Health: Spirit, Country and Culture

For thousands of generations the wellbeing of Australia’s First Peoples was grounded in the sacred lands of Mother Earth. Good health occurred naturally because lifestyle and diet were connected to Country and culture. Colonisation damaged this connection, but much is being done to rebuild it.

The First Knowledges series offers an introduction to Indigenous knowledges in vital areas and their application to the present day and the future. Exploring practices such as songlines, architecture, design, land management, plants, astronomy and law, this series brings together two very different ways of understanding the world: one ancient and ongoing, the other modern. The eighth book focuses on health and wellbeing.

Health explores concepts that are not tied to Western practices, as it delves into birthing, end-of-life care and other Indigenous cultural rituals. The authors highlight the role of Aboriginal leadership and Eldership in decision making about health care and explore the strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander resistance and resilience.

Through their storytelling and their decades of research and health practice, Shawana Andrews, Sandra Eades and Fiona Stanley show how Aboriginal knowledges foster a path for self-determined healthy futures.

About the author

Associate Professor Shawana Andrews, PhD is a Pairrebeenne/Trawlwoolway woman of the Tasmanian Coastal Plains Nation. She is Director of the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and Associate Dean (Indigenous) at The University of Melbourne.

Professor Sandra Eades, PhD, AO, FASSA, FAHMS, FTSE is a Noongar woman from Mount Barker, WA. As well as Deputy Dean (Indigenous) at The University of Melbourne, she is a Professor at the Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health.

Professor Fiona Stanley, AC, FAA, FASSA, FAHMS is Founding Director and Patron of the Telethon Kids Institute; Distinguished Research Professor, UWA; Hon Professorial Fellow, The University of Melbourne; and Scientific Advisor, Doctors for the Environment. She was named Australian of the Year in 2003.

Shawana Andrews, Sandra Eades and Fiona Stanley
Published October 2024
Paperback
240 pages
130mm x 198cm
ISBN 9781760763404