Aboriginal Australians Název školyGymnázium Zlín - Lesní čtvrť Číslo projektuCZ.1.07/1.5.00/ Název projektuRozvoj žákovských kompetencí pro 21. století Název šablonyIII/2 Inovace a zkvalitnění výuky prostřednictvím ICT Název DUMAboriginal Australians Označení DUMVY_32_INOVACE_08_3_20 AutorMgr. Dagmar Daňková Datum Vzdělávací oblastJazyk a jazyková komunikace Vzdělávací oborCizí jazyk Tematický okruhAnglicky mluvící země Ročník1. – 4. ročník gymnázia (úroveň B1+)

Aborigines Aborigines have the longest continuous cultural history of any group of people on Earth. They are believed to have arrived in Australia during an Ice Age when Australia was connected to Asia by a land bridge, about years ago. They adapted to the land well and moved across the continent as they were nomadic hunter-gatherers. When the first Europeans set foot on Australia (James Cook, 1770), there were around 750 different Aboriginal nations, based on language groups.

Aboriginal Art at Uluru

The Aboriginal myths The Aboriginal people have a unique vision of how the world and humans were created and how “the Creator“ intended human beings to behave in the cosmos. It is called “Dreamtime“ or “The Dreaming“ and forms a fundamental part of Aboriginal culture.

Songlines In “a time before time“ called “Dreamtime“, ancestor creator spirits emerged from beneath the earth and from the sky to create the land forms and all living things. They travelled across the land, along invisible trails that ran for long distances through the territories of many clans and tribes. The Aborigines call these trails “Songlines“.

Sacred sites After doing their creative work, the spirits merged with the natural world. They are immortal and live eternally in sacred sites. It is the duty of the Aborigines to maintain and protect the sites. The dreamtime stories set down the laws for social and moral order and establish the cultural patterns and customs. Even today, ceremonies are performed with singing, dancing and rituals to celebrate the stories of creation and the Songlines recall the invisible pathways and tracks taken by their ancestors.

Questions 1. When did “Dreamtime“ occur? 2. Where did the ancestors spirits come from? 3. What did they do? 4. Where did they travel? 5. What are the trails they travelled along called? 6. Did the creator spirits die? 7. What do dreamtime stories establish?

Human rights Unbelievably, up until 1967, Aborigines were governed under Flora and Fauna laws. They were not given the rights of human beings and were put in the same category as animals and plants was the year that non-indigenous Australians voted finally to include Aborigines in the national census and to grant them citizenship.

Stolen Generations (1910 – 1971) Under a government policy, as many as 1 in 10 of all Aboriginal children were removed from their families in an effort to “civilize“ them by assimilation into white society. These children are known as the “Stolen Generations“.

“Sorry Day“ National Sorry Day is an annual event that has been held in Australia on 26 May, since 1998, to remember and commemorate the mistreatment of the continent's indigenous population. 26 May carries great significance for the Stolen Generations, as well as for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and non-indigenous Australians.

Apology to the Stolen Generations On 13 February 2008, the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd moved a motion of Apology to Australia's Indigenous Peoples, apologizing for past laws, policies, and practices that devastated Aboriginal Australians - in particular members of the Stolen Generations. Kevin Rudd became the first Australian Prime Minister to publicly apologize to the Stolen Generations on behalf of the Australian federal government.

Discussion “Sorry is the most important word as it has great meaning in our community. It means having empathy, compassion and understanding.“ (Christine King of the Stolen Generation Alliance) Are there any historical events in our past that we should apologize for? Is it important to say sorry? Why?

Note There are not many images in this presentation. In Aboriginal culture photos (and even names) of the sacred sites and deceased (dead) people are considered disrespectful or taboo.

Discussion How culturally-sensitive are you? Could you give any examples of cultural taboos that we should be aware of when we go abroad? Do you always respect them? Have you ever experienced any culture-related communication breakdown? What advice would you give a foreign visitor to your country? Think about taking photos, greeting people, giving and accepting hospitality and so on.

Zdroje INVERNIZZI, Daniela a Adriana REDAELLI. Eyewitness: Culture in a changing world. Harlow: Pearson Education, ISBN File: Uluru. In: Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia [online]. San Francisco (CA): Wikimedia Foundation, [cit ]. Dostupné z: Sorry Day. In: Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia [online]. San Francisco (CA): Wikimedia Foundation, [cit ]. Dostupné z: Stolen Generations. In: Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia [online]. San Francisco (CA): Wikimedia Foundation, [cit ]. Dostupné z: