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GLOBAL INDIGENOUS CASE STUDY: Australian Aborigines

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Presentation on theme: "GLOBAL INDIGENOUS CASE STUDY: Australian Aborigines"— Presentation transcript:

1 GLOBAL INDIGENOUS CASE STUDY: Australian Aborigines

2 The World’s Oldest Culture
Australian aboriginal people are known as the oldest continuing culture in the world, having settled in the country at least 40,000 years ago (some evidence suggests 60,000 years)

3 The Aboriginal Flag

4 The Aboriginal Flag The flag is divided horizontally into equal halves of black and red, with a yellow circle in the centre. Black symbolizes Aboriginal people, yellow represents the sun (the constant re-newer of life) and the red represents the earth and people’s relationship to the land Red also represents ochre, which is used in aboriginal ceremonies Today, the flag has been adopted by all Aboriginal groups throughout Australia

5 Australian Aboriginal Map
More than 400 distinct Aboriginal groups have been identified across the continent

6 Aboriginal Beliefs: How the World Was Made
Aboriginal people believe that their ancestors were created at the beginning of the world and that their people have always lived in Australia In the beginning there was no sun; the land was dark, cold and barren – nothing lived or moved But under the ground the Ancestral beings were sleeping Stretching and yawning, they broke out from their sleeping places They saw that there was no light and created the sun to warm the earth

7 Aboriginal Beliefs Some of the ancestors were men and women, while others were plants and animals, some were even elements The ancestors moved across the land and their paths created the “dreaming tracks” or “songlines”, which link the whole land and people together The ancestral beings shaped the land, created mountains, rives, and also made animals, plants, and people Some changed into objects on earth, which are now sacred

8 Aboriginal Creation Story
As Aborigines today track the songlines and chant the stories, they enter “Dreamtime”, the realm of the ancestors The Dreamtime is a parallel universe where the ordinary laws of time and space and motion do not apply Where past, present and future merge into one To walk the Songlines is to become part of the ongoing creation of the world

9 Walkabouts A walkabout is a rite of passage, during which a male Aboriginal would go on a journey and live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months This was typically done between the ages of 10 – 16 and marked the spiritual transition into manhood

10 Funeral Traditions Traditions vary throughout Australia; in parts of southern and central Australia, people are simply buried Across much of northern Australia, a person’s funeral has two stages, each accompanied by ritual and ceremony: First, the corpse is placed on an elevated wooden platform, covered in leaves and branches, and left several months for the flesh to rot away from the bones Secondy, the bones are collected from the platform, painted with red ochre, and then dispersed in different ways (e.g. – placed in a hollow log, wrapped and left in a cave, or carried by a relative for year or more)

11 Funeral Traditions Aboriginal people believe that when a person dies, his or her spirit stays close to familiar places Traditionally, people burned the dead person’s property and house to persuade the spirit to leave In modern times, the people move out of the house until the elders believe the spirit has left, and then they return

12 Aboriginal Lifestyle Aboriginal people lived a nomadic, hunter-gatherer life Men hunted large animals such as kangaroos, and emus Women hunted smaller game and collected fruits, berries and other plants On the coast people caught fish and collected shellfish Made tools such as knives, spears, axes, and shields

13 Boomerangs A modern symbol of Australia is the boomerang, which was used as a hunting tool Depictions of boomerangs being thrown at animals such as kangaroos exist on some of the oldest rock art in the world Traditionally, most boomerangs used by Aboriginal groups in Australia were “non-returning” (did not come back if they missed the target)

14 Smoke Signals They communicated over long distances using smoke signals Fresh cut wood made dark smoke, while dry wood made light smoke Created different shapes to pass messages (e.g. – arrival of visitors or enemies, asking for help)

15 Message Sticks Messages were also sent using wooden sticks that measured – 30cm long, decorated with dots and lines Could be understood by people from different parts of Australia, even though they had different languages A message stick gave its carrier a kind of diplomatic immunity Guaranteed safe passage and entry into the lands of other tribes, even when entering enemy territory

16 Families and Kinship Rules
Elders are treated with respect because they: Bridge the past and present and provide guidance for the future Teach important traditions and pass on skills, knowledge and personal experiences Aboriginal communities have strong family ties Children are not just the concern of the biological parents, but the entire community The raising, care, education and discipline of children are the responsibility of everyone Aboriginal custom all over Australia bans a person from talking directly to their mother in law

17 Aboriginal Painting Rocks, bark, sacred objects, and bodies were painted Traditional designs are made of lines, dots, circles, and swirls Mixed white clay, red or yellow ochre, charcoal with water to make paint The internal anatomy of animals is often shown; a style known as “x-ray art”

18 Aboriginal Painting

19 Aboriginal Music and Dance
Music and dance flow through every part of Aboriginal life and bring people into harmony with the spirits of their ancestors Traditionally it was used to help in birth, healing, and help the spirits of the dead depart One of the best known Aboriginal instruments is the didgeridoo

20 Aboriginal Music and Dance
The oldest use of the didgeridoo is at least 1500 years ago Termites hallow out branches of Eucalyptus trees, which were then collected by Aboriginals Beeswax is added for a mouth piece Traditionally, only men play the didgeridoo and sing during ceremonial occasions Both men and women may dance


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