Discuss the impact of the settlement of the white European settlers on the lifestyle and culture of the Aboriginal people.

The arrival of the white Europeans had a huge impact on the lifestyle and culture of the Aboriginal people.

Before the arrival of the Europeans the Aborigines led a nomadic life. This meant that they did not always live in the same place. They made their huts out of brush and mud. When they left they often moved onto more fertile land, where they could find food. This doesn't just include berries and ground foods but also animals from which they could get meat.

The Aboriginal men were skilled hunters. Their main hunting tool was the spear. Animals which they hunted included: kangaroos, emus, dingos, wombats fish and birds, as other animals like sheep and cattle had not been introduced yet.

The Aborigines lived as one with the land and were fully dependent on it for sources of food, shelter and tools. This was the way they had been taught by their ancestors.

Aboriginal flag

Location of the Arctic

English: Taiwanese aborigines Русский: Аб...

The land was their mother. Teaching was important to the Aboriginal people. The men taught the boys and the women taught the girls. As the Aborigines had no writing system they would teach by mouth and often tell stories which had morals.

They also had many rituals/ceremonies which were sacred. There were also special places called sacred sites where some of these were carried out. One example of a ritual/ceremony is where girls became women. They quoted their ancestors and then had a design painted on their bodies.

Another important aspect of the Aboriginal Culture was their law, which they took very seriously. One of their punishments for law-breakers was spearing. We saw an example of this in the film when a white man, who was staying with the tribe, tried to take advantage of an Aboriginal woman.

As soon as the European settlers arrived...