1. The
Aborigines
of Australia

2. Who are the aborigines?
• The term aborigines refers to the indigenous
(native) people of Australia.
• The Aborigines are thought to have migrated from
Asia about 30,000 years ago, although some scholars
think it may have been earlier than that (60,000 years
ago).
• The Aborigines are one of the oldest groups of
humans on the planet.

3. Pre-colonial
• Before the settlement of
Australia by the Europeans, the
Aborigines were hunter/gathers
and live semi-nomadic lives.
• They used throwing weapons
such as spears, and boomerangs
to hunt prey, and gathered wild
plants as food.

4. History and Culture
• The Aborigines did not have
a written language all their
history and learning was
passed down by stories and
through art.
• Storytelling was one of the
ways the older generation
taught the younger.
• Art included cave, and bark
paintings, dot and body
painting. Aboriginals used
symbols to represent natural
surroundings.

5. Pictographs / Symbols
Kangaroo
Tracks
Goanna
lizard
Snakes
Men
Hunting
Women’s
Ceremony

6. Aboriginal Art
Rock Art Bark Painting
Dot painting -
Traditional
dot paintings
were made in
sand

7. Body Painting
•One of the earliest
forms of Aboriginal art
•Used in traditional
dances and ceremonies
•Designs represented
clans and ancestors

8. Music
• Music also played a large part in the
culture with one of the most famous
instruments being the Digeridoo.
• It was made from bamboo or
eucalyptus that was hollowed out by
termites.
• It is played by buzzing the lips and
using a technique called circular
breathing. It was only allowed to be
played by men.
• How to digeridoo

9. Music
• The bullroarer,or turndun, is an ancient ritual
musical instrument and means of communicating
over extended distances.
• Bullroarers were used in conjuction with didgeridoos
in initiation ceremonies and to keep away evil spirits
during funerals
• It was taboo for women, children, non-initiated men
and/or outsiders to even hear a bullroarer.
• The sound they produced was considered to
represent the sound of the Rainbow Serpent or the
voice of Daramulan.
• Communicating with a bullroarer

10. Spiritualism
• The aboriginal religion is based on nature,
humans and nature were on the same level.
• The beginning of time in Aboriginal beliefs is
called “The Dreamtime” or “Dreaming”
• In Dreamtime, “Ancestors” came from below
the earth to form various parts of nature, some
became men, others animals, still others became
rivers, plants, or the sky.
• This is why one of the central beliefs is a deep
respect for nature and all its parts.

11. Modern Population
• There are about 400,000 aboriginal people in
Australia or about 2% of the population.
• There are about 500 – 600 distinct groups inside
the population.