Archaeological evidence suggests that Aboriginals have occupied Australia for
60,000 years, the Aboriginal migrated to Australia from Asia. They walked across
land bridges, and sailed between the islands of Southeast Asia. Then continued
the migration by walking to differing parts of the country. Aboriginal people
were in contact with other cultures, sharing ideas and skills long before
permanent European occupation.
Aboriginal people inhabited the whole of Australia and Torres Strait
Islanders lived on the islands between Australia and Papua New Guinea, in what
is now called the Torres Strait. Before 1788 there were approximately 700
languages spoken throughout Australia with an estimated population of 750,000
people.
The indigenous peoples had a respect for the environment, as part of their
hunter/gatherer lifestyle and only took what they needed from it - meaning that
the natural environment was respected and would regenerate. This meant a
continued food source, and was very different to the way in which Europeans
treated the environment when they arrived. An example of this is the practice of
firestick farming, when at certain times when the undergrowth and vegetation
became too dense, they would set a controlled fire to clear this. Far from
destroying the environment it cleared it so that plants could regenerate. In
fact, to this date, several types of seeds need fire to open up, and regenerate.
Far from being a completely nomadic people, with no concept of ownership, as
the Europeans thought, there were traditional tribal areas. The boundaries for
these however weren't set in a European way with fences, but with mountains,
lakes and rivers. The stories of the Dreamtime, explain the creation of the
land, and all that lives on it. Ancestor spirits came to the earth and embarked
on a creation process, whereby all that we see now, and the law that we live
under, was formed, and shaped. Many stories relate to how specific events
occurred, like the formation of Uluru or Ayers Rock. Any trip to Australia
wouldn't be complete without a cultural performance, or visit to an Aboriginal
cultural centre.
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