The Aborigines.

                                    Brief History

The Aborigines are the native people of Australia.  They are believed to have settled here around 70,000 years ago and they are said to have come fromSouth-East Asia.  They worshipped the land, which they believed that their ancestors made for them in a time called Dreamtime.  They wrote amny songs and dances about Dreamtime.

The Aborigines were hunter-gatherers who used the knowlegde that they had of their land to hunt for food and animals.  The men were the hunters and they also made the tools with which they killed the animals.  The women took care of the children and they gathered food for them to eat.  The Aborigines usually settled in the desert, inland areas or on the coast.  If they lived in the desert or in the inland their diet usually consisted of insects, birds, reptiles, mammals and fruit.  If they lived around the coast they usually ate small animals, fruit, reptiles, fish and shellfish.

Dark hair and dark skin is a common trait in the Aborigines.  They lived in tribes usually consisting of their family groups.  There  was over 500 tribes in Australia, with names like Aranda and Tiwi as just 2 examples of these tribes.  Over 300 different Australian Aboriginal languages were spoken, however no written  language existed.  The Aborigines led a spiritual, religous and artistic life.  Their traditions included music, singing, dancing and  art. Today many Aborigines choose to continue to live in the traditional manner, though the majority now live in towns and cities.                                                                                      

Aboriginal Art.

The Aborigines have been producing art for thousands of years.  They used their art as a form of expression and communication.  Aboriginal art can take many forms including engravings, rock art and bark paintings.

Here are some different forms of Aboriginal Art for you to look at.

Click on these images to make them larger.

                            Boomerang.

A boomerang is a flat curved object that spins when it is in flight.   It is usually made from wood.   Boomerangs were used by the Aborigines for hunting animals for food many thousands of years ago.  They also used them in warfare.  There are two types of boomerangs, the returnable and the non returnable.  Boomerangs that return to the thrower are toys, which many children in Australia play with today.

Didgeridoo.

The didgeridoo is one of the worlds oldest musical instruments.  It is a unique wind instrument made from the trunk of trees which are hollow in the inside.  The trees that are most commonly used are eucalyptus trees.  It is a difficult instrument to play and your breathing is very important while playing it.  The Aborigines invented the didgeridoo.

Click on the Didgeridoo to hear the sound it makes!!