Aboriginal Australia

Aborigine is Latin for “from the beginning”. What does this means in relation to Australia?

What is the origin and culture of the Aborigines? Essential Question: What is the origin and culture of the Aborigines?

SS6H8a. Describe the origins and culture of the Aborigines. Standard: SS6H8a. Describe the origins and culture of the Aborigines.

Aborigines were the native (indigenous) or first known inhabitants of Australia.

Origins of the Aborigines [See the Map]

Migratiom Humans have lived on the land that is now called Australia for around 50,000 years. Who were they? DNA evidence suggests that Aboriginal people did not mix with Asian people or the tribes on the nearby islands. How did the first Aboriginal people travel by sea from the islands near Australia to the mainland? There is no evidence of sturdy boats or cloth sails in any Aboriginal culture. Why did their stone-age culture remain unchanged for 50,000 years?

Culture of the Aborigines

Who are Australia's Aboriginal People? (3:29) On a sheet of paper, write down what you already know about the culture of the Aborigines. Watch the video below and identify 1-2 additional facts about the culture of the Aborigines. Who are Australia's Aboriginal People? (3:29)

250 Different Languages Around 250 different Aboriginal languages have been identified. Some have become extinct, like the language of the Eora people. Others are taught in schools, like the Pitjantjatjara language. Today only sixty Aboriginal languages are still spoken by large communities.

Aborigines were divided into many groups or tribes and spoke many languages Estimates are 500-600 distinct groups speaking about 200 different languages

Stone Tools Most Aboriginal tribes were nomadic hunter-gatherers. They used stone tools, wooden spears fitted with stone heads, and carved wooden dishes. They slept in simple shelters and traveled as food sources changed with the seasons.

Simple Shelter Boomerangs Spears

The Aborigines had no written language and, thus, relied on song and word of mouth to pass information from one generation to the next.

Because of Australia’s remote location, the Aborigines were untouched by outside influences for an extensive period of time.

Stories Aboriginal stories tell of the time of creation, when giant beings created the land. They also tell of animals like Goorialla the Rainbow Serpent, who brought water to the land, and Tiddalick, the largest frog in the entire world.

Dreamtime The word Altjira in the Anangu language has been translated into English as the Dreamtime. It describes a connection flowing among the time of ancestors, the time of creation, and the present--and among people, animals, and nature. Dreamtime Stories - Tiddalick The Frog (2:43) The Rainbow Serpent (3:50)

Dreamtime stories explain how animals, plants, water holes, etc Dreamtime stories explain how animals, plants, water holes, etc. were shaped by spirit beings. Aborigines feel a very strong connection to the land and believe they are its caretakers

Music At a gathering called a Corroboree, communities dance to connect to the Dreamtime. Dancers often paint their bodies and wear feathers and animal skins. Dancers in long lines stomp and clap together.

Uluru/Ayers Rock Many sites are sacred, such as Uluru-Ayers Rock Australia has thousands of sites where rocks have been painted or engraved with human and animal shapes Aborigines believe these paintings were done in Dreamtime

Dance Songs of the Dreamtime are chanted to the accompaniment of clap sticks or the didgeridoo. Originally from northern tribes, the didgeridoo is a long, hollowed tree branch with designs on the outside. It is played by blowing and produces a sustained long, low sound: the sound of the planets, of the earth.

Dreamtime Symbols Aboriginal Folktales

Art In the past, most Aboriginal art was carved into rocks or scraped into the ground. Later, artists transferred these designs to bark, skin, and paper. Modern artists use ancient ideas and symbols to create surprising new images.

Aboriginal Stone Painting Aboriginal rock art is part of a tradition of painting and engraving that stretches back over 40,000 years! Many elders believe that they were created by spirits to keep records of their history. Aboriginal Stone Painting

The Story of Dot Painting The indigenous people of Australia, or Aborigines, use dot painting as a form of storytelling. With dots of paint traditionally made from natural pigments, they create patterns and images of plants and animals that represent their culture's creation myths, which date back tens of thousands of years. Aboriginal Art

Bark painting is probably the most well known Aboriginal art form but this could be done only in areas where trees with suitable bark were available. It consists of pieces of flattened bark taken from trees such as the Stringybark. The designs seen on authentic bark paintings are traditional designs that are owned by the artist, or his or her "skin", or clan, and cannot be painted by other artists. Bark Painting

Aboriginal Art

White Australia Policy British prisoners and soldiers arrived in 1788. They immediately began pushing Aboriginal people off the land. The British colonial idea was a continent for people with white skin. Many Aboriginal people died of smallpox and violent conquest.

Half-Caste, Stolen Generations Aboriginal women were forced to bear the children of White men. People of mixed White and Aboriginal parents were called half-castes. Until the 1940’s, half-caste children were kidnapped sent to live in harsh institutions where they were trained to work as servants: they are the Stolen Generations.

Apology, Generations In February 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a formal apology to the Aboriginal people for the government’s actions in the Stolen Generations. One sentence: “For the pain, suffering, and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants, and for their families left behind, we say sorry.” Some states have established reparations, government payments of money to survivors of the Stolen Generations. In February 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a formal apology to the Aboriginal people

Legislators The first legislator of Aboriginal ancestry was Neville Bonner, of the Jagera people, who served from 1972 to 1980. Today five legislators are of Aboriginal ancestry. Journalist Malarndirri McCarthy, of Irish and Yanyuwa descent, was elected in 2016. Neville Bonner

Statistics Around 650,000 Australians identify as Aboriginal. Ten percent of them speak an Aboriginal language at home. Thirty-five percent of Aboriginal people have completed high school. Among Aboriginal people, the life expectancy is 70 years.

Aboriginal Dot Art and Dreamtime Activities Aboriginal Dot Art (3:55) How the Kangaroo Got Its Pouch (5:37) Dreamtime Stories - Tiddalick The Frog (2:42) (Refer to Aborigines Art Dot and Dreamtime Story Handout)

Summarizer: 1. Describe the origins of the Aborigines 2. Describe 3-4 facts about aboriginal culture 3. Describe the impact of European colonization of Australia. 4. Name some present day challenges faced and accomplishments/contributions of Aboriginal people.