ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIA

ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIA PAST Researchers now say that our ancestors have lived on the mainland for over years and on the Torres Strait islands for more than years. Aboriginal Australian culture developed a level of stability and continuity thousands of years prior to Europeans arriving. This is the only continent on earth with this level of homogeneity. Aboriginal cave art may be the first example of this art anywhere in the world.

CAVE ART

LIVING OFF THE LAND AND SEA Traditionally Aboriginal people travelled widely, using their knowledge of the seasons and weather. They knew our neighbours and gathered for trade, cultural ceremonies and marriages. They used low-intensity fires to clear the undergrowth and encourage grazing by game animals. Much of the land has long been modified by this regular burning which favours species that recover quickly. This is now called firestick farming. Most Torres Strait Islanders lived off the sea. Some Islanders could grow yams, bananas and other crops, some had edible roots; others had mangrove pods.

ABORIGINAL HUNTING INSTRUMENTS

LANGUAGES More than 200 distinct languages, and countless dialects, were in use when European colonisation began. Many aborigines could speak more than one language. Indigenous Australians remain among the nation’s most skilled users of language. Sadly, today, few Aboriginal languages are spoken fluently. In the Torres Strait, the languages spoken were influenced by both Melanesian and Aboriginal languages. Kriol has emerged in northern Australia as a means of communication across cultures and between English- speakers and Aboriginal people.

LANGUAGE MAP

ABORIGINAL PLACE NAMES AND WORDS In some states and territories, original place names are being revived (Uluru instead of Ayers Rock) and Australians live in suburbs and towns across the country that have Aboriginal names. Many Aboriginal words are now used in Australian English: mulga, corroboree, gibber, bindi-eye, yabber.

ULURU

POPULATION Many Aboriginal people have moved from remote and rural areas to large country towns, and urban and metropolitan centres. Originally, this was part of the forced removals, but nowadays it is to seek employment and better education. The Aboriginal population at the time of colonisation was estimated to be half a million people. Its lowest point was in 1933, and in 2006 comprised 2.5 per cent of the total Australian population. Indigenous Australians make up most of the remote area population, and there is significant population in other outback areas. However, numerically, most live in the south- east of the country. More than three-quarters of Torres Strait Islanders now live on the Australian mainland.

POPULATION

HEALTH Indigenous Australians are less healthy than other Australians. Experts estimate that they live 17 years less, while their infant mortality rate is two to three times higher. 2/3 of Indigenous Australians die before the age of 65 compared to 19% of other Australians. The most significant causes of deaths are diseases of the circulatory system, accidents, suicides and assault, diabetes and respiratory diseases. Aboriginal community-controlled health services — more than 140 of them throughout Australia — are an essential part of a solution.

ART Indigenous Australians have always been artists. They paint in rock shelters and caves and on their bodies for ceremony. Rock paintings in the Kimberley have been dated to years ago and central Australia’s concentric circle art is thought to be the oldest continuing art tradition in the world. They also paint on tools, shields and musical instruments. Aboriginal people make art for sale and the styles are as diverse as the artists’ cultures and histories. They paint huge canvasses, create intricate body-art, and apply ochre designs onto flat bark. Some of these hang in museums and galleries around the world. We also create other kinds of art forms, such as shell necklace-making and basketry.

Dot painting

MUSIC & DANCE Songs tell of Dreaming ancestors who sang as they travelled the land. They are passed down through the generations. The traditional owners of the land are the ones who own the songs and this proof of continuous association is an important requirement for land claims. The popular band Yothu Yindi, from north-east Arnhem Land, uses traditional melodies and words in its songs. Groups like the Warumpi Band, developed rock music and recorded in an Aboriginal language. Others have adapted the country-and-western style. Torres Strait Islanders have always been skilled absorbers and adaptors of the musical traditions of other people, from hymns and choruses in the 1870s, to Hawaiian-Pan-Pacific songs. Until the 1990s, most of the music heard in the islands was locally composed. Dance is a vital part of Aboriginal culture, both as a part of ceremonies and as entertainment. Some dances derive from the Dreaming while others reflect a more contemporary history. Each group has its own distinct style of expression, and dances can be passed through the generations.

MUSIC & DANCE

THE FLAG The symbolic meaning of the flag colours (as stated by Mr Harold Thomas) are: Black: represents the Aboriginal people of Australia Red: represents the red earth, the red ochre and a spiritual relation to the land Yellow: represents the Sun, the giver of life and protector

REFERENCES This Powerpoint presentation was designed by Lauren Faull-Ortiz and contains adapted and original from: Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Studies (2008) Little Red Yellow and Black Site. Retrieved on 9 th July 2012 from