Page 68 - Fall2013

All Thumbs Book Reviews

The Biggest Estate on Earth flushed kangeroo and other animals for hunters,
How Aborigines Made Australia created habitat for game, and destroyed habitat
By Bill Gammage when certain species became too numerous.
Allen & Unwin Germane to our discussions of the "paleo-
lithic" diet, this stone age people created fields of
When the Europeans came to Australia, they wild grain, usually millet, some stretching for as
were amazed at what they found―a beautiful much as one thousand acres. They harvested the
country, parklike in appearance, with fertile grain with stone knives, leaving the straw in what
open pastures, often attractively ribboned with resembled haystacks, and stored this important
belts of trees, alternating with areas of impen- foodstuff. Likewise they cultivated dozens of
etrable brush accessed by occasional open tracks species of wild yam and tended areas of berries
ending in cul de sacs. Waterways were dammed and fruit.
to form meadows, wells protected by earthen Where did the Aborigines obtain their
structures, river banks were cleared. Game, birds knowledge? How did they know what to do? It
and fish abounded. came from the Dreaming, they explained to the
The Europeans thought they had discov- uncomprehending white man, and the Dreaming,
ered a natural paradise, but over time, fertility the supersensible world, wanted them, first and
declined, overstocking denuded the plains, and foremost, to care for the land. Land care was the
many of the open areas reverted to thick, ungov- most important role of human beings on earth.
erned brush. It is only in recent times that Euro- While repetitive―Gammage takes care to
peans will admit that the beautiful landscapes of include just about every early description of Aus-
Australia were created by the Aborigines, most tralia that he could find―The Biggest Estate on
frequently as family units working in coopera- Earth is nevertheless a fascinating page-turner,
tion with other family units, to sculpt the earth, absolute must reading for anyone interested in
mainly using the tool of fire. "primitive" habits, attitudes and diet. Inspiring
The use of fire was a great art―some areas as well as informative, the Aboriginal peoples of
needing yearly burnings, and some requiring fire Australia offer us a template for the future, of a
only at intervals of ten years or more. Fire cleared land fully scuplted and managed, perhaps with
brush, returned minerals to the soil, brought other tools than fire, but a land that is fertile,
up green grass, kept insect populations at bay, varied and beautiful. Review by Sally Fallon Morell

access to healthier foods. . . .Stop marketing food in school vending machines as a better choice for kids. But studies show
to kids. And get rid of health claims on food that aspartame, the main non-caloric sweetener in the U.S. food supply, has
packages too.” the same effect on blood sugar as sucrose (table sugar), and an unhealthy
We just wonder how they define “healthier effect on insulin levels. So it looks like aspartame-laden drinks should not
foods” considering that they recommend lowfat be considered a healthy choice despite their no-calorie content. It would
dairy products as nutrient-dense and good qual- seem that Marion Nestle, her co-author and Coca-Cola have become strange
ity food. bedfellows in the ongoing conversation about calories.
This summer Coca-Cola released a two- This book contributes very little to present knowledge on the subject
minute ad, "Coming Together," in which they say of calories, weight control and obesity, but only attempts to explain and
that all calories count, no matter what the source, reinforce outdated knowledge without consideration of new research or
and that if you eat too many calories you gain creative thought. We give Why Calories Count a definitive thumbs down.
weight. Coke points to their non-caloric drinks Review by Sylvia Onusic, PhD, CNS, LDN
66 Wise Traditions FALL 2013 FALL 2013 Wise Traditions

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