Indigenous People of Australia

Ondřej Kubík

 Human inhabitants who lived on the Australian continent before the British colonization are considered indigenous. That consists of Aboriginal peoples, who are the indigenous majority of the Australian population and Torres strait Islander peoples. Close to 813 thousand people identify as native Australians which makes up to 3,2% of the Australian inhabitants. Due to a smallpox epidemic caused by European colonization and massacres and frontier conflicts involving Europians, the original number of native people was higher. 91% belong to the Aboriginal group and close to 5% to the Torres strait Islander peoples. Up to 4% identify as both. The native population suffer from many social problems and are not completely integrated into the general society.

Each settlement of native Australians has its own mythological systems with specific traits. However over 50% of indigenous Australians report to be Christians and 36% to be non-religious. The beginning of the first colonization is a subject of current investigation. However the first human remains which have been found to this day come from the period around 50,000 BP. The separation of Australia from land resulted in development of unique cultural and genetic traits. Native Australinas are considered to be descendants of the ancient east asian population.

Native Australians have a rich art tradition. Since active artists still live even these days, it is generally considered to be the longest continuing art tradition in the world. The oldest forms of art (mainly rock art) can be traced back around 40,000 years and it is believed that some of the pieces depict representatives of the extinct megafauna.

Big part of the native culture is music and dance which is essential for ceremonial activities. Aboriginal people have invented and played many different instruments such as clapsticks (two sticks hitting each other), gum leaf (eucalyptus leaf blown into) but the most widely known and the most characteristic is definitely didgeridoo.

This wooden instrument has, for its unique sound, spread even to the western world and contemporary music. The Aboriginal people developed it at least 1,000 years ago. It is traditionally made from the trunks of the eucalyptus tree. A hole is made (or already hollow trees are used) in the middle along its whole length. It is played by vibrating lips inside the hole. Experienced players have mastered the circular breathing technique to create a continuous tone without interruption.

The culture of indigenous Australians is really complex and to my surprise deeply studied and documented so there is much to learn.

Aboriginal religion is represented by certain ceremonies and stories that are being told among the people which are different to every single settlement and language group. The different mythologies usually have something in common. It consists of the Dreamtime, the songline and Aboriginal oral literature. Many Aboriginal people are Christian or atheist, moved to cities and do not practice these traditions anymore.

The term Dreamtime, established by Anthropologist Francis Gillen, is used to refer to traditional beliefs of Aboriginal people. The mythology stands on the belief that the dreamtime was a state of the world at the very beginning where only supernatural ancestral spirits existed who then created the world and the social system. It is believed these beings which retain all power and fertility will continue to share these powers with humans only if they follow their prehistoric "blueprint", this creates strong urge for sustaining the past and affects every aspect of their lives and also resulting in regular performance of rituals. Some of these spirits went back to the spiritual realm, became sacred animals or remained on earth and formed the landscape with their own bodies.

One of the most unique aspects of Aboriginal mythology is that it creates a cultural landscape. Oral myths give a spiritual and religious meaning to the whole topography of their environment by explaining specific geological and natural occurrences, such as mountains, by stories about spirits that settled at the place and thus created the occurrence. In the eyes of Aborigines these entities have not lost any of their supernatural essence.

In this sense they practice what is called totemism. They attribute mystical essence to many things in nature, such as plants, hills or animals. It regards humanity and nature as one complex whole.

The songline, also called dreaming track, is based on the belief in the Dreamtime. Its purpose is to track the paths of the creator spirits during the Dreamtime. It is done through song cycles, stories, dance and art in general. It is often the base of ceremonies and has geographical as well as mythical significance. It makes people familiar with sites they have never visited. The songlines are also used as a navigation tool. Aborigines use it to navigate through various routes from a couple kilometers to hundreds of kilometers long and use it as maps of other settlements and as a means of establishment of the ownership of a territory. "Aboriginal Creation myths tell of the legendary totemic being who wandered over the continent in the Dreamtime, singing out the name of everything that crossed their path - birds, animals, plants, rocks, waterholes - and so singing the world into existence."