Kimberley Bush Food
Edible Plants of the Kimberley Region of Western Australia
In an effort to preserve the traditional knowledge of bush food, authors Madison King and nurse educator, John Horsfall, have documented over 350 species of plants and fungi that were regularly gathered by the Indigenous peoples of the Kimberley region before and after colonisation.
Kimberley Bush Food is a valuable resource for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people interested in traditional bush food and alternative medicine. With comprehensive information on over 350 species, including images of each plant, this book is a practical guide to preserving traditional knowledge and using the plants and fungi of the Kimberley region for a healthier, more sustainable future.
Written by experts in the field, this book describes each species of plant and fungi, its nutritional benefits, and how it was used by the Indigenous people of the Kimberley region. It also includes detailed information on where to find these plants and fungi and how to prepare them for consumption.
With land clearing for crops and farming of sheep and cattle contributing to the extinction of many of these species, this guide offers a timely and important insight into traditional knowledge that has been passed down for thousands of years. This book is an essential read for anyone interested in Aboriginal culture, bush food, and preserving the knowledge of the past for future generations.
Madison King is an Aboriginal woman from the Kimberley’s. She is a Yawuru, Karajarri, Nykinaina, and Bunaba woman from the West Kimberley, and was raised in the East Kimberley on her father’s side. She holds a double degree in Psychology, Criminology, and Justice and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Law with Edith Cowan University. Most of her early childhood was spent between the remote town of Wyndham, in the East Kimberley, and the remote and isolated community of Oombulgurri, also known as Forrest River Mission, where she was taught the skills to survive, how to forage for food, star navigation, and tracking. Madison is passionate about the preservation and sharing of cultural knowledge and practise.
John Horsfall has had a long career as a Mental Health and General Nurse. He has taught at the Western Australian School of Nursing and, later, at the Curtin University Centre for Aboriginal Studies. He was the Training Coordinator at the Specialist Aboriginal Mental Health Service in Perth before retiring in 2013.
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