--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even today, when an Aboriginal mother…" description: "\"Even today, when an Aboriginal mother notices the first stirrings of speech in her child, she lets it handle the things of that particular country: lea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d13/bruce-chatwin-11797_aboriginal_even-today-when-an-aboriginal-mother-not_2843499.jpg" --- # Even today, when an Aboriginal mother notices the first… ![“Even today, when an Aboriginal mother notices the first stirrings of speech in her child, she lets it handle the things of that particular country: leaves, fruit, insects and so forth. We give our children guns and computer games, Wendy said. They gave their children the land.” quote by Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d13/bruce-chatwin-11797_aboriginal_even-today-when-an-aboriginal-mother-not_2843499.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d13/bruce-chatwin-11797_aboriginal_even-today-when-an-aboriginal-mother-not_2843499.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d13/bruce-chatwin-11797_aboriginal_even-today-when-an-aboriginal-mother-not_2843499.jpg) > “Even today, when an Aboriginal mother notices the first stirrings of speech in her child, she lets it handle the things of that particular country: leaves, fruit, insects and so forth. We give our children guns and computer games, Wendy said. They gave their children the land.” [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Indigenous cultures nurture children through direct interaction with nature, fostering practical knowledge, unlike modern societies that prioritize technology and weapons. **In simple terms:** Kids learn from nature, not gadgets. Key Takeaway Encourage hands‑on learning with the environment. Themes education culture nature parenting Mood reflective concerned Type observational cultural. When to use this quote - rural upbringing - early childhood education - family traditions - community mentorship Key Concepts indigenous knowledge experiential learning environmental stewardship Questions to Reflect On - How can we integrate natural learning into today's tech‑driven world? - What values are lost when children are isolated from their environment? A Different Perspective Modern distractions can limit deep, contextual learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aboriginal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aboriginal/) [Aboriginal Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aboriginal-mother-3741497/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Computer games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer-games/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Fruit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fruit/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Gave Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-children-1826969/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun/) [Handle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handle/) [Insects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insects/) [Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Our children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-children/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Said Gave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-gave-3396662/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Stirring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stirring/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Today Aboriginal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today-aboriginal-3741498/) [Wendy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wendy/) ## Related quotes > [“Don't say I never gave you anything," he said. " I gave you the stars. Good night, little sister.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-tiernan/don-t-say-i-never-gave-you-anything-he-said-i-gave-you-the-stars-good/) [Cate Tiernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-tiernan/) > [“You said give him another night,” Bree said. “We gave him one. He could be in there”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/you-said-give-him-another-night-bree-said-we-gave-him-one-he-could-be/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [“I'm in pain all the time,' I said, 'and if I gave into it then I'd do nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/i-m-in-pain-all-the-time-i-said-and-if-i-gave-into-it-then-i-d-do/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [“...when the Gods finished creating woman, they stood back and looked at what they'd done. They had given her a body strong enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-ball/when-the-gods-finished-creating-woman-they-stood-back-and-looked-at/) [Donna Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-ball/) > [“At this Linda gave up. Children might or might not enjoy air-raids actually in progress, but a child who was not thrilled by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/at-this-linda-gave-up-children-might-or-might-not-enjoy-air-raids/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [I gave up my children to an American couple and went to Vietnam on an army assignment where I helped soldiers identify and get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-christo/i-gave-up-my-children-to-an-american-couple-and-went-to-vietnam-on-an/) [Bob Christo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-christo/) > [I gave myself to my children. It happens to some women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-gardam/i-gave-myself-to-my-children-it-happens-to-some-women/) [Jane Gardam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-gardam/) > [My mom gave me the children stories of the Bible. I memorized that book at the age of nine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/my-mom-gave-me-the-children-stories-of-the-bible-i-memorized-that/) [Rza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [Father: The banker nature gave children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/father-the-banker-nature-gave-children/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [I tell myself that God gave my children many gifts - spirit, beauty, intelligence, the capacity to make friends and to inspire respect. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-kennedy/i-tell-myself-that-god-gave-my-children-many-gifts-spirit-beauty/) [Rose Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-kennedy/) > [“Shannon couldn’t take her eyes from his. They mesmerized her, caused her to not want to ever look into another man’s eyes. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lacy-silk/shannon-couldn-t-take-her-eyes-from-his-they-mesmerized-her-caused/) [Lacy Silk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lacy-silk/) > [This act of empathy, that women go through from the time we're little girls - we read all of literature, all of history, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/this-act-of-empathy-that-women-go-through-from-the-time-we-re-little/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [I remember every player-every single one-who wore the Tennessee orange, a shade that our rivals hate, a bold, aggravating color that you can usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-summitt/i-remember-every-player-every-single-one-who-wore-the-tennessee/) [Pat Summitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-summitt/) > [The demon had trouble remembering what she was doing, but she was powerful, sort of the crazy Wendy of the lost lord-of-the-flies boys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/the-demon-had-trouble-remembering-what-she-was-doing-but-she-was/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [Wendy, Wendy, when you are sleeping in your silly bed you might be flying about with me saying funny things to the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wendy-wendy-when-you-are-sleeping-in-your-silly-bed-you-might-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Bruce Chatwin > [Tyranny sets up its own echo-chamber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/tyranny-sets-up-its-own-echo-chamber/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > [“I think I would be happy in that place I happen not to be, and this question of moving house is the subject of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/i-think-i-would-be-happy-in-that-place-i-happen-not-to-be-and-this/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > [And the formation of man is the most pressing problem facing humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/and-the-formation-of-man-is-the-most-pressing-problem-facing-humanity/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > [A Sufi manual, the Kashf-al-Mahjub, says that, towards the end of his journey, the dervish becomes the Way not the wayfarer, i.e. a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/a-sufi-manual-the-kashf-al-mahjub-says-that-towards-the-end-of-his/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > [I pictured a low timber house with a shingled roof, caulked against storms, with blazing log fires inside and the walls lined with all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/i-pictured-a-low-timber-house-with-a-shingled-roof-caulked-against/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > [“One year, he went to Paris for the week-end: but that completely upset his equilibrium.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/one-year-he-went-to-paris-for-the-week-end-but-that-completely-upset/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > [It's an old sailor's idea that every ship has a rope with one end made fast to her bows and the other held by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/it-s-an-old-sailor-s-idea-that-every-ship-has-a-rope-with-one-end/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > [“ Fino a quando, Signore, fino a quando? ... "Finché non siano devastate le città...". I Profeti confidavano in un Giorno della Restaurazione, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/fino-a-quando-signore-fino-a-quando-finch-non-siano-devastate-le-citt/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > [I climbed a path and from the top looked up-stream towards Chile. I could see the river, glinting and sliding through the bone-white cliffs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/i-climbed-a-path-and-from-the-top-looked-up-stream-towards-chile-i/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > [“The real home of man is not his house but the road. Life itself is a travel that has to be done by foot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/the-real-home-of-man-is-not-his-house-but-the-road-life-itself-is-a/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > [“What am I doing here? Rimbaud writing home from Ethiopia”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/what-am-i-doing-here-rimbaud-writing-home-from-ethiopia/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > ['I will go to France, to Yugoslavia, to China, and continue my profession.' 'As sanitary engineer?' 'No, Monsieur. As adventurer. I will see all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/i-will-go-to-france-to-yugoslavia-to-china-and-continue-my-profession/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > [Walking is a virtue, tourism is a deadly sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/walking-is-a-virtue-tourism-is-a-deadly-sin/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > [Richard Lee calculated that a Bushman child will be carried a distance of 4,900 miles before he begins to walk on his own. Since,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/richard-lee-calculated-that-a-bushman-child-will-be-carried-a/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) > [“Gradually the idea for a book began to take shape. It was to be a wildly ambitious and intolerant work, a kind of 'Anatomy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/gradually-the-idea-for-a-book-began-to-take-shape-it-was-to-be-a/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) [Explore all 53 Bruce Chatwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) ## More Aboriginal quotes > [I won the seat of Oxley largely on an issue that has resulted in me being called a racist. That issue related to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-hanson/i-won-the-seat-of-oxley-largely-on-an-issue-that-has-resulted-in-me/) [Pauline Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-hanson/) > [I'd much rather people knew me as a good tennis player than as an aboriginal who happens to play good tennis. Of course I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evonne-goolagong-cawley/i-d-much-rather-people-knew-me-as-a-good-tennis-player-than-as-an/) [Evonne Goolagong Cawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evonne-goolagong-cawley/) > [One of my earliest memories is being backstage at 'Bran Nue Dae' in Darwin when I was about eight. It's such a fun, happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-sebbens/one-of-my-earliest-memories-is-being-backstage-at-bran-nue-dae-in/) [Shari Sebbens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shari-sebbens/) > [Aboriginal people are key because they have a different sense of where we belong and how we interact with nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/aboriginal-people-are-key-because-they-have-a-different-sense-of/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [We've had real strong aboriginal male artists who've crossed over to the mainstream who have toured the U.K., who have been a massive influence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mauboy/we-ve-had-real-strong-aboriginal-male-artists-who-ve-crossed-over-to/) [Jessica Mauboy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mauboy/) > [Genius . . . arises in the natural, aboriginal concern for the conscious unity of all phenomena.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/genius-arises-in-the-natural-aboriginal-concern-for-the-conscious/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [In 1995, the Paul Keating Labor government commissioned an inquiry into the forcible removal of Aboriginal children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-government-commissioned-an-inquiry/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [The native American has been generally despised by his white conquerors for his poverty and simplicity. They forget, perhaps, that his religion forbade the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-alexander-eastman/the-native-american-has-been-generally-despised-by-his-white/) [Charles Alexander Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-alexander-eastman/) > [The families of Aboriginals who have died in custody in NSW will suffer again because of these white lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-murray/the-families-of-aboriginals-who-have-died-in-custody-in-nsw-will/) [Arthur Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-murray/) > [Over 120 Aboriginal communities run their own health services - some have been doing so for 30 years. They struggle with difficult medical problems.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-fraser/over-120-aboriginal-communities-run-their-own-health-services-some/) [Malcolm Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-fraser/) > [“If they follow the way of Money Chiefs, they shall die. Earth is sick and can no longer care for her children. Now, Earth’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fr-d-ric-perrin/if-they-follow-the-way-of-money-chiefs-they-shall-die-earth-is-sick/) [Frédéric Perrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fr-d-ric-perrin/) > [I have written with some amazing singers and songwriters - the moment with Snoop Dogg was amazing - but being able to tell an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mauboy/i-have-written-with-some-amazing-singers-and-songwriters-the-moment/) [Jessica Mauboy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mauboy/) > [In the European tradition, rivers are seen as divisions between peoples. But in the Aboriginal tradition, rivers are seen as the glue, the highway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/in-the-european-tradition-rivers-are-seen-as-divisions-between/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [People look at me, and they don't see what they think is a typical Aboriginal. I always thought I'd be the white person in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-sebbens/people-look-at-me-and-they-don-t-see-what-they-think-is-a-typical/) [Shari Sebbens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shari-sebbens/) > [The most ultimately righteous of all wars is a war with savages, though it is apt to be also the most terrible and inhuman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-most-ultimately-righteous-of-all-wars-is-a-war-with-savages/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) [Browse all 184 Aboriginal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aboriginal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Even today, when an Aboriginal mother notices the first stirrings of speech in her child, she lets it handle the things of that particular country: leaves, fruit, insects and so forth. We give our children guns and computer games, Wendy said. They gave their children the land.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bruce Chatwin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/even-today-when-an-aboriginal-mother-notices-the-first-stirrings-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aboriginal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/even-today-when-an-aboriginal-mother-notices-the-first-stirrings-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d13/bruce-chatwin-11797_aboriginal_even-today-when-an-aboriginal-mother-not_2843499.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d13/bruce-chatwin-11797_aboriginal_even-today-when-an-aboriginal-mother-not_2843499.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d13/bruce-chatwin-11797_aboriginal_even-today-when-an-aboriginal-mother-not_2843499.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Even today, when an Aboriginal mother notices the first stirrings of speech in her child, she lets it handle…” — Bruce Chatwin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bruce Chatwin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Even today, when an Aboriginal mother...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/even-today-when-an-aboriginal-mother-notices-the-first-stirrings-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/even-today-when-an-aboriginal-mother-notices-the-first-stirrings-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```