Tamarra : A Story of Termites on Gurindji Country
Discover the hidden world of termites through the lens of both Western Science & Indigenous Ecological Knowledge
Tamarra: A Story of Termites on Gurindji Country is a fascinating book that takes readers inside the life of termites through Indigenous Knowledge, Western Science, storytelling and art.
Created as a collaboration between over 30 First Nations and non-Indigenous contributors (including Dr. Gregory Crocetti), the story and artworks explore how termites and their mounds connect different parts of Country, from tiny Gurindji babies and their loving grandmothers, to spiky spinifex grasses growing in the hot sun.
Written in traditional Gurindji, Gurindji Kriol and English (with a QR code linked to the audio), Tamarra is a truly original story with beautiful artwork that takes readers on an educational and cultural journey through Gurindji Country. *More about the book*
Each workshop includes:
a reading of the story by co-author Dr. Gregory Crocetti
a Q&A session, exploring the Indigenous Ecological Knowledge Western Science behind the story
a creative activity, where students re-create a termite mound using plasticine and sticks to build different types of termites
a behind-the-scenes introduction to how the book was created
**Copies of Tamarra are available with school visits or online through Hardie Grant Books
THEMES
The main themes of the book include:
Medicine is practised differently by different cultures:
Country nurtures (reciprocal) relationships between humans, other animals, plants and bacteria, which rely on each other to survive
Termites are social insects with different roles and stages of their life cycle
