings and complete their research. In this book he has eloquently shared the works of these early scientific explorers and their findings – some controversial, some definitive – and has told a story of the deep connections Western archaeologists have found to our ancient past. We share with our children and grandchildren what it was like before the white man came – and what has changed.īilly Griffiths discovered an early passion on archaeological digs. Scientists carbon date the artefacts, bones, carvings, and skeletons they find to ascertain timelines, but we tell our oral history, passed on from generation to generation, about this ancient landscape. We Aboriginal people know we populated this continent from time immemorial – or, as Western scientists like to say, 80 000 plus years.

This book reaches into the deep, deep past of ancient Australia through telling stories of the first group of Australian archaeologists who examined our potent natural and geographical landscape to ascertain the secrets of Aboriginal culture. Tjanara Goreng Goreng reviews Deep Time Dreaming: Uncovering Ancient Australia, by Billy Griffiths Tjanara Goreng Goreng* ‘This book about Australian archaelogy and archaelogists is a gift to all of us’, Honest History, 10 April 2018

Deep time dreaming billy griffiths