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The history of Australia's First Nations peoples spans more than 60,000 years.

This "deep time" is defined by the development of cultural practices, innovative technologies and belief systems.

The objects in this collection at the Australian National Maritime Museum represent the continuity of the traditional, cultural and experiential knowledge that First Nations peoples have amassed over thousands of years of living spiritually and sustainably with the land.

Table of contents:

1. 2. Cultural significance of possum skin cloaks

2. 3. Ingenuity of Indigenous fish traps

3. 4. Importance of dugongs for Torres Strait Islander peoples

4. 5. History of Indigenous watercrafts

5. 6. Diversity of Indigenous watercrafts

1. Story of the Yawkyawk

Fresh water is crucial to survival. Matt Poll from the Australian National Maritime Museum explains how the Yolngu people protect the water sources they rely on.

All around Australia, First Nations cultures have spiritual connections that create the framework for a system that has let them live sustainably for more than 40,000 years.

The Yawkyawks from western Arnhem Land are an example of this.

Their story originates from the Dreamtime when two girls crossed a sacred boundary and entered the water. The girls were transformed into supernatural beings with fishtails for legs, a little like mermaids.

Like mermaids, the Yawkyawk are magical and alluring but also represent danger. They not only protect the water needed for survival during the dry season, but they also serve as a warning to people not to be tempted into places they don't have good reasons to be.

2. Cultural significance of possum skin cloaks

Possum skin cloaks are useful, but they also represent a map of a person's life and their personal connection to Country.

Possum skin cloaks sewn with kangaroo sinew were a necessary part of life for Aboriginal people living in parts of the country where it gets cold.

Incredibly warm, soft and luxurious, they were worn with the fur on the inside or on the outside if it was raining.

But they were more than just a way of keeping warm and dry. These were lifelong, intimate pieces that would grow as its owner did.

Made as gifts to babies, each cloak would start as a few pelts. Each pelt would be inscribed with markings and motifs that told the owner's story and connection to Country. Some adult cloaks had up to 70 pelts.

3. Ingenuity of Indigenous fish traps

Matt Poll from the Australian National Maritime Museum shows how ancient Aboriginal fishing and harvesting practices mimicked and took advantage of environmental features.

Woven objects are among the most functional material objects seen in everyday Aboriginal culture, and Aboriginal people started using woven fish traps between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago.

Today, people like artist Yvonne Koolmatrie are revitalising near-lost weaving practices. Yvonne has begun remaking the eel traps of her Ngarrindjeri people of the lower areas of the Murray River in South Australia.

Eels were difficult to catch, but they became a major food source thanks to these portable traps, which would have been a common sight in rivers across south-east Australia.

They were made of grass, and each step of their production needed specialist knowledge -everything from preparing strings strong enough to shape the traps to catching eels. These skills were taught through songs sung when building them.

4. Importance of dugongs for Torres Strait Islander peoples

Using the life-size sculpture of a dugong by artist Alick Tipoti, Matt Poll from the Australian National Maritime Museum discusses the significance of dugongs in Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait Islander) cultures.

For many thousands of years, Torres Strait Islander peoples (who now call themselves Zenadth Kes) have sustainably managed one of the largest dugong habitats in the world through totemic cultural practice.

A totem is an animal or plant that First Nations peoples have a spiritual connection with, and because of these connections, dugongs are seen as much more than just a food source. They are revered in an ancestral sense, and so careful dugong harvesting practices are done according to cultural laws and rules.

Their relationship is seen as symbiotic: the dugongs and people care for each other. From a young age, particular community members are given knowledge about the lives of dugongs, their patterns of movement, and nesting and breeding locations. Because of this knowledge, only specific dugongs are allowed to be hunted. Through this mutual respect, dugongs and Zenadth Kes peoples have thrived alongside each other for millennia.

5. History of Indigenous watercrafts

The watercraft used by Aboriginal people create ancient maps of influence and adaptation.

New understandings of Aboriginal watercraft used in the colonial era are reshaping our knowledge of their widespread use in rivers and along coastlines throughout Australia.

The dugout canoes of the Yolngu of Arnhem Land are the most recent. They appeared up to 700 years ago with Indonesian fishermen, who brought metal axes that allowed their manufacture.

In comparison, it is likely bark canoes were used for tens of thousands of years. By shaping bark, and then folding and sewing or lashing the ends, canoes up to 4 metres long were made. Some carried fires where fish was cooked on the spot.

Rafts were also used. Some were used like the way family cars are used today. Others used to hunt were designed to split in two when a large animal like a dugong was speared.

6. Diversity of Indigenous watercrafts

For such a dry continent, Australia's Aboriginal people aren't usually associated with watercraft.

But there is real diversity in how First Nations people took to the water.

The uniting feature about First Nations watercraft is that they are adapted to the place they are used. During the great migration that populated the continent more than 40,000 years ago, people were using the resources available to them, inventing new boat technologies as they spread across the continent.

They also reacted according to the environment. Instead of using the rough surf of the continent's southern coastlines, people stuck to the calmer water of harbours and rivers. More robust coastal craft were seen in the northern parts of the continent, where craft sometimes even had outriggers, for example, when used in Torres Strait.

The types of technology used was interesting too. The steaming of bark, the use of rope and waterproofing grass tree resins all required applied and specialised knowledge.

Things to think about

Acknowledgement and credits

Copyright
Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation 2020 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Produced by ABC Education in collaboration with the Australian National Maritime Museum.

1. 1.The great migration of Aboriginal people to the continent more than 40,000 years ago involved crossing at least one ocean. How do you think they did it?

2. 2.Watercraft were used wherever there were bodies of water. Find out what types of watercraft were developed in your area.

3. 3.Have a look at the materials available where you live. How would you build a watercraft from them? Could you do it?

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topic_aboriginal and torres strait islander history and culture

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aboriginal and torres strait islander history and culture

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Deep Time History of Indigenous Australians - ABC Education

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The history of Australia's First Nations peoples spans more than 60,000 years. This "deep time" is defined by the development of cultural practices, innovative technologies and belief systems. The objects in this collection at the Australian National Maritime Museum represent the continuity of the traditional, cultural and experiential knowledge that First Nations peoples have amassed over thousands of years of living spiritually and sustainably with the land.

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Worksheet- Debunking Misinformation about Aboriginal Culture

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Oxford Humanities and Social Sciences 8 Student Book+obook pro

Australian Curriculum

Second Edition

Mark Easton, Maggy Saldais, Katrina Davey, Richard Smith, Kirstin Woodard, Vladimir Dumovic, Bronwyn Cook, Olivia Andrew, Julie Davis, Kay Bishop

Oxford Humanities and Social Sciences 8 Student Book+obook pro

Australian Curriculum

Second Edition

Mark Easton, Maggy Saldais, Katrina Davey, Richard Smith, Kirstin Woodard, Vladimir Dumovic, Bronwyn Cook, Olivia Andrew, Julie Davis, Kay Bishop

$75.95 AUD

$85.99 NZD

Add To Cart

Description

Oxford Humanities and Social Sciences Australian Curriculum has been developed to meet the requirements of version 9.0 of the Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences across Years 7-10. As well as offering complete coverage of Geography, History, Economics and Business, and Civics and Citizenship, this new edition ensures that students build their Humanities and Social Sciences skills across all four subjects, preparing them for success in HASS subjects in the senior years.
Key features:

All content structured logically in topics to make lesson planning and delivery easier

Learning intentions clearly signposted at the start of every topic and assessed at the end

Engaging Student Book content purpose-written for the new Australian Curriculum presented in a format that's easy for students of all abilities to navigate

Up-to-date case studies and statistics

Humanities and Social Sciences Skills scaffolded across Years 7-10

A range of videos to engage students and support flexible teaching approaches

Questions and activities include cognitive verbs that scaffold capabilities, model critical thinking and encourage discussions

Enhanced digital support with the new Oxford Digital platform - auto-marking questions and activities that help teachers to identify gaps in understanding and offer targeted support to individual students

Assessment and Curriculum reports allow teachers to track and report on the progress of every student.

Includes the print Student Book and digital student o book pro, delivered via Oxford's online learning platform, Oxford Digital.

Contents

PART 1 GEOGRAPHY
Chapter 1: The geography toolkit
Chapter 2: The Earth's landscapes and landforms
Chapter 3: Mountain landscapes
Chapter 4: Coastal landscapes
Chapter 5: Urban life
Chapter 6: Migration

PART 2 HISTORY
Chapter 7: The history toolkit
Chapter 8: Medieval Europe
Chapter 9: The Renaissance
Chapter 10: The emergence of the modern world
Chapter 11: The Spanish conquest of the Americas
Chapter 12: The Vikings
Chapter 13: Mongol expansion
Chapter 14: The Ottoman Empire
Chapter 15: Japan under the shoguns
Chapter 16: The Angkor/Khmer Empire
Chapter 17: Polynesian expansion across the pacific

PART 3 ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS
Chapter 18: The economics and business toolkit
Chapter 19: Australian markets

PART 4 CIVICS AND CITIZENSHIP
Chapter 20: The civics and citizenship toolkit
Chapter 21: Democracy in Australia
Chapter 22: Citizenship and national identity in Australia
Chapter 23: The law in Australia
STEAM project 1
STEAM project 2

Authors

Mark Easton

Maggy Saldais

Katrina Davey

Richard Smith

Kirstin Woodard

Vladimir Dumovic

Bronwyn Cook

Olivia Andrew

Julie Davis

Kay Bishop

Sample Pages

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Oxford Humanities and Social Sciences 8 Student Book+obook pro

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Australian Curriculum Second Edition Mark Easton, Maggy Saldais, Katrina Davey, Richard Smith, Kirstin Woodard, Vladimir Dumovic, Bronwyn Cook, Olivia Andrew, Julie Davis, Kay Bishop Australian Curriculum Second Edition Mark Easton, Maggy Saldais, Katrina Davey, Richard Smith, Kirstin Woodard, Vladimir Dumovic, Bronwyn Cook, Olivia Andrew, Julie Davis, Kay Bishop $75.95 AUD $85.99 NZD Add To Cart Oxford Humanities and Social Sciences Australian Curriculum has been developed to meet the requirements of version 9.0 of the Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences across Years 7-10.

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First Nations People before colonization in Australia .pdf

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First Nations People before colonization in Australia .pdf

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First Nations People before colonization in Australia 

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Country (with a capital “C”)

Connection to land

Dreaming / Deep Time Stories

Oral traditions

Perspectives in history

Colonisation

Misinformation

Cultural significance

Stereotypes

First Nations

Historical inquiry

Spiritual connection

Sustainability

Aboriginal worldview

European misconceptions

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1. What did you learn about how Aboriginal people lived before colonisation?

2. Why is “Country” more than just land for First Nations people?

3. What are Deep Time Stories and why are they important?

4. How did colonisers misunderstand or misrepresent Aboriginal cultures?

5. How does understanding Aboriginal perspectives challenge the way history is often told?

6. What was one stereotype or piece of misinformation you learned to question or correct today?