The problem with this book, if there is a problem, is that the report sounds so factual that you forget that it's fiction. Like much good fiction, however, you are presented with much that must be factual. The problem for me is in knowing what parts are fact and what parts are fiction.

       She tells us in the forward that the book is based on actual experience. I am inclined to believe her.

       The world generally thinks of the Aborigines of Australia as primitive, backward people. They seem as leftovers of a part of the human species that time passed by. They do not seem to belong to the modern world.

       As the book moves along we are introduced to a level of wisdom and cunning with regard to life and survival that makes us wonder whether the modern world is as advanced as it likes to claim.

       The writer tells us that the name given her by the tribe was "Mutant." She was the variation from the norm, not they. I was interested to hear that names of tribal members changed as they went through life. As they changed, so did their names. They were always becoming. Nice idea.
 There were numerous communal behaviors by the people. One of note was their way of starting the day. They would gather in a semi-circle, facing east. A chant was started and a beat established with clapping, stomping of feet or slapping thighs. They did this for about 15 minutes every morning. The event was a sort of centering, a time of goal setting, a time of getting in tune with the world.

"So each morning the tribe sends out a thought or message to the animals and plants in front of us. They say, 'We are walking your way. We are coming to honor the purpose for existence.'"

       The belief is that the animals choose whether to be the source of food for the tribe. In the course of the day the appearance of an animal was taken as a sign that it had chosen to provide dinner for the tribe.

       The sense of one-ness with life was a major theme throughout the book. The telepathic, non-verbal communication over great distances was impressive. The use of "alternative medicine" combined mental, spiritual, herbal and physical healing. In this regard these people could still be our teachers.

       Another thing we could learn is how to live on the earth without hurting or depleting it. Cooperation at every level of life was a mark of these people. Doing a fulfilled life without goods is something the world needs to learn.

       She talks of the tribe's theology. "Divine Oneness created the light…" The planets were formed. "Water appeared, the atmosphere, the land…My people believe that what you call God, Mutants find difficult to define because they seem addicted to form. For us, Oneness has no size, shape or weight. Oneness is essence, creativity, purity, love, unlimited, unbounded energy…Divine Oneness is not a person. It is God, a supreme, totally positive, loving power. It created the world by expanding energy." (pp. 149, 150)

       All in all this book helps the reader think about basics and essentials. It challenges our value system and practices. It turns upside down our idea of what is truly "primitive."