A Distant Field of Murder

Overview

Jan Critchett challenges some of strongly held opinions about Aboriginal culture: that their only shelters were frail mia-mias, that they were nomadic and had no attachment to a particular area of land, and that they were simple hunters and gatherers. With a particular focus on the Western District of Victoria, known under the Squatting Act as Portland Bay, Critchett begins and ends the book with the story of Hissing Swan or Kaawirn Kuunawarn.

Author Biography

Dr Jan Critchett is an Associate Professor of Australian Studies at Deakin University. She is also the author of Untold Stories (MUP 1994).