23/8/00
Visitors to the Pilbara can now get an appreciation of what the region means to the local Aboriginal people, through the pages of a new publication launched today (23 August) by Aboriginal Affairs Minister Dr Kim Hames.
The booklet “The Pilbara - Cradle of an Ancient Civilisation” was funded by the Aboriginal Affairs Department (AAD) and produced by the Pilbara Tourism Association.
Dr Hames congratulated the Pilbara Tourism Association on the quality of the 30-page publication, which covered Aboriginal history from its beginnings, some 30,000 years ago, to the present day.
“This is an excellent booklet - sympathetically written and providing a comprehensive background into the history of Aboriginal people in the Pilbara,” he said.
“It covers the extraordinary length of time Aboriginal people have been on the land and how they managed to live well off that land as well as focussing strongly on Aboriginal spirituality and family structures.
“It is especially successful in showing the affinity Aboriginal people have for the land.
“I was also pleased to see a section covering Aboriginal heritage sites, with a message about respecting and protecting those sites.”
Dr Hames said Aboriginal people had made a substantial contribution to the information in the booklet.
He felt the publication would help ensure that non-Aboriginal people, whether from Australia or overseas, had an understanding and appreciation of a heritage and culture that stretched back into the mists of time.
Media contact:
Sandy Gater - 9424 7455
AAD: Ken Suttie - 9235 8067
