Take the time to view and explore the resources below suggested for your area of expertise. Don’t forget to put on your headphones as you may be listening to audio files or watching short videos. As you use each link, it might be helpful to reflect in your learning journal about key ideas or words you hear or see. Remember, you are going to use the information you gather to collaborate as a team to create a garden design. Refer back to the questions and issues listed under your area to help guide your research. The idea is for you to acknowledge and honour indigenous culture in some way … 

Some questions and issues for you to consider when researching your area:

• What is ‘bush tucker’?
• How have indigenous peoples been able to renew and replenish the natural environment over thousands of years (sustainability)?
• How have indigenous groups been able to pass on the skills and knowledge related to food and bush tucker for so many thousands of years?
• What techniques did indigenous peoples use to ensure they didn’t consume anything poisonous or harmful?
• Could you/we survive if we only relied on the natural environment for our food?
• What are the benefits of using the natural environment as a source of food?
• Are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples still using the natural environment the way they were before European settlement?
• What are some of the most significant or useful plants for this area of focus?
• Consider how you/we use or interact with nature in relation to gathering food.
• How do you feel about how much/how little you use or interact with nature for food?

Important to note: many native plants used by Aboriginal peoples contain toxins for which they had developed preparation techniques to neutralise their effects.

Resources and Links:

• This link might give you inspiration for plants with bush tucker uses on your garden design: Aboriginal Trail Information on plant uses – from Australian National Botanic Gardens:

http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/visiting/exploring/walks/aboriginal-trail/index.html

• Explore the links here on the Bangerang Cultural Centre Site (Australia’s first Aboriginal museum) You’ll find lots of information about all kinds of bush tucker:

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~bangercc/bushtucker.html

• Table of various foods (including animals eaten and how) – from Bangerang Cultural Centre:

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~bangercc/bushtuckerlist.html 

• Use the Interactive Map of Australian Bush foods (click on the map to display information) – from AusBushFoods to find what bush food might be native you the part of Australia where you live:

http://www.ausbushfoods.com/old/map/index.html

• You can learn about how chefs today use Bush Foods from Australian Chef Mark Olive (who is otherwise known as “The Black Olive”):

http://www.blackolive.net.au

• If you explore this website futher you’ll find a terrific Native herb index:

http://www.blackolive.net.au/native-herb-index/

• Video: Mark Olive cooking using native herbs with guests: Composer/Actor David Page, Actor/Director Wayne Blair, and Professor/Writer Anita Heiss: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buBhzN0TZCY

• List of Aboriginal Bush Foods - from The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust (Sydney):

http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/plant_info/aboriginal_bush_foods

• Different Bush Food Species - from Society for the Growing of Australian Plants: 

• Bush Foods in the Garden Fact Sheet - from ABC’s Gardening Australia TV program:

http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s839492.htm

• Aboriginal Cooking Techniques – from Australian National Botanic Gardens Education Services:

http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/education/programs/pdfs/aboriginal-cooking-techniques-2006.pdf

• The Grass Tree: Its Uses and Abuses - from Society for the Growing of Australian Plants

http://asgap.org.au/APOL33/mar04-5.html

• Aboriginal Plant Use – from Australian National Botanic Gardens Education Services: (Click on the individual plant name to display more information)

http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/visiting/exploring/walks/

aborig.s.e.aust/s.e.a.mapkey.html

• Aboriginal Use of Wattles – from Australian National Botanic Gardens Education Services:

http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/education/programs/pdfs/aboriginal-use-of-wattles.pdf

• Bush Tucker Website - developed by Larapinta Primary School, Alice Springs:

• Aboriginal Trail Information on plant uses – from Australian National Botanic Gardens: This site will give you a lot of ideas about which plants might be suitable in your own garden design.  Don’t forget to list both the botanical name and cultural uses:

http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/visiting/exploring/walks/aboriginal-trail/index.html

• Australian Edible Plants - from Society for the Growing of Australian Plants:

http://asgap.org.au/APOL35/sep04-2.html

• Where now for bush foods? -  from the Society for the Growing of Australian Plants:

http://asgap.org.au/APOL18/jun00-1.html

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