Eagle and the Crow by JM Field

A unique exploration into Indigenous ways of knowing, being and relating, with an in-depth focus on kinship systems and how their cyclical nature foiled attempts by missionaries to destroy them.

Part instruction manual and part philosophical text, The Eagle and the Crow is a profound work of First Nations knowledge and research. Written as a series of lyric essays, JM Field’s book traverses Gamilaraay conceptions of time and place, the ways English can quietly disrupt languages and cultures, and the form and practical functions of kinship systems.

Most importantly, Field’s fascinating insights from mathematics offer a map for the revitalisation of Gamilaraay social structures once prohibited during the Missionary Era. Generous yet restrained, this collection is an important act of resistance.

About the Author: Dr JM Field (Spearim) is a Gamilaraay mari from Moree way, but grew up on Darug land in a small town along the Great Dividing Range. He studied maths and French literature at the University of Sydney, before completing a doctorate at Balliol College, Oxford. He remains a research mathematician, with a focus on the mathematics and genetics of traditional kinship systems. He is also the author of Etta and the Shadow Taboo, which was highly commended for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards (Indigenous Writing) as well as shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards (Children’s Literature).

29 Jul 2025
 

The Eagle and the Crow by JM Field ISBN 9780702269127