Blood, Bones and Spirit: Aboriginal Christianity in an East Kimberley Town

This fascinating book examines the Aboriginal people’s experiences of colonialism and post colonialism in the 19th and 20th centuries. It analyzes how Aboriginal people have appropriated Biblical stories of land inheritance, expansion, and loss in order to make sense of their own dispossession and to construct a history of colonization in the Kimberley. It investigates the embodiment of Christianity by Aboriginal people through their appropriation of Christ’s body—his blood, bones, and spirit—in order to replenish and heal their own colonized bodies. Finally, it is a local study of Christianization of European peoples and cultures.

Heather McDonald studied anthropology at the University of Queensland and the Australian National University and has tutored in anthropology and religious studies at the University of Queensland. She lives in Canberra, Australia.