Aborigines and Early Australia
Published on Nov 21, 2015
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
As England industrialized, urbanized, and as its capital wealth grew it began to expand and to colonize other countries. This was to potentially gain land,
wealth, and resources.
Photo by theholyllama
Australia:
James Cook, a European explorer from England, found the land mass known as Australia and also New Zealand in 1770. England then claimed this territory and used it to export its prisoners to. Although England claimed Australia for itself, there were people on this massive chunk of land a long time before they got there.
Photo by duncan
James Cook
- James Cook was born near Yorkshire, England on October 27, 1728
- Cook discovered Australia and New Zealand, while looking for a southern continent (Antarctica), on one of his expeditions by accident
- While trying to find the North-South Passage, an area that was believed to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Cook ended up finding the small island of Hawaii. While on the Island, Cook's ship was stolen from. On February 14, 1779 Cook tried to take a leader from the island hostage, but was stabbed and killed.
Photo by tricky (rick harrison)
Aborigines
Aborigines were the native peoples living in Australia.
Aborigines
The natives of Australia first appeared on the island around 50,000 years ago, or about 48,000 BCE. These people came to the landmass on a small boat or raft, which most likely came from South-Eastern Asia.
Photo by jurvetson
The Culture of Aborigines
Aborigines were the first culture to utilize seafaring by crossing the large portion of water between the southeast corner of Asia, and traveling to Australia. Most Aborigines stayed in isolated tribes and spoke their own territorial languages. These people were also hunter-gatherers who didn't plant their own crops, nor domesticate animals (excluding the dingo, which was used to aid in hunting, for companionship, and even warmth). These natives also didn't practice any war amongst themselves, but rather had strong kinship- the bonds and reliance of/on family- and marriage values. Most people settled into a similar system of organization that went like this: family (direct relationship by blood), horde (local group of people you would interact with on a given day), and tribe (a group of hordes connected related by religion, or economy).
Photo by Aussie~mobs
Housing
Most Aboriginal settlements were near or on the coast of Australia due to its climate. Due to the mild coastal climate, many natives simply slept outside near a campfire and used their dingoes for warmth. The shelters and homes that they built were small, pavilion-like structures, covered with leaves or wood to shield those living inside them from the elements. This 'quickly built' structure of life helped support their nomadic way of life. More long-term homes or homes built for usage during the winter were built more sturdy and had much more protection from the elements (similar to the one seen in this image).
Photo by The Shifted Librarian
Religious Practices
Each Aboriginal tribe had their own variations and systems of beliefs due to their regional separation. For the most part, Aborigines believed in several different 'gods' or deities that were responsible for creating different aspects of the world. There were three main types of these spirits: creational (beings who created the world), ancestral (beings of the ancestors of ours), and totemic (original spirit/form of an animal). Several rituals were performed to ensure the pleasure of these deities such as singing, dancing, storytelling, the use of ceremonial objects, and body decorations- which included face and body markings.
Photo by *Tom*
My Reaction
I really feel that throughout all my years of learning our educational curriculum has failed to teach us about the history of Australia. Until now I had known virtually nothing about this topic and I find it disappointing. Why is it that we just skip over a whole continent when teaching history? It is all so connected! I enjoyed learning about something that I didn't really know anything about! I was very surprised when I found out that people were in Australia nearly 60,000 years ago. I hope that in the future we are able to teach students at a younger age about Australian history and its native Aborigines.
Photo by Linh_rOm
