The Aboriginal ethnobotany of the South East of South Australia region. Part 3: mythology and language

Abstract

This paper is the third and final instalment in a series that provides an account of the Aboriginal ethnobotany of the South East of South Australia. It concerns the cultural use and perception of the flora as reflected in Aboriginal mythology and language. The role of plants in the regional Aboriginal cultural geography is investigated, drawing from a wide range of sources that includes the fragmented historical record, selected accounts from contiguous areas, and fieldwork conducted in the 1980s and 1990s. A list of Indigenous terms that are relevant to the flora is provided.