study cards about Aboriginal people and culture and life Flashcards
what are their beliefs
(Religion) (Culture) Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people believed in an all encompassing connection to the land. This was described as the Dreamtime which included the stories, songs, dances and artwork which detailed how the earth was made, and the traditions and cultural beliefs passed down from one generation to the next. These stories explained why the physical land was formed in the way it was e.g. Big rock story, the Rainbow Serpent (river). They did not worship a single god, they believed in ancestral spirits. These ancestral spirits could live in Totems which the first nations people protected and had responsibility for.
Identify how the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people connect with the land
why was the land important to them? The land was connected to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in all ways. The land is within them and they are within the land. They depended on the land for their survival but also respected the ancestral spirits residing in the natural forms and sacred places all around them.
How do they use and interact with the land?
Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander people interacted closely with the land as it was critical for their continued survival in terms of providing food and shelter for their physical survival. They were very respectful towards the land (including animals and plants) to make sure they never used more than needed to. In this way the land could sustain them as it had a chance to regenerate (for the next season). Our First Nations people lived sustainably!
How many languages do they have?
At the time of colonisation there were 250 distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander languages. Of the 145 languages left, 110 are endangered. This is
challenging because it is not always easy to pass these languages down if there’s few people who have the skills to teach the language or if they can’t access elders when they do want to learn. Loss of language is a big problem because language is tied closely to culture.
How many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are there in the population of Australia?
The population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia is 984 000 making up 3.8% of the total population. This is an increase from 2016 of over 185 000 people. This indicates that health services are being increasingly accessed by our First Nations people.
What are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origins?
Although they likely migrated to the territory later named Australia through Southeast Asia, Aboriginal Australians are not demonstrably related to any known Asian or Melanesian population, although Torres Strait Islander people do have a genetic link to some Melanesian populations.
why should they learn they language
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, learning their own language can have a significant influence on their overall learning and achievements. It can foster a strong sense of identity, pride and self-esteem and enables students to develop a wider recognition and understanding of their culture, Country/Place and People.
what is the big rock story
The Legend Rocks hold great spiritual value to the Gunaikurnai people and the story serves as a great legend for its people to remember the laws of the land. There were originally three rocks in the formation at Metung, unfortunately two were destroyed during road construction along the shore of Bancroft Bay in the 1960s.
why are they dancing about thing that we not know about them?
One of the major purposes of traditional Aboriginal dancing was to tell stories, which were passed down through generations. These stories would be about the land, animals, dreamtime, and Aboriginal people.
what are the things that make it different for the Aboriginal to live tradisnally?
their land is beaning taken over by other Australia people and they don’t have enough land to carry out their culture.
where do aboriginal people live?
they live all over Australia most live in city’s. some live in remote areas where there is more access to land.
how many aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are there in the population of Australia?
3.85% which is an increase from 2016
what are Aboriginal Torres Strait Islanders origins?
they have lived here 60000 years. they are the oldest continues
