Indigenous People of Australia Aborigines Indigenous People of Australia

GPS and E.Q. GPS: SS6H8a. Describe the origins and culture of the Aborigines. E.Q.: How did the Aborigines adapt in Australia?

Origins Aborigines are the indigenous people of Australia. They have lived in Australia at least 40,000 years. They came from Southeast Asia and entered Australia from the north.

Adapting Aborigine means “the people who were here from the beginning”. They adapted to the harsh Australian climate. They built containers to hold water. They built wells to connect with underground water. They were hunters and gatherers (animals, wild nuts, fruit, berries) They were nomadic – moved from place to place.

Inventions Some of earliest rock art Boomerangs Earliest ground axes Earliest grindstones We know this from archaeological evidence; they kept no written record (Aborigines kept their history by passing stories from one generation to the next).

Before the Europeans Before Europeans arrived in 1788, there were 250,000 to 500,000 Aborigines. Most lived along coasts and rivers, where the climate was pleasant and water was available.

Social Structure Tribe or language group of up to 500 people Within the tribe were smaller groups, called “hordes” of 10 to 20 people Hordes joined each other for daily food gathering and hunting Different tribes

Religious Structure Each tribe was divided into 2 parts, called “moieties”, based on a connection with totems (plants, animals, or other things in the environment). Each person was born into 1 moiety and stayed in it all his/her life. Each had to marry someone in a different moiety. This prevented people from marrying relatives.

CRCT Test Prep pages 203 - 204 516. From where did the Aborigines enter the Australian continent thousands of years ago? Southeast Asia 517. Which weapon did the Aborigines invent? Boomerang 518. Which social group of the Aborigines was made of 10 to 20 people? Hordes 519. Which describes the Aborigines? nomads