Module 1: The Australian Aborigines

XSIQ
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Outdoor Education - Aboriginal ceremony

Aboriginal ceremony

Before European occupation Aboriginal tribes developed loosely defined
boundaries and traditional laws which governed access and occupation. The
land was perceived as being a living part of Aboriginal culture, as
something that they gained sustenance from and conversely were responsible
for guarding and protecting from degradation. Aboriginal people were
hunters and gatherers and lived in communities that were semi-nomadic
within their own defined territory. This might be as vast as 100,000 square
kilometres in the desert regions or as small as 500 square kilometres in
fertile coastal areas. The Aborigines were extremely efficient hunters and
gatherers. The men hunted for larger game or marine creatures such as
turtle or crocodile while the women used digging sticks and well defined
bush skills to collect yams, fruits, vegetables, small animals or seeds for
bread making. The Aboriginal people had an intimate knowledge of their
surroundings, it was this understanding that reflected their respect and
ultimately their love for the land. This love reflected a spiritual as well
as an economic relationship to the land: the land not only gave life, it
was life.

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