Australian Indigenous Studies

People have always lived in this land we call Australia it was long ago the home of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. The most prominent features of those people’s cultures were the strong links between the Aboriginals and the land. This strong custodial relationship is a main feature of the amazing continuity of the Aboriginal culture over thousands of generations in this country,Each particular group of Aboriginal people in Australia belonged to an area of land which was in the care of those Aboriginals, it was their responsibility. And the link with the land was part of their complex society – The Dreaming- Stories which were told from generation to generation and lived by. It was their laws and social relationships which were regulated through the elders, the land and the people.

Australia now has changed a lot in the past 200 years. New lifestyles, new names, different people and multi-cultural people live here and the aboriginal were chased of their lands.

A 19th century engraving showing Australian "nativ...

Australia: Aboriginal Culture 011

Playing the traditional aboriginal musical instrum...

The different tribes had to put up with racism, murder and rape. The land which their owned once was transformed by trees being felled for farming, animals were introduced which were not native and destroyed the native animals. New towns started which were growing into big cities soon also destroyed their land. Aboriginal people could live less and less of their own land as food sources, which there were used too, diminished. The food the European people had was not good for the aboriginals and gave them health problems and diseases. Loss of history and languages was also a problem. Aboriginal people were expected to fit in with the whites. For decades the Aboriginal people fought for human rights. Finally in 1967 a small victory; a Commonwealth referendum included the Aboriginals in the census and gave...