Reading Task 2

The Aborigines

Aborigines were the original natives of Australia and lived there thousands of years before any other inhabitants arrived from European and Asian countries. They were rumored to have lived in Australia over 30,000 years. In fact, the word ‘Aboriginal’ means ‘first’ or ‘earliest known’.

The Aborigines lived simple lives. They lived in small groups of about 500-600 clans and each clan spoke its own language. Although they lived separately in their clans, they had many similarities in beliefs and culture. They built homes out of wood and other natural resources found in their lands. Their diet was rich in meat and vegetables and they often hunted large animals, many of which are extinct today.

Since Australia is its own continent, the Aborigines had very little contact with the rest of the world. They had to create their own tools and crop seeds and they worked hard to adjust to their environment, using their creations to survive and enjoy life. One of the objects best known to Australia was invented and used by the Aborigines. This object, the boomerang was a curved throwing stick made of wood. The Aborigines used boomerangs for hunting and recreation. Hunters used a ‘returning’ boomerang, which would come back to the thrower, for hunting small creatures such as birds; sometimes they would also use it for play. A ‘non-returning’ boomerang was also used in hunting as well as warfare. Today, using a boomerang is considered to be great sport. Australian visitors can learn how to use a boomerang from actual Aborigines.

The didgeridoo is a device also invented by the Aborigines. This popular wind instrument is usually made of bamboo and is about five feet long. It creates a low, vibrating sound and is often difficult to learn to play, especially for American tourists. Aborigines play didgeridoos in ceremonies such as weddings, funerals, and circumcisions.

There are now fewer Aborigines in Australia today compared to hundreds of years ago. Europeans began arriving in Australia at the end of the 1700’s and brought disease that caused many deaths of the Aborigines. Additionally, many were killed out of fear of because the Europeans’ wanted their land. Many Aborigines were forced to assimilate into the white, European society.

Over the past thirty years, the Aborigines today have fought for their rights. They have received equal rights, increased wages, and additional land. They are a people of great art, music, and spirituality. Many of the Aborigines that exist today, which make up approximately 2% of the Australian population, earn a living through selling their artwork. Although they make up a small part of Australian society, Aborigines have made many contributions to Australian culture.

If the author of this passage wanted to learn even more about the Aborigines, what resource would be the best source for additional information?