Aboriginals in Australia

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Introduction

I’ve been writing about the Aborigines in Australia. I’ve been writing about their traditions and their way of living. I’ve also written about when Australia became a European settlement in the end of 18th century. So, what happened with their religion, how does their living look like today? Together with Torres Strait Islanders, Aborigines is counted among the country’s most disadvantaged group, something you also can read about in my essay.


Aboriginals

The first inhabitants in Australia were Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders. Some believed that the Aboriginals people migrated from Asia to Australia between 60.000 – 50.000 years ago. The 26 January 1788 the first English man arrived to the Australian cost. Before the arrival, Aboriginals inhabited most areas of the Australian continent, each speaking one or more of hundreds of separate languages, and developing distinct lifestyles and religious and culture traditions if differing regions. Many of the Aboriginals died of new deceases, which the English men brought. The people also killed Aboriginals with guns and in Tasmania every one died. They captured many Aboriginals and tried to learn them Christianity and to talk English. They took the children and put them in to children’s home. This happened between 1883 and 1969. These years is now called “the lost years”. The culture and the religion was almost destroyed. Today it’s one of the oldest people in the world.
In 1996 there where 2.1 % or 352,970 Aboriginals in Australia. In New South Wales and Queensland lives over half of Australia’s indigenous people, the rest lives in Western Australia and in the Northern Territory.

Some important years in Aboriginals and Australian history:
1851, gold been founded in Australia. Prospectors from all over the world came to Australia. The population dramatically exploded.
1868, they stopped sending convicts to Australia.
1902, women get right to vote.
In 1960-cetury the Aboriginals get right to vote.
At the OS 2000 in Australia, Cathy Freeman set on the Olympic fire a new hope to the Aboriginals who’s living today.


European settlement

In 1770 the Aboriginals got visitors, it was Captain James Cook, a great English navigator, and his crew. They’ve sailed from England all the way to Australia. He was only passing through but when he landed on the east coast he decided to start a colony on the island. He sent a message to Britain that he had found land.
The first fleet of ships arrived from Britain in 1778. The people who came weren’t peacefully. It was prisoners and hundred of soldiers who should go to watch over the lawless. In that time in Britain there where so much thieves and murderers that the prisons didn’t have place for all law breaker.

Aboriginals were hunters and gatherers who moved with the seasons only carrying the tools that were needed for hunting and preparation of foods. Aboriginal society was organized within intricate kinship relationships based on strictly applied laws and observances. Each family was a self-sufficient economic unit and each member had its own specific responsibilities. Every person in the family had an important task, the women gathered berries and fruits and took care of the smallest children and the older ones helped her. Men where out hunting and they could be gone for days, even weeks. If they came home with a lot of food their was often ceremonies where every one in the tribe shared it. While their eating they play the most famous instrument the Didgeridoo. It’s a long wood-pipe, which is hollowed out by ants. It’s difficult to play the Didgeridoo because it takes a continuous flow of air to create the deep echo-sound. So they eat, play the Didgeridoo and the dancers paint their bodies with Dreamtime designs. At the time before the English occupation they had a religion, called “The Dreaming”. Today the most people say that they’re Christians (75%). 12% says they’re not religious at all and the rest is Judaism, Islam and Buddhism.
In a short sum up, the religion based on that people would bring together in life and after death. Each unique Aboriginal tribe, has different rituals and worship’s different things. Rituals and worship would include, the Rites of Passage and Rites of Devotion. Rites of Passage would include Initiation ceremonies, which allow an Aboriginal boy or girl to pass from puberty to manhood or womanhood according to which Dreaming he or she belongs to. Rites of Passage also include birth, marriage and death rituals. Rites of Devotion include prayers, songs, dances, music and offering which assist in bringing good health, and healing to individuals and to the land, as well as the resolution of conflict and socially harmony in the community.


Before an Aboriginal is born, she’s a spirit. When she dies she’ll be a spirit again. There for is the birth and the funeral an important part of the Aboriginals life. When she’s born, her mother is blowing life into her become saying: “Remember that you’re loved and that you’re never going to be alone” in her ear. It’s the baby who is choosing her mother.


Avers rock

The Aboriginal is calling Avers rock, Uluru. Avers rock is in the South of Australia. It’s 10 km’s around and 350 meters high, and probably 3,5 km’s long. Avers rock is a holy place to the Aboriginals. Those who climb Avers rock, are getting ether a decease or a bad accident going to happen to him/her. Avers rock has strong connections to “forefathers spirits”.





Aboriginals symbols

They used several symbols to body decoration in ceremonies. In central Australia inherited designs are painted onto the face and body using ochre’s ground to a paste with water and applied in stripes or circles. The modern paintings of the Central and Western Desert are based on these designs. Some of these symbols are:

Aboriginals today

Nowadays the indigenous aren’t living in the w...