PowerPoint Presentation

Indigenous AustraliansLinks with the Land and the Dreaming

The National Apology13 February 2008Federal Parliament, CanberraPrime Minister, Kevin RuddA step towards reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians

NATIONAL APOLOGY, KEVIN RUDD, 13 FEBRUARY 2008What is the government apologising for?What is the government promising for the future?For the past mistreatment of Aborigines.The laws and policies of past governments that have inflicted grief, pain and loss on Aboriginal Australians.The removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, communities and country Stolen Generation.Pain and suffering of families and descendants of the Stolen Generation.The breaking up of communities.Indignity and degradation inflicted on Aboriginal people.Committing to a future that embraces all Australians and a healing of the nation.The injustices of the past must never happen again.To close the gap in life expectancy, education and economic opportunities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.A future based on mutual respect, resolve and responsibility.Equality for all AustraliansEmbrace a true spirit of reconciliationFollowing a discussion of Kevin Rudds National Apology, we then step back in time and examine some pre-history and history of Indigenous Australians, such as: Their origins.Contact with European settlers and colonisation.Reactions of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians towards each other.Technological differences Why Technology?Assimilation.Genocide and massacres.Missions and reserves.Contributions of famous Indigenous Australians in history.

These can be linked back to elements of the National Apology.3Where did the First Australians come from?Prehistory the time before European settlement; no written records of human events.The Scientific Perspective - Archaeologists and Anthropologists believe Indigenous Australians came from lands to the north of Australia most likely South East Asia. The Dreaming Stories - Indigenous Australians believe they were created by the spirits during the Dreamtime in the time before time.

Discuss the difference between history and prehistory. The time before European settlement in Australia is referred to as prehistory (as opposed to history) because there are no written records of human events.Two perspectives on where the first Australians came from Scientific Perspective and the Dreaming Stories.It would be beneficial for students to have access to a world map or globe during the activity to follow migration routes OR page 4 of Humanities Alive 3.

4Possible Migration RoutesLower sea levels during last Ice Age.

Land bridges connecting Australia and New Guinea.

People also came by boat (canoes) by island hopping across Indonesias islands and the Timor Sea.

Arrived at Arnhem Land (NT), the Kimberley Region (WA) or Cape York Peninsula (QL).

Rising sea levels flooded the land bridges, isolating Australia (and Tasmania).

During the last ice age, about 40 000 years ago, a lot of ocean water was held in large polar icecaps. With less water in the oceans, the sea level was possibly 100 metres lower than it is today, creating natural land bridges from one continent to another.

Prehistorians believe Australias first Indigenous population travelled here from South-East Asia during this ice age by island-hopping across Indonesias islands. They may have walked from as far as India until they were forced to make rafts or canoes to travel the last leg of their journey to the north of Australia. Their watercraft were most probably made of bamboo as it is water-resistant, light material in good supply in Asia.

This migration would have occurred over a long time and in waves, meaning that there wasnt just one migration, but many. The Aboriginal people moved in bands, stopping for long periods in different places to fish, hunt and gather other foods. Some may not have actually wished to travel to Australia but their watercraft may have been caught by strong winds or monsoons, most likely arriving at Arnhem Land (Northern Territory), the Kimberley Region (northern Western Australia) or Cape York Peninsula (Northern Queensland).

Torres Strait Islanders. The 100 or more islands known as the Torres Strait Islands are part of the Australian state of Queensland, and are located in the sea between mainland Australia and Papua New Guinea. Some historians and scientists agree that Australia was once joined to Papua New Guinea. About 70 000 years ago, when New Guinea was still attached to the Australian continent, the first people began arriving at the Islands. Chinese, Malay and Indonesian people travelled there looking for items to trade, such as pearl shell, canoes and tools. Unlike the Indigenous peoples of mainland Australia, the Torres Strait Islanders grew crops to survive.

It is believed that rising sea levels flooded the land bridges to the islands about 6000 years ago.5

Migration Mapping Activity Scientific explanation.

Complete a migration map using supplied black line master of South East Asia and page 4 of Humanities Alive 3.Label: Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Torres Strait, Coral Sea, Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Lake Mungo, Keilor.Include in the key: land above sea level 18,000BC, land above sea level present, possible migration routes, major site of Aboriginal remains.Read pages 4 and 5, Humanities Alive 3Answer Q1-4, p5, 6When did the First Australians arrive?The exact arrival of the Indigenous people is uncertain. 4000080000 years BP (Before Present). People reached Tasmania approximately 40000 years ago by migrating across a land bridge. After the Ice Age sea levels rose and covered the land bridges. People there were isolated from the mainland until the arrival of European settlers

The exact arrival of the Indigenous people is uncertain. 4000080000 years BP (Before Present). It could have been up to 100,000 years ago.People reached Tasmania approximately 40000 years ago by migrating across a land bridge from the mainland that existed during the last ice age. After the Ice Age sea levels rose and covered the land bridge. The inhabitants there were isolated from the mainland until the arrival of European settlers

7Evidence of the First Australians?No written records.

1971 - Aboriginal stone tools found in a quarry in Penrith, NSW, dated to 47000 years BP.

Human bones found at Keilor in Victoria are dated as 45,000 years old.

!975 Mans skeleton found at Lake Mungo, NSW in 1975. Scientists date it as 40,000 years old.

Scientists use radiocarbon dating, thermoluminescence and other methods to determine how old plants, rocks and artefacts are.

Unlike many other cultures, there are no written records of Aboriginal Australian history. Instead, history has been passed on through storytelling, songs and dance.

Some history can be determined by archaeological finds, such as the skeleton of an Aboriginal man found in Lake Mungo, New South Wales. It is believed to be about 40,000 years old!

Radiocarbon dating (sometimes simply known as carbon dating) is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 (14C) to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years

Thermoluminescence is a form of luminescence that is exhibited by certain crystalline materials, such as some minerals, when previously absorbed energy from electromagnetic radiation or other ionizing radiation is re-emitted as light upon heating of the material.8Many Different Language Groups

9Early European settlers called the people they found living in Australia, Aborigines or natives. This suggested that they were all the same. In fact, the Indigenous people belonged to about 500 different groups, each with its own separate language (or dialect) laws, beliefs and customs.

Compare this to a map of Australia today with the state and territory divisions.The Dreamtime'Dreamtime' - the 'time before time and the creation time.Dreaming' - an individual's or group's set of beliefs or spirituality.

'Ancestor Spirits' came to Earth in human and other forms and created the land, plants and animals.

Spirits traveled across the land and created rivers, hills and valleys. They also established the relationship between animals and humans.

Once their work was done, the Ancestor Spirits changed again into animals, stars, hills or other objects.

The Ancestor Spirits have not gone, they are still present in the forms they took at the end of the 'Dreamtime.

1. 'Dreamtime' is most often used to refer to the 'time before time', or 'the time of the creation of all things', while 'Dreaming' is often used to refer to an individual's or group's set of beliefs or spirituality. For instance, an Indigenous Australian might say that they have Kangaroo Dreaming, or Shark Dreaming, or Honey Ant Dreaming, or any combination of Dreaming pertinent to their 'country'. However, many Indigenous Australians also refer to the creation time as 'The Dreaming'. 2. 'Ancestor Spirits' came to Earth in human and other forms and the land, the plants and animals were given their form as we know them today. 3. These Spirits also established relationships between groups and individuals, (whether people or animals) and where they traveled across the land, or came to a halt, they created rivers, hills, etc., and there are often stories attached to these places. 4. Once their work was done, the Ancestor Spirits changed again; into animals or stars or hills or other objects. For Indigenous Australians, the past is still alive and vital today and will remain so into the future.5. The Ancestor Spirits and their powers have not gone, they are present in the forms into which they changed at the end of the 'Dreamtime' or 'Dreaming', as the stories tell. 6. The stories have been handed down through the ages and are an integral part of an Indigenous person's 'Dreaming'.

10Why is the Dreaming important?The Dreaming links the past with the present and the future.

The land , the people and the Dreaming are connected.

Storytelling is an integral part of life and plays a vital role in educating children.

The stories explain how the land came to be shaped and inhabited; how to behave and why; the laws of the people, where to find certain foods, etc.

Elders or Aunts and Uncles take responsibility for passing on the stories to the next generation.

The Dreaming tells of the journey and the actions of Ancestral Beings who created the natural world. The Dreaming is infinite and links the past with the present. It is the natural world, especially the land or county to which a person belongs, which provides the link between the people and The Dreaming.

Dreaming stories carry the truth from the past, together with the code for the Law, which operates in the present. Each story belongs to a long complex story. Some Dreaming stories discuss consequences and our future being.

Storytelling is an integral part of life for Indigenous Australians. From an early age, storytelling plays a vital role in educating children. The stories help to explain how the land came to be shaped and inhabited; how to behave and why; where to find certain foods, etc.

Gathered around the camp fire in the evening, on an expedition to a favourite waterhole, or at a landmark of special significance, parents, Elders or Aunts and Uncles use the stories as the first part of a child's education. Then, as children grow into young adults, more of the history and culture is revealed. Adults then take responsibility for passing on the stories to the following generations. In this way, the Stories of the Dreaming have been handed down over thousands of years. These are stories of the history and culture of the people, handed down in this way since the beginning of time, since the Dreamtime.

The stories that we are passing on today, we hope will help our people-and our children, our young people in particular, to get a better understanding about the lore that governs our lives today. No matter what we do, there is always guidance there for us and the guidance comes through in the stories - the direction that we are giving to our young people on how we expect them to grow up, how to listen to the old people and never to be disobedient. So all these little things are embedded in the stories to our children. That's why the stories are so powerful as an education tool when we're teaching our young kids. We must always refer back to the stories because give them the guidance that they need today.

11Custodians of the StoriesThe Dreaming Stories are not 'owned' by individuals. They belong to a group or nation, and the storytellers of that nation are carrying out an obligation to pass the stories along.

The Elders of a nation appoint skillful and knowledgeable storytellers as 'custodians' of the stories of that group.

Custodians tell the stories so that Aboriginal young people develop and retain a sense of who they are.

Storytelling, while explaining the past, helps young Indigenous Australians maintain dignity and self-respect in the present and for the future.

Because the "Stories of the Dreaming" have been handed down through the generations, they are not 'owned' by individuals. They belong to a group or nation, and the storytellers of that nation are carrying out an obligation to pass the stories along. The Elders of a nation might appoint a particularly skillful and knowledgeable storyteller as 'custodian' of the stories of that people.

With the discouragement and 'unofficial' banning of the telling of traditional stories, which continued well into the twentieth century, many stories were 'lost'. The custodians passed away without being able to hand the stories on. This was particularly so in the south-east region of Australia. Today's custodians are keen to spread the stories as widely as possible. It is part of the overall effort to ensure that young people build and retain a sense of who they are.

Storytelling, while explaining the past, helps young Indigenous Australians maintain dignity and self-respect in the present.

Present-day custodians of stories play a vital role in Indigenous communities.

12Creating a Dreaming StoryThe Aboriginal Dreaming Stories demonstrate the belief in a powerful creative deity (a god or spirit) and are attempts to answer questions which all people ask about where they come from, who they are and how they should live.

Here are some of those stories..http://www.abc.net.au/dustechoes/dustEchoesFlash.htm

Gulaga Sacred MountainAn Aboriginal Dreaming Story

This story is about Gulaga - our mother mountain and our sacred mountain and about her two sons, Barranguba and Najanuga.

Barranguba is Montague Island - that's what the white people call it. Barranguba is the older son of Gulaga. Just like an older brother who gets tired of living with his mother, Barranguba wants to move away from home. Barranguba asked his mother if he could move away from her side for a while and went out into the sea to watch the dancing of the fish and the whales.

His little brother, Najanuga saw his big brother going out and he said to Gulaga, 'Mum, can I go out too? I'm big. I'm grown up. Can I go out and watch the fish and the whales dancing?'

Gulaga said, 'No, son. You are too little. If I let you go out there, you would be swallowed up by Gadu, the great sea. I will put you down near my foot, so that I can watch you and you can watch your bigger brother out in the ocean.'

Gulaga put Najanuga down where he is now at the foot of his mother, Galuga, and that is where he has stayed, to watch his older brother while under the watchful eye of his mother. We call that little mountain at the edge of the water `mummy's little boy', because he is always with his mother.

Questions.What landforms or geographical features are in this dreaming story? List these with their Aboriginal name.Draw a diagram or picture to illustrate what happens in the story.

15Year 9 Aboriginal Dreaming TaskThe Aboriginal Dreaming Stories demonstrate the belief in a powerful creative deity (a god or spirit) and are attempts to answer questions which all people ask about their origins. According to Aboriginal Dreaming stories, Australias Indigenous people were created by spirits at the same time as the landscape and all living things.You are to write a creation story about an Australian landform, animal or food. These can include, but are not limited to:Yarra River, Dandenong Creek, Port Phillip Bay, Phillip Island, the 12 Apostles, Uluru, Sydney Harbour, Koala, Blue Tongued Lizard, Kangaroo, Ring-tailed Possum, fish, witchetty grubs, snake, bush plumsYOUR TASK:Write a draft creation story of 300-400 wordsUse Aboriginal Art Symbols and their Meanings handout to find out which symbols collaborate with your story.Stencil out a Boomerang from the brown poster paper that has been providedWrite out your story on one side of the boomerangIllustrate your story using the icons on the other side of the boomerangYour Boomerang needs to look as original as it can be!Aboriginal Art Symbols