The Aborigines of Australia

1. The AboriginesofAustralia A presentationby Sandra and Luisa

2. Overview • The relationshipbetweenEuopeansandAboriginals • „Terra Nullius“ – a landbelongingtonobody • The Myall-Creek Massacre • Culture and Society • Language • Bush Medicine • The Dreamtime • Art • Aborigines today • The Fault ofthe White Settlers?

3. 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.

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

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Culture and Society Language • 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.

8. Healing Secrets ofAboriginalBush 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.

9. DREAMTIMEAnd Inner Space

10. 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

11. 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...”

12. Aborigines in our time DemograficChanges: 1920  60 000 Aborigines lived in Australia 1991  265 000 2006  464 000 • Theirself-confidencegrewandtheygetmoreappreciationnow. • Only about 1/7 of the Aborigines are pure-blooded

13. Symbolic Gifts • David Unaipon since 1995 on theAustralian 50-Dollar note • GwoyaJungarai  since 1987 on theAustralian 2-Dollar coin • Len Waters  in 1995 on a stamp • Cathy Freeman  in 2000 on a stamp

14. ImportantYears • 1967  Aborigines gotCivilRights • 1976  IssueoftheAborigional Lands RightAct • 1992  End oftheracist``terranullius“ principle  The Aborigines andotherdemonstrantsoccupiedtheparliamentin Canberra andhoistedtheAborigionalflag • 1993  Year oftheIndigenousPeople

15. Problems • Poorestpeople in theAustraliansociety • Rate ofunemploymentisabout 20% • Little education • Expectationofageabout 10 yearsunderthatofthewhitepeople • Rate ofdeadchildrentwiceashigh • High rate ofchildabuse • alcoholism

16. Possible Solution Different measureswereinitiated (June 2007): • Measures that have the goal of creating a safe environment for children • Banningalcoholandpornography • Comprehensive medical screening of children • More police and more teachers

17. Other comments • Actually, the term "Aboriginal" is discrimination. The correctnamesare: 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

18. 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.

19. Sourcesandreferences • „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