Nutrition studies (1948) of nomadic Aborigines in Arnhem Land, northern Australia

During 1948, scientists (an anthropologist, a nutritionist and a plant ecol ogist) of the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land obse rved the daily activities of families of nomadic Aborigines in the monsoona l climate of Groote Eylandt, Bickerton Island, Port Bradshaw, Yirrkala and Oenpelli, Northern Territory. The close relationship between the hunter-gat herers and the marine and terrestrial landscape is described at Hemple Bay in Port Langdon, north-eastern Groote Eylandt. Food-gathering from both lan d and sea was followed hourly to assess the nutritional value of 'bush tuck er' in comparison with that of natives eating freshly picked fruit and vege tables grown in the garden of the Umbakumba Settlement. The ecological dist ributions of food plants used by the Aborigines, together with their season ality, determined the migratory pattern of the hunter-gatherers throughout the year. With only a few exceptions, the diets which were seen at the four camps in Arnhem Land were well-balanced and provided amounts of most nutri ents comparable with the recommended international dietary allowances. Seas onal and regional variations in food supply were a constant problem to thes e nomadic people.