The Aborigines are thought to have arrived in Australia by boat some 50,000 to 100,000 years ago. From the interesting book The First Peoples of Australia: The Aboriginal Peoples we learn a lot about their history and culture. The term ab origine is latin for “from the beginning” and the Aboriginies in Australia are known to be the first inhabitants of the country. These native Australians were grouped into about 250 tribes with different names and languages. The Koori people came from Koori lands, for example, and the Murri people lived in what is now Queensland.The name Aborigine was given to the natives by the British when they first settled in Australia in the late 1700’s.
When the British arrived in Australia they quickly found conflict with the natives and using more sophisticated weapons (guns vs boomerangs and spears!) were able to defeat the Aborigines with ease. Within 50 years of the British invasion, the Aborigine population was reduced to one tenth of what it had been. By the 19th century, English settlers had established their own rules, religion and social practices, just like they had when they settled in North America.
The Aboriginal people were not treated as equals and were only allowed to live in certain areas. It was not until 1967 that they were considered to be Australian citizens. To recognize the unfair treatment of the Aborigines since the British arrival, a national annual holiday called Sorry Day was established in 1998 and is celebrated every May 26th. (We like the idea of Sorry Day and think we should adopt it!) Today there are about 250,000 Aborigines living throughout Australia and Tasmania, although many of them live a modern lifestyle and only some have kept to the traditional bark huts and living off the land.
From Exploration in Australia we learn more about the Aborigine beliefs. We read about Dreamtime, the beginning of time, according to the Aborigines, when the spirits of their ancestors came from the sky and created the mountains, rivers, and the people and animals of the land. Once the spirits had brought life to the earth they returned to the sky and the Aborigines paid tribute to these spirits as the basis for their religion through stories, song and dance. They also took special care of the natural elements they found especially sacred, like the mountains. Over the last several weeks we have read about many different religious beliefs but the kids especially like the idea of Dreamtime!
Because the climate varies throughout the country different Aborigine tribes needed different types of clothes–some wearing only small cloths or skirts made of leaves, while others wearing warmer outfits made of animal skins. Many of the tribes adorned themselves with jewelry made of feathers or sea shells. The girls think this sounds pretty and it inspires our craft for tomorrow!
Globe Scouts 