Untouched for thousands of years, Australia continues to host some of the oldest and most captivating cultures on our planet to this very day: those of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. By the close of the 18th century and within a mere few decades, colonization abruptly terminates a way of life as ancient as the world itself, rupturing traditions and propelling entire communities into warfare, decline, and hopelessness. However, to the south of the expansive Australian continent, a vast and isolated island endures an even more dreadful fate: the utter vanishing of its original nation.
Tasmania serves as the stunning setting for the prehistoric series “The Forgotten Island Clan,” which envisions the foundation and endurance of a fictional clan across countless millennia, spanning both before and after the island's separation from the mainland. In the wake of climatic and ethnic changes, each book offers a chance to reveal the customs, beliefs, and wisdom of the Aboriginal people through the adventures of clan members who face new challenges. Indeed, the Traditional Owners of the ancestral lands of the southern island of Trowenna have cultivated rituals, artifacts, and an exceptionally rich culture over the ages. We are just starting to catch a glimpse of the complexity and mystery that it holds.
How did the women and men of the past imagine the creation of the world and manage to preserve their ancestral customs? What techniques did they develop to sustain their livelihoods away from 'civilization'? What can we learn from this incredible legacy that modern-day Australians are rediscovering and celebrating? These are just a few of the questions that the series 'The Forgotten Island Clan' aims to address with plausible answers, backed by the research and imagination of the authors.