Australian Aboriginal culture

traditions, language, music, entertainment, and food. History A Brief History of Australia’s Aboriginal People Australia’s aboriginal people were thought to have arrived via vessel from somewhere in the South East of Asia as early as the last ice age, which was roughly 50,000 years ago. During the 15th century close to one million aboriginal people lived throughout the continent. Today there is an estimated 458,520 indigenous people residing in Australia. Each clan was estimated to be between 10-50 or more people. The aboriginal people’s lives were based on hunting by the men and fishing and gathering by the women. Each clan held spiritual connections to certain parts of the land. However it was common for clans to travel widely for trade purposes which could…

Ever since the invasion of Aboriginals in 1788, the impact that the Australian Government acts have had a huge impact on the Aboriginal culture right through to today. The ‘stolen generations’ is a hole in the history of Aboriginals which affect many aboriginal descendants. Aboriginals today have inherited racism from the white Australians making them feel like 2nd class citizens in a multicultural country. In 1909 the White government made a Aboriginal Protection Act to “protect aborigines for…

this period is also concerned with balance and the relationship between the world’s spiritual, moral and natural elements. Collectively, this is what is known as the Dreaming (Stanner, 1958). As such, connection to the natural environment and to the land by individuals or groups is considered sacred and irrevocable (Fryer-Smith, 2008). The Dreaming is the focus of spirituality for Indigenous Australian people. It dictates the social, moral and religious behaviour and laws that Indigenous…

In this world, each person can have a different perspective and opinion on one exact thing such as a political issue, the appearance of a certain individual, object, etc. The poems “My Country” by Dorothea Mackellar and “We Are Going” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal are both written in their own personal perspectives and give readers an insight into Australia’s exquisite environment and past tragedies. In Dorothea Mackellar’s poem “My Country”, she shares her admiration for Australia’s beauty and danger,…

Some of the oldest art traditions in the world originate in Australian, art can be found carved in rock dating back 30,000 years. The Aboriginal people were also body painters and made ground designs by arranging small stones to create patterns. One of the most interesting is the art carved in tree-bark showing skill, inspiration and creativity. The Aboriginal people are also known for tracking, they have successfully tracked and found people that were lost for days. Aboriginal Myths …

Banjo Patterson was born in 1964 in New South Wales. He was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. Most of his ballads focused on the Australian way of life in the outback. He has produced many well-known ballads such as “The Man from Snowy River “and “Clancy of the Overflow” also his infamous ballad “Waltzing Matilda”. “Waltzing Matilda” was originally created in 1895 and the title is Australian slang for ‘going walkabout with your swag’. The ballad narrates the story of a lonely,…

The spirited paintings Emily painted were in response to the land of her birth using the shapes and patterns of the contours of the landscape as well as the cycles of the seasons and parched land of the Northern Territory (). Furthermore, she included the flow of flooding waters and sweeping rains in her paintings unlike Tjapaltjarri who painted the Dreaming Kngwarreye’s inspiration came from her land including things like the patterns of seeds and the shapes of plants as well as the spiritual…

What does it mean to be Australian? In Australian media, an Aussie is typically portrayed as a Caucasian, larger-than-life, masculine male who tames crocodiles for a living and lives in the bush; the vast, yet stunning landscape that occupies over 70% of the country (1). This is how Australians want their country to viewed in the national spotlight. The problem is, this is not at all realistic. Australia is becoming a very multicultural country, with the amount of residents born over seas…

Aboriginal people are disadvantaged in Australian society. Addressing low literacy levels within indigenous communities provides the catalyst for positive outcomes to the future of Aboriginal people. Growing numbers of indigenous Australians achieving tertiary qualifications advances academic standing, professional standing and employments opportunities for individual and the indigenous community as a whole ( Mellor and Corrigan 2004). Incorporating the fundamental ethos of Aboriginal culture…

Indigenous Australian youth still face many challenges growing up in contemporary Australian society. This essay examines the challenges Indigenous youth face growing up and the main cultural influences. Specifically exploring the ways in which Indigenous youth today are interdependent to both white culture and indigenous culture. Also including reasoning behind continuous marginalization and stereotyping of Indigenous youth while growing up in this day and age. Examples of Indigenous youth from…