The Aboriginesof Australia

A presentation by Sandra and Luisa

Overview• The relationship between Euopeans and Aboriginals• „Terra Nullius“ – a land belonging to nobody• The Myall-Creek Massacre• Culture and Society• Language• Bush Medicine• The Dreamtime• Art• Aborigines today• The Fault of the White Settlers?

• The term Aboriginal refers to the indigenous, traditional religions worldwide

• These peoples often have in common an animistic belief in spirits in all nature, creation myths, shamans, rituals and a religious system that permeates all of their life

• The Aborigines of Australia, Tasmania and the Torres Strait Islands have claimed that land for more than 50,000 years

• They are the oldest continuing culture in the world

• Like the Native Americans, they compose over 500 cultural groups speaking various dialects and languages.

Aboriginal people and European settlers

• European point of view: the establishment of a settlement in Australia is the story of an adventurous voyage, Aborigines do not really “own” the land

• Aboriginal point of view: European settlement = invasion and destruction of Aboriginal civilisation.

Although British authorities had good intentions towards Aboriginal people, they nevertheless intended to take their land.Just as the Europeans had no respect for Aboriginal land ownership, they also had little understanding or respect for Aboriginal culture.

English settlers surrounded by a group of Aborigines. This is believed to be the earliest photograph taken in Australia.

Terra nullius A land belonging to nobody!

• How could Captain Cook say that all this new found territory belonged to Britain?

• How could the British government act as if this land belonged to them? The simple answer to these questions is that the British did not consider Aboriginal people as the rightful owners of this land.

Myall Creek: a massacre that made the news

• June 1838• It was the first time Europeans

were hanged for murdering Aborigines

• It took place at a time of conflict between Aborigines and European settlers

• The conviction of the Myall Creek murderers was one triumph for those whites who were determined to see Aborigines treated as equals before the law.

Culture and SocietyLanguage

• In 1788, there were about 250 separate Aboriginal languages• Main language groups: Pitjantjatjara, Warlpiri and Arrernte• Pitjantjatjara is still spoken today in many parts of the Central, while

Arrernte, the language of the Alice Springs area, is still heard every day around the town.

Healing Secrets of Aboriginal Bush Medicine  • Aborigines were healthier than Australians are today• But Aborigines often had the need of bush medicines• Aborigines used a range of remedies – wild herbs, animal products, steam baths,

string amulets and secret chants.• Aboriginal remedies varied between clans. There was no one Aboriginal

pharmacopoeia, just as there was not one Aboriginal language• Serious illness and death were caused by spirits • Accidents were often attributed to malevolence• Spiritual doctors were men of great wisdom and stature with immense power• Only they could name the cause of serious illness or death and effect a cure.

TABLE OF REMEDIESHEADACHE Red ash, Headache vine, Rock fuchsia

bush, Liniment tree, Tamarind, Snakevine

Bathe with crushed leaves in water; Crushed leaves inhaled; Leaf decoction drunk; Crushed leaves rubbed on head; Fruit pulp rubbed on head; Mashed stems wound around head

COUGHS, COLDS Lemon grasses; Fuchsia bushes; Tea trees; River mint; Great morinda

Decoction drunk or applied as wash; Decoction drunk; Crushed leaves inhaled; Decoction drunk; Ripe fruit eaten

DREAMTIMEAnd Inner Space

LIVING THE DREAMING

• Tjukurrpa = the Dreamtime• Time of the myths for the Aborigines, time of the creation of the world • Ancestors walked over the world and created the landscapes • The “Ancestors” are often animals• If there is a curved mountainous ridge, it was a huge snake of

Tjukurrpa, which once passed by and formed these mountains• Every Aborigine has its own personal spirit, almost like a patron, or

perhaps his destiny• Which spirit that is, is determined by the birthplace of the child• This time represents the contents of the Aboriginal dances, the Inma

Creative Expression: Aboriginal art takes three forms: personal art, social art and sacred or ritual art.

• The traditional creative expression is closely linked to the Dreaming• Sacred art always implies "transformation”• Mussolini Harvey, 1988:

"The Dreamings are our ancestors, no matter if they are fish, birds, men women, animals, wind or rain. It was these Dreamings that made our Law... and our Law is not like European Law, which is always changing... our law cannot change. All things in our country have Law, they have ceremony and song, and they have people who are related to them...”

Aborigines in our time

Demografic Changes:1920 60 000 Aborigines lived in Australia1991 265 0002006 464 000• Their self-confidence grew and they get more

appreciation now. • Only about 1/7 of the Aborigines are pure-blooded

Symbolic Gifts

• David Unaipon since 1995 on the Australian 50-Dollar note

• Gwoya Jungarai since 1987 on the Australian 2-Dollar coin

• Len Waters in 1995 on a stamp • Cathy Freeman in 2000 on a stamp

Important Years

• 1967 Aborigines got Civil Rights• 1976 Issue of the Aborigional Lands Right Act• 1992 End of the racist ``terra nullius“ principle The Aborigines and other demonstrants

occupied the parliament in Canberra and hoisted the Aborigional flag

• 1993 Year of the Indigenous People

Problems

• Poorest people in the Australian society• Rate of unemployment is about 20% • Little education• Expectation of age about 10 years under that

of the white people• Rate of dead children twice as high• High rate of child abuse• alcoholism

Possible Solution

Different measures were initiated (June 2007):• Measures that have the goal of creating a safe

environment for children• Banning alcohol and pornography• Comprehensive medical screening of children• More police and more teachers

Other comments

• Actually, the term "Aboriginal" is discrimination. The correct names are: East Murri; South-East Koori; South Nanga; South-West Nyungar; West Wonghi.

• Some Aborigines send their children to schools of government stations, where they are taught the language of the whites.

• There they are still taught the old myths, laws, history and culture of their people to be proud of their cultural identity

The fault of the white settlers? In the 18th Century, the whites wanted to convert the Aboriginal’s beliefs into “normal” ones, and of course, make them civilized people.Of course they were forbidden to continue dancing their dances, whites tried to teach them their language and culture, and showered them with all sorts of excesses of our civilization: Infectious diseases, alcohol, etc. But since they didn’t even know metal and thought of clothes as somehow unnecessary, they were degraded to savages without any rights.

Sources and references• „Kimberley Warrior“• „Mutant Message Down Under“• „Australian Encounters“• www.wikipedia.com• www.australian-panorama.de/.../aborigines-heute.html• Home.arcor.de/aborigines_australien/.../a_heute.html• De.wikipedia.org/wiki/aborigines• www.didgeridoo-treff.de/.../aboriines_heute• http://www.aboriginal-dreamtime.net2go.info/

Aboriginal/Aboriginal_Dreamtime.htm