ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIA

A NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY

• The term ‘Aboriginal’ here refers to the inhabitants of mainland Australia and Tasmania before 1788.

USE OF THE LAND

• The Aboriginal peoples used the land in very different ways from the Colonists.
• It had been this way for up to 60 000 years.

FOOD

• Aboriginals gathered food from many different sources.
• Mainly their food would have come from hunting, gathering and fishing.

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• Men largely were responsible for hunting, trapping and fishing. Hunting trips might take many days, but were very important.

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• Women were largely responsible for ‘gathering’ which means collecting food from plants and nature.
• In some parts of Australia they might also hunt small (or larger) animals.

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• Aboriginal culture varied from tribe to tribe.
• Tribes were lead by the Elders; men (rarely women) who were seen to have wisdom.

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DIFFERENCES

• There were a great many differences in the ways that that Aboriginals and the Colonists used land.
• Housing
• Farming
• Hunting
• Forrests