Indigenous Australians lived in Australia for over 30,000 years before European settlement. They developed a rich culture and connection to the land. Aboriginal people passed down their history and beliefs through Dreamtime stories, engaged in artistic and musical traditions like rock art and didgeridoo playing, and lived sustainably off the land by gathering bush tucker. Their knowledge of the land, seasons, and environment allowed them to live without modern technologies like clocks or calendars.
4. Aboriginal people The word Aboriginal means “original inhabitants” in Latin (where many of our words come from) They migrated from Asia 30,000 years ago when they could walk across what is now an ocean. There are 400,000 Aboriginal people in Australia (2% of our population) Before the British arrived in Australia 223 year ago Aboriginal people lived off the land
5. The Dreamtime The Dreamtime = the beginning of time Pass down stories to the younger generations Aboriginal people believe that ancestors who have died turn into mountains, and rocks. A Dreamtime story: http://australianmuseum.net.au/movie/How-the-water-got-to-the-plains
6. Our Dreamtime story Lets write our own Dreamtime story. What will we write about?
7. Aboriginal culture They loved art, dance and songs. In art they used to sculpture thing, do rock and bark paintings, make baskets and do beadwork. Their traditional dance is called the corroboree http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMFkViuQMGU&feature=related They love to play the didgeridoo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g592I-p-dc
8. Bush Tucker Bush tucker link: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~bangercc/bushtuckerlist.html
11. How they live Aboriginal people know the time of day by listening to bird sounds, watching the shadows and following the path of the sun. Aboriginal people know the time of the year by temperature, plant life, animal movements and environment factors. Calendars and clocks are not needed.
13. Activity Think about what materials Aboriginal people would have had available to them. Design your own home using only what you can find in the bush. Write down: What you will use Why you chose these materials How you will make it Draw what it would look like