In considering the importance of Aboriginal knowledge in the education of children of traditionally oriented Aboriginal communities, this thesis draws on Groote Eylandt ethnoscience, discussing several fields of Groote Eylandt knowledge. The context of the thesis, Groote Eylandt and the Groote Eylandters, is therefore first described. The existence and validity of significant Aboriginal knowledge has wide implications for education in traditionally oriented Aboriginal communities. Interference between Western knowledge systems and Aboriginal knowledge systems causes communication breakdown between English speaking teachers and vernacular speaking pupils. The limited educational achievement of Aboriginal school children can partly be attributed to the failure of schools to recognize the prior knowledge of the child. When Aboriginal children enter school, cognitive development has already begun in the context of Aboriginal knowledge systems. Later cognitive development must build upon this base, most particularly in the early years of schooling but also in appropriate contexts even after English competence is acquired. Using Aboriginal knowledge as a medium for cognitive development demands not only the close involvement of Aboriginal people in the school but also an understanding of Aboriginal knowledge by nonAboriginal teachers. Appropriate preservice training can provide the skills to set about acquiring it. Recorded information is a valuable source for the newly appointed teacher but finally the Aboriginal people are themselves the best source of Aboriginal knowledge and the best arbiters of what aspects of Aboriginal knowledge are most appropriate in school programs. Teachers can only acquire linguistic and ethnoscientific competence by remaining in communities longer than is currently the norm.