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THIS BOOK STARTED BACK IN 1999 when Karl-Erik asked Tex: ‘What is the word for knowledge in your Aboriginal language?’ ‘We don’t have a word for it,’ Tex replied. He must have felt Karl-Erik’s disbelieving look. Struggling to find the words he continued: ‘Our land is our knowledge, we walk on the knowledge, we dwell in the knowledge, we live in our thesaurus, we walk in our Bible every day of our lives. Everything is knowledge. We don’t need a word for knowledge, I guess. Maybe that’s why.’

There was in particular one issue that gradually took hold of Karl-Erik and which in the end became the topic of this book: Australian Aboriginal society’s model for sustainability has the longest proven track record on earth. While societies outside Australia emerged, prospered and went under, Aboriginal society withstood and proved its sustainability over tens of thousands of years of dramatic events, until the Europeans’ arrival in 1788. It is an extraordinary achievement, especially considering that this is something humanity is now struggling with: the way to build a truly sustainable society on this earth. How did the Aborigines do it? How did they organise for sustainability? What type of leadership did it require? They must have had a ‘recipe for success’. What was it? Could we reconstruct it?

KARL-ERIK SVEIBY is professor of Knowledge Management at Hanken Business School, Finland, and honorary professor at Griffith University, Brisbane, and at Macquarie School of Management, Sydney. He is author of twelve books in business and management. After nine years in Australia he is now based in Helsinki, Finland. Contact details at: www.sveiby.com

TEX SKUTHORPE is a Nhunggabarra man from Nungghal country in northwestern NSW and an Aboriginal painter, educator and custodian of traditional stories. He was awarded Aboriginal Artist of the Year by NAIDOC 1990/1991 and currently works with young Aboriginal offenders in Gosford Correctional Centre, NSW. Contact details at: www.tuckandee.com.au.

Extracts and artwork from the book...