We Won the Victory: Aborigines and outsiders on the North-West Coast of the Kimberley.(Book Review)

We Won the Victory: Aborigines and outsiders on the North-West Coast of the Kimberley Ian M. Crawford Fremantle Arts Centre Press, North Fremantle, WA, 2002, 335pp., ISBN 1 863 68344 5

Crawford, who writes that he is now a 'retired' archaeologist, demonstrates a unique combination of archaeological knowledge and oral historical communication with his Aboriginal friends. The friendly as well as ethically sensible narrative starts in the title of the first chapter 'Enjoying the Journey'--I instantly liked it.

This book explores the dynamic history of Aboriginal-outsiders relations on the coastal part of the Kimberley. Such 'outsiders' include Indonesians (Macassans), explorers, missionaries, pearlers, pastoralists, beachcombers, military people, and most recently, the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM). Crawford 'sadly' put the present appearance of CALM in …