Transcript Indigenous Australians

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Indigenous
Australians
Prior to 1788……
 Before the arrival of foreigners (1788), Aboriginal people
inhabited the whole of Australia and Torres Strait Islanders
lived on the islands between Australian and Papua New
Guinea.
 There are many different Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander communities whose people speak different
languages with have different cultural beliefs, practices and
traditions.
 There were approximately 700 languages spoken
throughout Australia with an estimated population of
 750 000 people.
Cultural Spirituality…….
 “Land” is fundamental to the wellbeing
of Aboriginal people. The land is not
just soil or rocks or minerals, but a
whole environment that sustains and is
sustained by people and culture.
 For Indigenous Australians, the land is
the core of all spirituality and this
relationship and the spirit of 'country' is
central to the issues that are important
to indigenous people.
Way of Life……..
 Traditional indigenous lifestyle is a hunter
and gatherer way of life.
 The men hunted the large animals such as
kangaroos, emus and turtles and the women
and children hunted smaller animals and
collected fruits, berries and other plants.
 On the coast people caught fish and
collected many types of shellfish including
mussels and oysters.
Australia was a largely unspoilt country where indigenous
people respected the environment around them and made
sure animals and plants were never over hunted or over
collected.
People only took enough to feed the number of people there
at the time and nothing was wasted. This ensured there
would be food next time they or someone else needed it.
To maintain the fragile environment and because of
seasonal variations people would move from one area to
another. This helped make sure they didn't hunt, fish or
harvest an area too much so there would be food for the
next season. Every part of the animal and plant was eaten or
used to make things such as clothing, baskets, tools and
weapons.
Aboriginals and Torres Straight
Islanders (ATSI)
 Who are Aboriginal people and
Torres Strait Islanders today?
 An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is:
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A person of Aboriginal or Torres Strait
Islander descent
A person who identifies as an Aboriginal or
Torres Strait Islander and
A person who is accepted by the
Aboriginal community in which he or she
lives.
Aboriginal Flag
 The Aboriginal Flag is divided horizontally into equal halves of black
(top) and red (bottom), with a yellow circle in the centre.
 Black symbolises Aboriginal people
 Yellow represents the sun, the constant re-newer of life
 Red depicts the earth and peoples’ relationship to the land.
Torres Strait Islander Flag
 The Torres Strait Islander Flag stands for the unity and identity of all
Torres Strait Islanders.
 Green is for the land. The dharri or deri (type of headdress) is a symbol
for all Torres Strait Islanders. Black represents the people. Blue is for the
sea.
 The five-pointed star represents the island groups. Used in navigation, the
star is also an important symbol for the sea-faring Torres Strait Islander
people. The colour of the star represents peace.
Aboriginals and Torres Straight
Islanders (ATSI)
Australian Cultural Diversity
Aboriginals and Torres Strait
Islanders together account for
about 1.1% of Australia’s
population.
Indigenous Australians
 For more information:
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• “Google” search
Films: “Ten Canoes”
“Walkabout”
“Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith”
“The Rabbit Proof Fence”
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