Barkindji people preserve traditional plant knowledge
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Dave Doyle, a Barkindji and Malyangapa tour guide in New South Wales, Australia, is sharing traditional knowledge of edible and medicinal plants with his community and visitors.
Doyle leads cultural tours along the Darling-Baaka River and through Menindee Lakes, teaching people about plants used by the Barkindji for thousands of years. He and other community members recently published Barkindji Edible & Medicinal Plants, a field guide designed to teach young people about the valuable flora in their region.
The region experienced its best wet season in decades, causing native plants to flourish. Doyle explained that plants were historically a staple of the Barkindji diet, providing essential vitamins and minerals alongside hunted animals, and materials for tools like nets and fishing lines. He began focusing on native plants during the COVID-19 pandemic when supermarket supplies were disrupted, realizing the abundance of food available in the surrounding environment.
Doyle also runs a catering business using native plants and hosts morning teas for tour groups featuring foods like quandong tarts and river mint tea. He hopes the new field guide will encourage people to cultivate native plants in their gardens, creating accessible sources of medicine and beauty, and ultimately inspiring greater environmental stewardship.
