Indigenous Australians Links with the Land and the
Dreaming
Slide 2
The National Apology 13 February 2008 Federal Parliament,
Canberra Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd A step towards reconciliation
between Indigenous and non- Indigenous Australians
Slide 3
NATIONAL APOLOGY, KEVIN RUDD, 13 FEBRUARY 2008 What 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 Australians Embrace a true spirit of
reconciliation
Slide 4
Where 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.
Slide 5
Possible Migration Routes Lower 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).
Slide 6
Slide 7
When did the First Australians arrive? The exact arrival of the
Indigenous people is uncertain. 40 00080 000 years BP (Before
Present). People reached Tasmania approximately 40 000 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
Slide 8
Evidence of the First Australians? No written records. 1971 -
Aboriginal stone tools found in a quarry in Penrith, NSW, dated to
47 000 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.
Slide 9
Many Different Language Groups
Slide 10
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.
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Why 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.
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Custodians of the Stories The 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.
Slide 13
Creating a Dreaming Story The 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
Slide 14
Gulaga Sacred Mountain An Aboriginal Dreaming Story
Slide 15
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.
Slide 16
Year 9 Aboriginal Dreaming Task The 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 plums YOUR TASK: Write a draft
creation story of 300-400 words Use 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 provided Write out your story on one side of the
boomerang Illustrate your story using the icons on the other side
of the boomerang Your Boomerang needs to look as original as it can
be!