Australian Indigenous People

Have you watched the movie "Australia" starred by Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman? If you did, surely you would remember the adorable half-Aboriginal half-European child Nullah. Who is Aborigines? Aborigines is defined as the first or earliest known people in a particular land. At present, Australian Aborigines refer to to those indigenous people who were traditionally head hunters in Australia. Another group of indigenous people from Torres Strait Island who traditionally practiced agriculture are known as Torres Strait Islanders. Australia current main population consists of the descendants from colonial-era settlers and post-Federation from Europe, but Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders are only 2.4% of the total population in 2001.

Australian Aborigines

Torres Strait Islanders

Most scholars agree that humans had arrived in north-west Australia about 40000 to 50000 years ago before the European settlement due to the discovery of Mungo Man near Lake Mungo, New South Wales which is at least 40000 years old. Stone tools which were found near Lake Mungo are also estimated to have reached 50000 years old. They reached Tasmania, an Australian island, by migrating across a land bridge formed between Asia mainland and the continent during Ice Age. The inhabitants were then isolated from the mainland until the settlement of European when the seas rose about 12000 years ago, covering the land bridge.

Australian aborigines comprise of 500-600 distinct tribal divisions, thus they practise wide variety of cultures and customs. However, their cultures still share some similarities. One of them is their beliefs in the Dreamtime, the beginning of the world. They believe that the world was nothing at the beginning. Their ancestors then arrived mostly in the shape of serpent and formed the landscape and new lives in the world like animal species, water, sky and other things we see in the world today. They always sing the Songlines that illustrate the Dreamtime to inform them about about the creation and to preserve and conserve the land and everything it contains. The relationship between human and mother nature is the source of their tribal law. Their beliefs can also be observed through their art of storytelling, dances and diagrams drawn in the sand or the walls of the caves.

Human figure said to be painted by a Mimi spirit - from Kakadu National Park

Paintings are of food animals such as turtles, kangaroos and fish, and are thought to be a form of hunting
and fishing magic

Aboriginal Australian's storytelling

Aboriginal body's painting

If you have the opportunity to visit Australia, don't forget to check out on this unique tribe of Aboriginal Australians! : )