ABORIGINAL HISTORY

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ABORIGINAL HISTORY

• AREA OF STUDY 1

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• Evidence suggests that the aboriginal people
  arrived in Australia by land bridges and paddling
  from South East Asia at least 60,000 years ago
  and possible up to 120,000 years.
• Indigenous Australians believe they did not
  migrate to Australia. This is confirmed in their
  Dreaming. The Dreaming tell us about their
  spirituality and their strong entrenchment with
  the land.

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• Everything and everyone that was touched by the
  spirit ancestors became spiritually linked. When
  the spirits die they are either absorbed into the
  earth, creating features in the landscape, or
  they drift up into the sky. This belief explains
  the strong relationship, ultimate respect and
  intimate bond that Aboriginal people have with
  their environment.
• The Dreaming also provides the law that the
  Aboriginal people have with their environment.
• Stories of the Dreaming are passed down from
  generation to generation in the form of
  conversation, art, dance and song and provide the
  basis for a rich spiritual life.

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• Aboriginal perceptions of the environment are
  closely tied to their spirituality and their uses
  of the land are more than just a means of
  survival.
• They live in harmony with the land. They believe
  it is their responsibility to care and protect
  it. This way the land continues to provide for
  them.

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• It was estimated that around the time of European
  settlement there were between 300,000 and
  1,500,000 Aboriginals. They live in small
  communities or clans all over the country. In
  Victoria an estimated 18,000 Aboriginal people
  lived in 38 distinct groups.

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• Over thousands of years Aboriginal people have
  expanded their knowledge of the land by observing
  the seasonal effects of nature. They developed
  land management techniques to ensure their
  survival.

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• Fire was the most common method for managing
  the land (plants and animals). Fire stick farming
  involves burning small areas of land in a
  patchwork pattern to reduce the incidence of
  larger more devastating fires. Burning promotes
  regrowth which advantageous to plants, animals
  and humans. To frequent burning off may be
  responsible for the many grasslands and woodlands
  present when the Europeans arrived.
• New plant shoots that emerged after a burning
  attracted animals which became an easy target.

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• Another form of regenerations and sustainable
  hunting used by aboriginal people is in the
  establishment of Conservation or Sanctuary Zones.
  These places were very special and no hunting,
  gathering or burning took place. Plants and
  animals thrived in these areas and eventually
  overflowed the boundaries where they could be
  sustainably hunted and gathered.

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THE WOIWURRUNG

• When Europeans first settled the Port Phillip
  region it was already occupied by five Aboriginal
  language groups. These groups spoke a related
  language and were part of the KULIN (Koolin)
  nation of peoples.

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• The people are
• Woiwurrung (Woy-wur-rung) - The Wurundjeri People
  
• Boonerwrung (Bun-er-rong) - The Boonerwrung
  People
• Wathaurong (Wath-er-rong) - The Wathaurong People
  
• Taungerong (Tung-ger-rong) - The Taungerong
  People
• Dja Dja Wrung (Jar-Jar wrung) - The Jaara People

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• Traditionally, the Kulin people lived as hunters
  and gatherers for many generations. Seasonal
  changes in the weather and availability of foods
  would determine where campsites were located.

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