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attention and make learning Social Studies (of which Australian history is a part of)
interesting and enjoyable. Two criticisms of this narrative is that it does simplify Indigenous
cultures into one homogenous group and it removes the important role women played in
Indigenous cultures, by casting Kooloona as a solitary man. This could be improved by being
clear about which part of Australia the narrative is referring to as topics of clothing, shelter
and food vary according to the geographical location of particular tribal groups; and by
including information about the role of women, perhaps by including a female character.
However, notwithstanding this, this narrative does provide an alternative, against the grain
reading of Indigenous representations compared with other textbooks from the era.
Furthermore, it would not be in the spirit of the narrative to focus solely on this simplification
of cultures and omission of gender roles in an analysis aligned with the purpose of this
project, where there is significant learning opportunities presented to students.
Characteristics attributed to Kooloona position him as a self-sufficient warrior, with an
example reading:
Beside him lay his woomera, boomerang and stone axe. Around him stood the forest
as it had always stood. Beneath him lay the soil that his ancestors’ feet had trodden
for countless ages.
...
Kooloona’s weapons were his most prized possessions. With them he could
kill the game he needed...
...
His needs were very simple. The creatures he caught and the seeds and roots he
gathered, the plant fibres he twisted into twine, the sheets of bark he cut for his
gunyah, and the wood, stone, sinew, bone, and teeth he used in making his tools and
weapons—these had real value for him. (Department of Education, 1955/1966, p. 5)
This narrative is included as a way to introduce students to the topic, Natural Resources. The
inclusion of the story of Kooloona is legitimized in two ways. First, the narrative is
representative of the original inhabitants of Australia who selected those natural resources
which held value for their needs and used them accordingly. Second, the narrative is used as a
tool to teach students that knowledges are non-hierarchical and value is placed on resources
for different reasons according to the needs and wants of different groups of people. The
perspective attributed to the topic of Natural Resources is clearly non-judgemental, and
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