Aboriginal belief systems and spirituality

Use of ‘Aborigine’ and ‘Aboriginal’ ‘Aborigine’ is a noun meaning from the beginning, given to the indigenous Australians by the Europeans.

Use of ‘Aborigine’ and ‘Aboriginal’ The word ‘aborigine’ refers to an indigenous person of any country When referring to a particular group of people it should be spelt with a capital ‘A’, that is, Aborigine

Origins of Aboriginal People Certainly been in Australia for at least 40 000 years. Reliable evidence up to 60 000 years. Controversial evidence suggests up to 80 000 to 130 000 years.

Survival of Aborigines Required intimate knowledge and understanding of the environment and The capacity to interpret and adapt to the changing nature of the environment.

Diversity Has always been a feature of Aboriginal society.

Common features of Australian Aboriginal cultures Highly developed social systems Deeply spiritual And closely associated with nature and the land.

At the time of colonisation the Aboriginal way of life was still: Nomadic or semi-nomadic Hunting and gathering Using stone tools

An apparent simple lifestyle resulted in two misconceptions Aboriginal people were culturally uniform. Aborigines had little attachment to the land and made little use of it. This lead James Cook to describe the continent as terra nullius

Two separate groups make up the original Australians Aborigines Torres Strait Islanders