The arrival of Europeans in 1788 changed the living of the Aborigines. At that time several aborigine groups lived around Port Jackson, each group with in its own territory. Suddenly there were 1473 strangers and some of them had guns. The aborigines had to move from the land were they had lived for so many years. Many of the aborigines died of illnesses brought in by the Europeans.
The Dreamtime is aboriginal stories about long ago -40 000 yrs ago and how things were created. Some Dreamtime stories include:
1.The Rainbow Serpent 2.When the Snake Bits the Sun 3. How the Birds Got their Colours 4.Banana Bird and the Snake 5.Who Made the Sun 6.The Flying Fox Warriors 7.The Bat and the Crocodile 8.One Woolly Wombat 9.What Made Tiddalik Laugh 10.Father Sky and Mother Earth 11.The Black Swans.
The Indjwangdjuwa
Aboriginal people say that this rock was one of the beings that created the dreamtime. It can be found in Kakadu in the Northern Territory.
Hunting
The spears were only allowed to be thrown by men. Only men were allowed to touch boomerangs. Each man had a range of spears of different weights and designs which were made of different types of wood. A woomera is the name of a spear thrower. Woomeras make the spears go farther.
Singing and Dancing
Aboriginal singing and dancing was important. Songs were sung at work and around the campfire at night. Dancing was to amuse themselves while a ceremony was in action. Singing and dancing was a tradition. They often painted themselves in earth colours like brown, orange, yellow, black and red.They played a didgeridoo and used tapping sticks for music. Dances often represented an animal hunt!
Elders
The elders made all decisions for the group . eg. when to make a move of camp food , gathering proceedures , marriage and burial arrangements etc. Help was sought with the elders when people were sick.Thr elders organised special rain-making ceremonies when it was necessary.
Boomerangs
Boomerangs were used for hunting food, especially animals. They can hit hard enough to kill the largest Australian animal!! They were also used for fun and they can return.
Corroboree
A corroboree was an aboriginal dance, mainly danced by men. The men were decorated. There was a lot of yelling and pretend animal noises. The men chanted, stamped their feet, clapped their hands and tapped sticks. Didgeridoos were played and no-one was allowed to watch it.
Law
Law depended on the elders who made all the rules . The laws came from The Dreamtime. The laws helped the Aboriginals feel a part of the environment.
The role of woman
The basic role of woman in the supplying of food was to gather and to cook the smaller creatures and the plant foods. Women always used sticks for digging. They made spades from the sticks. Coolamongs were always in use. They were things that gather heaps of food so they can store it for times when they need food. Bags were used for carrying things. Some people had cane baskets. Stones were used to crush grass seeds. Fishing prongs were used for fishing! Women had a lot of jobs to do !!
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