The Future Eaters: An Ecological History of the Australasian Lands and People

Book Description

Humans first settled the islands of Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and New Guinea some sixty millennia ago, and as they had elsewhere across the globe, immediately began altering the environment by hunting and trapping animals and gathering fruits and vegetables. In this illustrated iconoclastic ecological history, acclaimed scientist and historian Tim Flannery follows the environment of the islands through the age of dinosaurs to the age of mammals and the arrival of humanity on its shores, to the coming of European colonizers and the advent of the industrial society that would change nature's balance forever. Penetrating, gripping, and provocative, The Future Eaters is a dramatic narrative history that combines natural history, anthropology, and ecology on an epic scale. "Flannery tells his beautiful story in plain language, science-popularizing at its Antipodean best." -- Times Literary Supplement "Like the present-day incarnation of some early-nineteenth-century explorer-scholar, Tim Flannery refuses to be fenced in." -- Time

Customer Reviews:

Informative and interesting.......2005-09-27

This book is fascinating and very readable. Flannery teaches us quite a bit about the ecological history of Australasia for the past few tens of thousands of years. We learn about the flora and fauna, and about the impact of the people who rely on the fertility of the land to survive. We see examples of how human populations fared in places such as Tasmania and Easter Island, where they became isolated and started to run out of resources.

It is not surprising that some populations have increased until they affected the viability of the ecosystems. But we also see that many populations have not simply grown until there was a catastrophic shortage of resources, followed by a nearly complete population collapse. And we see that even moderate populations can collapse catastrophically.

One famous example of the collapse of a moderate population comes not from Australasia, but from England. The population nearly vanished there in the sixth century AD. Flannery cites one of the very few relics from the centuries immediately following this disaster, a poem fragment called "The Ruin." The author quotes from this poem, and quite properly shows that the author could not imagine how the people of only a few centuries earlier could have built what had clearly been an imposing structure. Of course, such structures were in fact built in Roman times. When the Romans left, the population went down considerably in the chaos that followed. And after that, one or more plagues almost totally depopulated England (by the way, although Flannery does not mention it, the author of the Ruin seems to have been aware of this latter fact).

Well, what does Flannery think a good population for Australia ought to be? He cites various sources that feel a maximum population for the country ought to be anywhere from 10 million to about 480 million. The present population of Australia is about 20 million, and the author is concerned about the potential inability of Australia to support such a population indefinitely, especially were the place isolated.

I agree that Flannery's concern is legitimate. In addition, I think we humans now have the ability to increase the population of Australia to far more than the land could hold after some major mishap. After all, plenty of sunlight falls on Australia. We're capable of using that sunlight for power. And we can use that power to desalinate water and pump it all over the place. That could result in fundamental changes to the ecosystem. In my opinion, these technological advances might easily allow a population of 500 million or more in Australia. And that population would remain stable until something went wrong. I think it's a scenario worth considering.

I recommend this book.

the book should be judged--not the writer.......2003-09-12

As a reader who admires good writing, and the effort that goes into writing a decent (popularized) account of a field, I take exception to the New Zealand reviewer's gossip of the author as a basis for judging the merit of this book.

Frankly, what "the Lady" with the goods on Tim Flannery had to say about the author is irrelevant to the book and a nasty way of going about discrediting a man who has solid claims to the field he is writing about. It says more about the woman than it does about Mr Flannery. That envy and backbiting is a seemingly inevitable consequence of competition among researchers (whether in the sciences or the humanities) is bad enough; that it gets passed on by readers who take vicious gossip at face value just shows how ideas are less important than the "dirt" one can spread.

Perhaps the previous reader can take the time to look up "ad hominem" and then consider the motives of the lady who claimed special privileged knowledge. The consider his own standards of judgment.

As for the book itself, the reviews already written give a good indication of what you get.

A Superb "Biography" of Australasia.......2003-07-04

Tim Flannery has written what can only be described as a the most comprehensive history imaginable of the lands making up present-day Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and New Caledonia. His fascinating account starts with the earliest breakaway of those lands from the super continent Gondwana, more than forty million years ago, and goes right up to the present-day, ending with Flannery's recommendations for preserving Australia's unique ecology.

Despite this mind-blowing multimillion-year scope of a territory covering an enormous area, the book never falters in its readability or interest. Much of it is highly speculative (as even the author occasionally admits), but Flannery presents enough evidence to make his hypotheses almost always seem plausible. I most enjoyed the comparison of the ecologies of New Caledonia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and Australia -- despite their proximity, they are entirely different places, and those differences are reflected in their histories. Flannery's account of the destruction of megafauna in Australia and New Zealand is also well-told.

There should be more of these kinds of books: "biographies" of not just a land, but an entire continent (and its neighbors). Flannery has also written a similar book on North America, called "The Eternal Frontier", that rivals this book in its scope and excellence, but with that single exception, I can't think of any other ecological history that does such a fine job over so wide a range.

The insatiable predator.......2003-04-08

With a sweeping gesture, Flannery dispels one of modern mythology's most cherished ideals. The image of the "Noble Savage," living intimately and in harmony with his surroundings is demolished by the evidence. Instead, Flannery shows how the intrusions of humans into previously unoccupied lands led to mass slaughters and the extinctions of countless species. His study covers the vast territories of the South Pacific - continents, large islands and archipeligoes - examining geology, weather and climate, flora and fauna. After completing this book, you will have a new view of our ancestors and how humanity has viewed nature.

In describing how humans have revised the face of the globe, Flannery begins in deep time. Tracing the breakup of Gondwanaland into what he deems Meganesia and Tasmantis - Australasia and the Pacific islands. For millions of years, life there evolved in unique ways. Isolated from the rest of the planet, Australia produced large marsupial mammals and giant bird species. Why did they disappear without apparent cause? After an examination of the likely candidates, climate being the most frequently cited, Flannery finds a different cause - humans. Fossils in Australia show that the large animals disappeared before the onset of the last glaciation. The extinctions, however, parallel the invasion of the continent by humans, people now known as the Aborigines. In one sense, the loss of the large animals forced the invaders to adapt a less predatory lifestyle. Mobility increased along with more selective hunting practices to maintain sustainable levels of supply. In studying these techniques, Flannery is able to move on to the subject of land management in today's world.

Although Australia's evolutionary path was unique, the lessons derived from studying events there may be applied globally, according to Flannery. Adaptation is an ongoing process, whether for "wildlife" or "civilized" humanity. Change forces that process. He aknowledges that in recent times change is more rapid and intrusive. We need to understand what impact those changes have and what, if any, adaptations are taking place. This book thus becomes and educational tool to help protect our own future. It is his recommendations for action that makes this book far more valuable than as simply a study of extinctions.

Flannery's many years of field studies granted him the essential background for this book. However, it isn't simply a dreary recounting of how we've ravaged the globe. His sense of beauty and love of life is vividly imparted in a deep personal sense. You join him in his travels in New Zealand, New Guinea and other Australasian lands. His fine descriptive powers and detailed knowledge combine to make this an excellent read. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Great Southern Lands.......2001-11-19

Tim Flannery's book on the ecological history of the `Australasian lands' (Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, New Caledonia, with bits and pieces on islands such as Christmas Island, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, etc), is both timely and refreshing. It is a good and current overview of argument and debate concerning the complex interplay of ecological and cultural forces shaping these parts of the world, from before human influence, to the times these lands were invaded at various times by homo sapien from at least 40,000-60,000 years ago (New Guinea earlier), to the present. It is very frank about the current state of these lands, in terms of environmental degradation, and what things could be done about it. It is quite controversial, and as someone who works in issues concerning biodiversity, ecology and resource sustainability, I can tell you much of the material is cutting-edge, complex, and controversial at times. In many instances Flannery is speculative and original, but often entertaining. He does back his theories and views up with substantial argument and evidence, and it is this which makes the book a cut above the ordinary.

One particular feature of the book worth emphasising is just how different these lands really are in terms of ecology, compared to most of the rest of the world. Not only is the flora and fauna, both extinct and living, somewhat unusual, but in, for example Australia, the climate, the influence of fire, the poor fertility or soils, and the part these factors have played in shaping the ecological past is rather surprising at times. Maladaptation of modern culture to these sorts of things is also particularly striking (for example seasonal agriculture in non-seasonal climate-early Australian colonisers, tropical agriculture in cold temperate climate-early polynesians in New Zealand). Of course early colonisers wanted, in the case of Australia, to create a `little Britain', so to speak, except that it is obvious after 200-odd years of settlement (and some of this has been rather odd), it isn't western Europe. Later idealists wanted another North America-Australia is similar in size to the USA, but it isn't in natural ecology.

The book is very detailed and quite complex to describe in short review. It includes chapters on early megafaunal and other extinctions from the arrival of early man in all locales, through to the present. It speculates about early human migrations to Australia, backed up for example by sediment cores from three interesting locales in Australia (Lake George particularly interesting). Discussions of diprotodon, megalania (an extinct 7m long lizard), giant moa, an extinct New Caledonian land crocodile, and 3m high kangaroos are some highlights. It is a complex story, but readers will be delighted in the unusual flora and fauna, the misguided `invasions', the arrogance, the trials, the failures and the astounding successes alike. Some particularly interesting parts for me was the demise of the New Zealand Moa-the worlds largest extinct bird, the story of virgin Lord How Island- first seen by humans of any kind in 1788, the discovery that many of Australia's marsupials descended from South America (ancient Gondwana in origin), the extraordinary array of New Zealands birds in the absence of evolving mammals, the degree of evolved co-operation amongst Australia's biota (for example self-sacrifice, and strange examples of symbiosis), and the story of Easter Island and its human contact.

There is a lot of controversial and complex stuff here, but it is well argued. Flannery speculates for example that Wallace's line played an important part in the `great leap forward', which I admit I didn't quite follow, with early agriculture in the New Guinea area, which spread outwards. I didn't agree with his assessment of firestick farming and agriculture in prehistoric Australia, and in this he differs from Diamond (The Third Chimpanzee/Guns Germs and Steel) in the reasons agriculture never developed in prehistoric Australia. He asserts that the reason agriculture didn't kick start in early Australia is due to poor soils, unpredictable climate (ENSO), and the prevalence of natural fire, not the lack of available biota. I don't think he is quite correct here, it is more likely competitive selection pressures, both *cultural* and ecological, in addition to isolation, did not facilitate development of the varities found in Australia, as compared to Eurasia. I also don't think his description of Australia's mineral wealth as a `one-off', is quite correct. `Mineral wealth' changes with technology, market and cultural factors. He also seems to miss evidence of some megafauna existing well after the arrival of aborigines in Australia, (it is a large and scattered ecological landmass) which I have come across elsewhere (eg Coonabarabran). I am also not sure of his view that high urbanisation in Australia is a modern maladaptation to the ENSO climate. He emphasises the influence of fire in Australian ecology, but perhaps over-emphasises in parts (his house was burnt down in a bushfire whilst writing the book, which may explain this!)

Book Description

Egyptologist Stephen S. Mehler has spent over 30 years researching the answers to these questions: • Was there a advanced prehistoric civilization in ancient Egypt? • Who were the people who built the great pyramids? • Who carved the Great Sphinx? • Did the pyramids serve as energy devices and not as tombs for kings?

Mahler believes the answers are "Yes!" An indigenous oral tradition still exists in Egypt, he has been able to uncover and study it with the help of a living master of this tradition, Abd'El Hakim Awyan. He has also been given permission to share these teachings -presented heretofore in fragments by other researchers-to the Western World, teachings that unfold a whole new understanding of ancient Egypt.

Customer Reviews:

"The Secrets of Water": the Water-Man.......2002-04-22

Stephen Mehler's research, spanning over 30+ years, indicate that whenever there is a so-called "Power Place", sacred site or Vortex on Earth - three things will always be found. Flowing water, a source of natural crystal, and igneous rock (itself a source of crystal) - these three elements are found at every major site in Egypt, not by any accident. His major theme in the book is that the ancient Khemitian civilization, over 10,000 years old, was based on ANOTHER Nile River, in what is today called the Western Desert. The ancient Khemitians drilled miles of tunnels through limestone bedrock to divert this river to the present Nile Valley, and also built huge above ground aqueducts and channels to bring water to the sites. EVERY Per-Neter had water flowing into it to create acoustic harmonic resonance with each other . . . tremendous amounts of energy could be created this way.

This completely concurs with the evidence and functioning of the subterranean section of the Great Pyramid.

My copy of "The Land of Osiris" is highlighted thoughout. It is packed with solid new information.

Stephen's indigenous teacher, Abd'El Hakim Awyan, stated "Follow the water". Absolute truth.

Keeper of the indigenous traditions?.......2002-04-06

Abd'El Hakim Awyan is a tourist guide. Period. Albeit an excellent guide, I personally would be hesitant about the accuracy of Hakim's information. This comes from years of living in Egypt and observing how these "indigenous masters" work and how they interact with foreigners, as well as how they acquire their information about various topics. Besides, the indigenous peoples of Egypt are not the Egyptian villagers who live infront of the Sphinx. The true indigenous people are the rare bedouin tribes still roaming the deserts such as the Hamitic Beja tribes or the Berbers of the Siwah tribe....

Breath of Fresh Air.......2002-03-04

If you want a fresh understanding of Ancient Egypt, The Land of Osiris is your best guide. In this well-written book Stephen Mehler provides a new perspective of this ancient culture distilled from his own research spanning over 30 years plus the invaluable knowledge provided by Abd'el Hakim Awyan, a master of the oral indegenous tradition. Rather than Egyptology with its western outsider bias, Stephen believes that we need a new tradition, a new paradigm, which incorporates this living indigenous knowledge and chooses to call it Khemitology. I believe this is a bold and necessary departure because the dead weight of mainstream Egyptology simply does not answer the questions that need to be answered. To put it in different terms, who were the ancient Khemitians and what did they know? Stephen's book is an introduction to answering those questions.

So what does Stephen give us. As a matter of fact, there are many items of fact and deduction but I will suggest a few. He gives us the land of BU WZR, the Land of Osiris and what it entailed. He asserts that the culture may stretch as far back as 65,000 years ago. He defines and clearly delinates the difference between a place of power (per-neter), a place of burial (per-ka) and a house of worship (per-ba). In the process he corroborates Christopher Dunn's theory that the Great Pyramid was a place of power. He shows us a clear connection between the Maya and the Khemitians. From satellite-based maps he demonstrates the bed of the Ur-Nile or proto-Nile covered most of what is today western Egypt. From shards of limestone canals he was shown by Hakim, he claims that water was diverted from West to East. He argues that the Bu WZR pyramids may have been part of a huge Fibonacci spiral rather than a ground map of the heavens as asserted by Hancock and Bauval. And perhaps the biggest of all, he concludes that the Sphinx is very, very old. Hakim, in fact, believes that it is over 50,000 years old. If you think this is a stretch, read Our Cosmic Ancestors by Maurice Chatelain about numbers found in Assurbanipal's library which were known over 64,000 thousand years ago.

Stephen has provided an invaluable service and guidebook for all students of ancient Egypt. I highly recommend this book to all.

A great leap insight into history and archaeology of Egypt.......2002-02-26

The Land of Osiris by Stephen Mehler is a very outstanding book. It is in fact the first book on the actual history and pre-history of Egypt written on the basis of knowledge received from the keeper of indigenous traditions, Egyptian archaeologist with European education Abd'El Hakim. Paradoxically, by so far nobody of Egyptologists was interested in the true history retained by autochthonous keepers! The book astonishes the reader by a great quantity of names of people who have explored archaeology and history of ancient Egypt. The book shows that the author is encyclopedic learning and deep awareness of manifold branches both of science and human life. His talent for a wide comprehensive analysis is a rarity among researchers.

S. Mehler filled the book by startling photographs, which allow us to touch to pre-historical places of boiling life of ancient Khemitians, autochthonous population of Khemitia (called Egypt by antique Greeks). In particular, a great surprise is the photograph of traces of a pre-historical harbor located now among uninhabited sands. He also presents incontestable evidence about direct contacts between pre-historical American civilizations and Khemitians. Basing on Hakim's knowledge of the Khemitian language, S. Mehler gives the correct interpretation of many terms, which so far were perceived as absolutely faithful (pharaoh, tomb, pyramid, etc.). The deciphering conducted radically changes our taking of ancient Egypt and put the Khemitian history back where their history found it. The book also tells about the organization of Khemitian community as a society of people with equal right. We have learned about the structure of their community that possessed a very deep scientific knowledge, which was based on the harmonic coexistence of people with Nature, or more exactly, with the universe that they perceived as a universal organism.

In fact, The Land of Osiris is an actual breakthrough in Egyptology. Bravo, Mehler! The book awakes consciousness and that is why it is highly recommended to everybody, from amateurs to scientists, from young to adults. A deep book for deep people.

An intimate and astounding view of ancient Egypt!.......2002-01-31

The Land of Osiris restores to the Egyptian people their true proud heritage. Mehler looks at how research into the history of Egypt has been built on the opinions of non-indigenous people; foreigners who filtered what they saw with a chauvinism and superiority that was endemic to the invaders of this great land.

Not satisfied with the Greco-Roman model of the evolution of civilizations on this planet, Mehler began to study the oral tradition of the indigenous people of Egypt and learned that there was a hidden story waiting to be told. His book recounts this oral tradition and enlightens us to a much richer and older civilization than what we have been taught.

The Land of Osiris is a huge stepping stone in our journey to recover the wisdom of the ancient Khemitians (Egyptians).

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Enchanting tales of ancient and mystical New Zeland maoris.

Land of the Long White Cloud: Maori Myths, Tales and Legends
Kiri Te Kanawa , and Kiri Te Kanawa
Manufacturer: Arcade Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Folklore & Mythology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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Customer Reviews:

Enchanting tales of ancient and mystical New Zeland maoris........1998-07-15

This is a collection of tales and myths remembered from her childhood. The maori legends are richly told and beautifully, and sometimes frightenly, illustrated. Te Kanawa remains faithfull to the vivid storytelling ancestry she represents. Many of the heroes and villains are as real as the shadow in the night...the shadow that refuses to go away. While nominally directed at children, adults can certainly enjoy the tales while appreciating the illustrative efforts of her co-author. The marriage of story and picture have rarely been put to better use to maintain for posterity a fragile heritage.

Australia the Culture (Lands, Peoples, and Cultures)

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Australia the Culture (Lands, Peoples, and Cultures)
Erinn Banting
Manufacturer: Crabtree Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Australia & Oceania | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0778797139

Australia the People (Lands, Peoples, and Cultures)

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Australia the People (Lands, Peoples, and Cultures)
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Manufacturer: Crabtree Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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Laura Dolce
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Ngamatea: The Land and the People
Hazel Riseborough
Manufacturer: Auckland University Press
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King and People of Fiji (The Pasifika Library)

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King and People of Fiji (The Pasifika Library)
Joseph Waterhouse
Manufacturer: University of Hawaii Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Donald Thomson in Arnhem Land
Donald Thomson
Manufacturer: Melbourne University Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

This collection presents the personal writings of Donald Thomson, an Australian who became embroiled in a bitter legal battle that erupted in 1932 when a group of Japanese pearl fishermen raped a number of Aboriginal women. Arnhem Land Aboriginals retaliated by killing five of the Japanese and were subsequently sentenced to death. Thomson accepted a federal commission to investigate the case, and, by communicating with the Aboriginals, managed to defuse the situation and secure their liberation. The account of Thomson's first meeting with the Aboriginal leader Wongo tells of the electric exchange and eventual friendship that Thomson developed with Wongo, a partnership that enabled him to study local customs and language. Thomson's writing is unique in that it offers a full picture of Aboriginal peoples, presenting them as individuals and active agents in local history.

Indigenous Peoples' Rights in Australia, Canada and New Zealand

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Indigenous Peoples' Rights

Indigenous Peoples' Rights in Australia, Canada and New Zealand

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0195584074

Book Description

Indigenous Peoples' Rights in Australia, Canada and New Zealand aims to provide a contemporary and contextual survey and analysis of the legal and political interaction between the British settler, states of Australia, Canada and New Zealand, and the indigenous First Nation peoples they dispossessed. The text consists of a collection of commissioned essays, each focusing on a particular aspect of the relationship between the settler state and indigenous peoples. The contributors pose fundamental questions about the role of imposed legal and political institutions, both in continuing a process of colonial domination and in contributing to the progressive emancipation of indigenous peoples. The text includes sections on: indigenous peoples' perspectives on sovereignty, self-determination, and co-existence; a historical overview of settlement; comparative political jurisprudence and contemporary ethno-politics; the contemporary social impact of colonization; the administration of indigenous affairs; and constitutionalizing indigenous rights.

Customer Reviews:

Indigenous Peoples' Rights.......2000-05-09

If you are concerned to understand Indigenous Peoples' Rights from a perpsective that distinguishes an historical, cultural and legal issues and developments, buy this book. It is a carefully edited and well organised collection in which the 20 contributors explore commonalities of experiences under colonialism and social and legal moves towards self-determination in countries with a similar legal and constitutional history. However the collection does not gloss over differences in indenous peoples' experiences within these jurisdictions, and this aspect not only provides stark and thoughtful contrasts, it exposes ongoing problems for governance and social relations.

Paul Havemann provides several chapters that comprise an historical and thematic framework for the close analysis in the six sections that cover: Public International Law; Sovereignty, Self-Determination, and Coexistence; the impact of colonial settlement in the Anglo-Commonwealth; Indigenous Peoples' Rights Claims; the relationships between criminalisation of indigenous peoplss and colonisation; administering citizenship and self-determination and constitutional issues arising from indigenous rights claims. In each of these sections, well known writers including Ranginui Walker, Marcia Langton, Alan Ward and Paul Chartrand analyse the specificities of the experiences of indigenous peoples in their national contexts.

What is especially satisfying (and challenging) about this collection is its attention to detailed analysis, lack of generality and avoidance of stereotyping and puffery. Although there is not an exhaustive coverage of the heterogeneity of indigenous viewpoints, the collection avoids caricature of key differences and demands the reader pay attention to historical complexity in both indigenous narratives as well as the contested nature of law as it's developed in each context. The collection requires time and thought to fully digest, since its multi-dimensional methodology has the reader aware throughout of many further research possibilities opened up by the questions raised. It is an exciting and intelligent contribution to debates about 'rights', 'indigeniety', 'self-determination' and international law.

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