Tribes of Australia names. Population of Australia

The Australian Aborigines are considered to be perhaps the oldest living civilization on Earth. And at the same time, one of the most little-studied and understood. The English colonists who arrived in “Australia” (then called “New Holland”) in 1788 called its indigenous inhabitants “aboriginals,” borrowing this term from Latin: “ab origine” - “from the beginning.”

It has not yet been established exactly, and it is unlikely that it will ever be established exactly, exactly when and how the ancestors of modern aborigines got to this continent. But it is generally accepted that the indigenous people of Australia came here across the sea approximately 50,000 years ago from what is now Indonesia.

Before the arrival of Europeans in Australia, the Aborigines lived throughout Australia and numbered about 250 peoples with their own languages (which do not belong to any other language group), most of which are now “extinct”. The Aborigines led a primitive lifestyle (picked fruits, hunted birds and animals, fished, burned fires and lived in forests, deserts, savannas) for thousands of years until recently. At the same time, it cannot be said unequivocally that the Australian aborigines were primitive people, since they had a kind of religion (beliefs, mythology of the “Dream Time”, ceremonies, traditions, initiations) and maintained their own cultural heritage (Aboriginal music, dances, rock paintings, petroglyphs). The Australian aborigines had certain concepts about astronomy, although the interpretation and names of stars and constellations did not at all coincide with European astronomy.

The most striking thing, perhaps, is how far the “progress” of aboriginal civilization lagged behind the European one, being located at a considerable distance from Europe and in special climatic conditions. This difference dates back perhaps tens of thousands of years. Some tribes maintained this way of life until the early 20th century on the remote islands of northern Australia, continuing to live in solitude with nature.

With the arrival of Europeans, the life and future of the Aboriginal people of Australia changed radically and irrevocably. In 1788, a dark streak began in the history of the original inhabitants of Australia. Most of the indigenous people of Australia initially greeted the newcomers from Europe peacefully and with interest, although some tribes greeted the colonists with hostility. During the first 2-3 years, about half (and in some cases more) of all Australian Aboriginals who had contact with European newcomers died out from diseases and viruses unknown to them (introduced by Europeans), from which the indigenous inhabitants of Australia had no immunity. The most common diseases that killed the Aborigines were smallpox and measles.

In addition, the colonists killed the Aborigines, drove them from their ancestral lands, abused them, raped their women, poisoned them, forcibly resettled them, and forcibly took away their children. The government policy of forcibly removing children from Aboriginal families under the title “Assimilation of Indigenous Peoples of Australia” continued until 1970 (and in some places longer). These Aboriginal children, deprived of their own parents, are now called the "Stolen Generation". For much of the 20th century, Aboriginal Australians didn't even have citizenship until 1967.

Nowadays the situation has begun to change better side. Since 1998, 26 May in Australia has been celebrated as "Day of Regret" (or "Day of Asking Forgiveness") to the Australian Aborigines for all that they have had to endure and endure since January 26, 1788, when the English captain Arthur Philip founded the first British colony in Australia. For a long time, the Australian government refused to make a public apology to Aboriginal people for the injustices, genocide and deliberate policies to eradicate the Aboriginal race that were carried out during the 19th and 20th centuries. However, on 13 February 2008, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made his first public apology to all Aboriginal Australians on behalf of the Australian Parliament. It was important step in the “reconciliation” of the Aborigines with the other part of the Australian population. Although this apology was made in English and not translated into any of the Aboriginal languages, which a priori can be considered an injustice and humiliation of the Aboriginal people. Now the aborigines do not like to remember and talk about the topic of the “Stolen Generation”, which is “sick” for them.

Today, Aboriginal people live throughout Australia, although big cities they are rarely seen. Most Aboriginal people now speak English and live in the central and northern territories of Australia. Alcohol and drug abuse is common among Aboriginal people, they have higher mortality and crime rates and very high unemployment rates, which again is partly “stimulated” by the state.

At the same time, there are outstanding personalities among the Australian aborigines: famous athletes, talented musicians, scientists, businessmen and politicians. Unfortunately, there are few of them. Usually the aborigines themselves prefer not to be called “aboriginals”, since they all belong to different nationalities (tribes) and do not like to be generalized by this term.

Where to see Aboriginal people in Australia? How to see Australian Aborigines? Where do Aboriginal people live in Australia?

Most Aboriginal Australians today live in the eastern and northern territories of Australia (New South Wales and Queensland), although they can be found in almost any city. The estimated number of Aboriginal people is about 520,000 people, i.e. 2.5% of Australia's population. Almost every city in Australia has an “Aboriginal culture center” where you can come into contact with this culture, and sometimes even meet an Aboriginal person.

In order not just to “look” at the Aborigines, but to learn more about them, understand them, and at least get a little acquainted with their culture, knowledge and history, I suggest you come to Australia and visit one (or perhaps more than one) of our individual excursions.

On our excursions, a Russian-speaking guide will tell you in detail about the past and present life of the Aborigines in Australia, about their mythology and knowledge, about their problems and culture. We know different places where we can show you real Australian Aborigines. On some of our excursions you will be able to see Aboriginal dances, hear music performed by Aboriginal people on traditional Aboriginal instruments (see Digiridoo), watch them throw boomerangs and spears while hunting, and just chat with real Australian Aboriginal people. Our Russian guides in Australia also know places where you can see authentic ancient Aboriginal rock paintings and petroglyphs (from 2000 to 20,000 years old), sharpening stones and fire-making stones (not in the museum!), Aboriginal caves and ceremonial sites used by Aboriginal people for thousands of years.

You can see all this with your own eyes with me or our Russian-speaking guides in Australia and learn more about the aborigines of Australia.

Our excursions in Australia, where you can see real Aborigines, talk to them or see traces of their life (drawings, footprints, petroglyphs, Aboriginal places, caves):

Sydney:

Excursion with a Russian guide to the North from Sydney to the Cooring Chase National Park - S5
Sightseeing tour of Sydney with a private Russian guide in an individual car - S2 (full day)
Blue Mountains and Australian Animal Park - tour with Russian guide - S4
Travel to the capital of Australia - Canberra - tour with a Russian guide - S9

Melbourne:

Full-day sightseeing tour with a Russian guide to the sights of Melbourne - M2
Tour package of excursions from Melbourne with a Russian-speaking guide for 4 days -TPM4-5-8-2012

Cairns:

Excursion to Kuranda by cable car with a Russian-speaking guide - CR07
Excursion from Cairns with a Russian guide to Australian wildlife and the tropical Tablelands full day - 10 hours - CR08
Multi-day Tour Package 3 days/2 nights with excursions and accommodation from Cairns with Russian speaking guide - TPCR01

Australian Aboriginal culture

Music

From time immemorial, Australian Aborigines have been able to make musical instruments. The most famous of them is the Digiridu - a pipe 1 to 2 meters long from a branch or trunk of a eucalyptus tree, eaten through the center by termites. It is very difficult to learn to play it: it requires a lot of practice and you need strong lungs. Good Aboriginal Digiridoo players can play it continuously for an hour (without stopping or pausing). When playing the Digirudu, the performer often diversifies the playing with guttural sounds or tongue to give an additional effect and imitates the sounds of animals and birds, because kookaburra (laughing kookaburra).

Dancing

Aborigines often imitate various indigenous animals of Australia in their dances, because... kangaroo, wallaby, emu, snake, imitating their gait and movements.

Many dances are similar to each other and are accompanied by playing the digiridoo and percussion sticks. Some dances are used by Aboriginal people only for certain purposes or times of the year, and there are ritual dances.

Aboriginal rock art and petroglyphs

There are approximately 50,000 sites throughout Australia where traces of Aboriginal art have been found (rock paintings or petroglyphs carved into stone, or hand and fingerprints made using ocher - dried ground clay with sandstone). However, in order to avoid vandalism, most of these places are kept secret and are not accessible to non-specialists. There are some places where you can still see Aboriginal rock art.

In order to see these drawings or petroglyphs and get acquainted with Aboriginal culture, we invite you to our Russian-language excursions with Russian guides in Australia. We know these places and are ready to show them to you on our excursions in Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns.

Boomerangs, shields and spears

Australian aborigines invented a unique type of weapon - the boomerang. The word boomerang comes from the Aboriginal word "Womurrang" or "Bowmarrang", which means "returning throwing stick" in the Aboriginal language of the Turuwal tribe. Boomerangs were mainly used for hunting birds, but were also used as weapons in conflicts with other tribes or for hunting large animals. In order for the boomerang to return, you must have skills: be able to throw it at a certain angle, hold it correctly, release it in time and take into account the wind. Also, a proper boomerang should have some cuts on its limbs, without which it will not be able to return.

The Aborigines also used a variety of throwing spears for hunting and conflict, and some can throw spears up to 100 meters to accurately hit a target the size of a coconut.

Shields were mostly narrow and were used for ceremonial purposes and dances, but could also be used to protect against attacks from other tribes.

If you want to see how to throw a boomerang or spear correctly, try to throw a boomerang yourself and get to know the Aboriginal culture better, we invite you to our Russian-language excursions with Russian guides in Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns.

Residents of each country have their own mentality. Different habits different character And different rules behavior... This is what distinguishes the Japanese from the Chinese, Americans from the British, Ukrainians from Russians. Every nation has its own rich story, which has its roots in the depths of time and shapes the appearance modern man. Who were the indigenous people of Australia and who lives in the country now? More about this.

The first mentions of the Australian continent date back to XVII century, but it was explored only a hundred years later - in 1770, James Cook landed on shore with an expedition. It is from this moment that the European history of the state begins. 18 years later, on January 26, 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip set foot on the shores of the continent and founded the first settlement - Sydney Cove. This date is still big holiday in the country and is celebrated as Australia Day.

The history of the settlement of the continent cannot be called romantic: the first settlers were English prisoners, for whom there was simply no place in prison. They, led by Captain Arthur Phillip, began the exploration of Australia at the end of the 18th century.

After 100 years, the group of prisoners had grown into a fully mature society. Immigration was underway full swing, those wishing to live on the “new continent” flocked from all over the world. Australia became a full-fledged participant in the economic life of Great Britain; meat and wool were even exported from there.

The authorities tried to introduce restrictions on those entering on the basis of race: for example, at one time, Asians were prohibited from immigrating here. But the restrictions did not bring results, so the audience was motley. Most of the visitors are of Asian, New Zealand, and English origin.

Of course, it is impossible to summarize the history of the formation of an entire nation in one short article. If you are interested in how the continent was explored by the British, we recommend watching this documentary, made by Australians about Australians.

Since the settlement of the British, the problems of the indigenous people of Australia began. Initially, the number ranged, according to various sources, from 300 thousand to 4 million people, but with the appearance on the mainland of not the most intelligent Englishmen with a criminal record, the number of aborigines began to decline sharply.

Indigenous people of Australia: how did the oldest civilization fall?

So who were the owners of the continent before Arthur Phillip appeared on it? The indigenous people of Australia are also called Bushmen. There is a theory according to which the Bushmen are the oldest people on Earth. Civilization dates back more than 70 thousand years! The indigenous people of Australia are divided into three distinct types, and more than 500 languages were spoken on the continent when Europeans landed. The main occupations of the Australians were hunting, gathering, and construction.

The indigenous inhabitants of Australia belong to the race of the same name - Australoids, their facial features are appropriate: dark skin (but lighter than that of Negroids), a wide nose, lush hair, very dark and curly

The aborigines also had a religion, according to which God is nature and all the phenomena that surround man. Mountains, trees, water are sacred things in which the spirit of powerful gods is hidden.

How do the indigenous people of Australia live today?

The paradox is that Aboriginal descendants could not become Australian citizens until 1967. Until this time, they lived in special reservations - villages where access to outsiders was closed. They were not taken into account even in the population census. Only half a century ago, the indigenous people of Australia received the right to choose their place of residence and move around the country. Not everyone, however, left the reservation. Moreover, some of them never reached civilization. About ten thousand descendants of the ancient Australoids still live without knowing writing, English, or modern technology.

Most of the aborigines have dispersed throughout the country; you can meet them in any city. Some work in the tourism industry: they entertain tourists with excursions to fake tribes or real reservations, where the life and way of historical times have been preserved.

As souvenirs you can buy a variety of gizmos supposedly made by the hands of the aborigines. In fact, you rarely come across truly authentic things; usually, under their guise, they are sold in an ordinary village “mass market”. We wrote an article about what souvenirs to buy in the country. Some of them may be no less interesting. Check out the list of the best souvenirs from Australia.

Not far from Australia, in New Zealand there are also aborigines. They are called Maori, which translates as “natural, real.” These tribes are remembered as brave people who defended their rights like no other.

Unfortunately, among the aborigines who moved to large cities, there are many representatives of marginal sections of the population. A large percentage of the crimes committed in the country are attributed to them; Among the descendants of ancient people, alas, drug addicts and drinkers are often found.

Modern inhabitants of Australia: who are they?

Local residents of Australia are full of different types, skin and eye colors. This picture is completely unusual for a tourist from Russia, because in our country we only see people who are similar to us. Everything is mixed up here, so no matter how you look, you will never catch a single sideways glance on yourself. For the same reason, representatives of different faiths coexist peacefully in the country. Religions were distributed as follows: 26% of the local population of Australia are Protestants, 19% are Catholics, the rest are less than 5%.

The country, by local standards, has very cheap food. This played a cruel joke on the residents: obesity is very common on the sunny continent.

The number of local residents in Australia is just over 24 million people. This is data for 2016. By 2030, an increase to 28 million is expected. The birth rate here is the highest in the world: on average there are 1.9 children per woman. The average life expectancy is also one of the highest - more than 80 years. The majority of Australians, of course, come from England. Next come visitors from New Zealand and Italy. There are very few indigenous people in Australia, less than 5%.

The largest city in Australia in terms of population is Sydney, but there are many Asians among them, which is why the city cannot be called prosperous and comfortable for living.

Nevertheless, there is a lot to see in Sydney, you just need to know where to go. To find out what attractions to see in largest city continent, so as not to constantly bump into migrant workers - read. In it we have collected the most interesting sights of Sydney

What do Australians do?

In the country high level life: the purchasing power of the average citizen is $3,000 per month. This means that life is not aimed at constantly making money. Local residents of Australia devote a lot of time to self-development, hobbies, active and passive recreation.

There is no excessive desire to look good. They dress “newly” only for work and on important occasions. The rest of the time, due to the hot weather, it is impossible to constantly look chic.

It's not just about the weather, but also about the mentality: the local residents of Australia are approximately equally well off, so they do not seek to prove anything to anyone, but only live in pleasure. Accordingly, no one tries to dress pretentiously and expensively. It is not easy to distinguish an employee from a millionaire.

The hobbies of Australian residents are directly related to environment. Are there a lot of rocks around? Great, let's climb them! Is there an ocean all around? Just great, grab your surfboard! No snow at all, but tons of sand in the desert? What's the problem, let's invent a snowboard on the sand!

This sport is called "snedboarding". It proves that the lack of snow is not a hindrance to true extreme sports enthusiasts. The rules are the same as in snowboarding: slide on the board. The only difference is that instead of snow there are dunes, and instead of a warm suit there is a T-shirt and shorts.

Another hobby of Australians is gambling and horse racing. This is understandable: when people do not feel a constant lack of money, it is easy to waste it.

The local people in Australia are called "Ozzy". Or rather, that's what they call themselves. Being an Ozzy means getting confused about the words of the National Anthem, boasting a beer belly, and not giving a damn about what's going on in the rest of the world.

In general, Australians have quite a lot of strange character traits. It is these features that form the rules of conduct for tourists in Australia. So that you know how to behave in this distant country, we have collected all the rules

Roughly speaking, the Universe for Ozzie is limited to the ocean. Where the continent ends, everything that can worry local residents ends. If you suddenly told a resident of Australia that a lot of interesting and interesting things are happening outside the continent important events– most likely, he would have grinned and bluntly stated that he was not interested. Here, as a rule, they do not stand on ceremony and speak directly as it is. But, nevertheless, I don’t want to be offended by the charming, simple-minded Ozzies at all.

The Dutch, who were the first to set foot on the shore of Terra australis incognita, were confronted by the aborigines of Australia, representatives of the most ancient civilization on the planet. The indigenous population was not very friendly towards the Europeans, who from then on “frequented” New Holland, as the discoverer Willem Janszoon called it.

Ptolemy also drew this continent on his map. The astronomer, astrologer and geographer was convinced that somewhere in the south there was a piece of land inhabited by people, and its name was Terra australis incognita - “Unknown Southern Land”. This is the name of Australia for a long time appeared on maps, exciting the minds of researchers, enticing sailors into temptation. Only at the beginning of the 17th century (1606) Ptolemy’s guesses were confirmed.

The way of life of the Aboriginal people of Australia

According to one version, the aborigines of Australia appeared on this land 40-60 thousand years ago. Some scientists are confident that the continent, from which Tasmania and New Guinea, was inhabited 70 thousand years ago. The Aborigines of Australia can be considered the first seafarers, because they arrived on the continent by sea.

Typical appearance of an Australian Aboriginal

For 40 thousand years, the way of life of the Australian aborigines has remained virtually unchanged. If you were not the Europeans who gradually settled the territory of Australia, the indigenous inhabitants of the continent would still not know about the existence of writing, television and radio. In fairness, it is worth noting that in the very heart of the “Aboriginal” territories – the magical and mysterious Outback, the Australian Aborigines did not change their ancient habits.

Ritual ceremonies of the Australian Aborigines

Almost 17% of Australia's Aboriginal people live in this barren and arid area, the largest settlement is 2,500 people. There are no schools here, the few children are taught via radio, and medical care has been provided to residents only since 1928.

What do the Australian aborigines look like?

If you look at a photo of the Australian aborigines, you can see dark-skinned people with a head of luxuriant curly hair and a wide base of the nose. Front part skull has a little convex shape. The Australian Bushmen, as the indigenous inhabitants of the green continent are sometimes called, are very puny, but muscular.

Australian Aborigines - Bushmen

Interesting fact. If you look at photos of the Aborigines living northeast of Australia, in the Solomon Islands, almost 10% of them are blondes with very dark skin. Why? Did the European navigators “try”? Special gene? Scientists have debated a lot, but only recently has it been proven that the hair color of these Australian aborigines was actually influenced by a genetic mutation thousands of years ago. Blonde Europeans have nothing to do with it.

Photos of the Australian Aborigines clearly confirm that they can well be considered three separate races. In the province of North Queensland live the most ancient representatives of the Australoid race - aborigines of the Barinean type, distinguished by the most dark color skin.

Scarring - characteristic appearance Australian Aboriginal body jewelry

The valley of Australia's largest river, the Murray, is inhabited by Australian aborigines of the Murray type. These are people of average height with very extensive hair on the head and body. Scientists believe that they belong to the second wave of migrant seafarers.

Boomerang - traditional look Australian Aboriginal weapons

In the north of the green continent live the tallest aborigines of Australia, belonging to the third wave of settlers. Their skin is darker than that of the Murrays, there is practically no hair on their bodies, and their hair is also not very thick.

What languages do Aboriginal Australians speak?

By the time the first Europeans landed on the shores of the green continent, the language of the Australian aborigines consisted of 500 dialects. They could well be considered their own dialects or even separate languages, they were so different from each other.

Australian Aborigines are characterized by a lean, wiry build and tall stature.

Today, each of the Aboriginal tribes of Australia has its own language. Its melody is not similar to any of the European, Asian or African ones. On this moment Linguists count more than 200 dialects. The vast majority of them exist only in oral speech; writing is developed only among a few tribes.

Traditional dances of the Australian Aboriginals - imitation of animal habits

Interesting fact. Almost all Australian Aboriginal tribes speak English. In 2007, a television channel was opened for the indigenous population of the green continent, broadcasting in the language of Shakespeare. There are so many adverbs that this is the only acceptable option.

Shrines and customs of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia

The main object of worship of all Australian Bushmen is the sacred mountain Uluru. “Part-time”, this is the most mysterious place on the green continent. Australian aborigines consider (height - 348 m) a door between worlds. Scientists believe that the age of the local shrine is 6 million years. Naturally, the rock has several names. Europeans call it Ayres Rock or Ayres, and excursions to the holy site are very popular.

Sacred mountain for Australian Aborigines - “the heart of Australia” Mount Uluru

To this day, Australian aborigines perform their rituals near Uluru. According to legend, climbing to its peak is a sacrilege that can bring upon a person the wrath of the spirits inhabiting the other world and the ancestors who have passed the “Eternal Period of Dreams.” It is worth noting that several accidents that occurred with “wicked” tourists fully confirm this fact.

Australian Aboriginal arts and crafts

The main invention of the Australian aborigines is boomerangs. It is believed that only a true warrior can control this hunting weapon. Especially for tourists east coast green continent (the town of Tzhapukai), the indigenous people created some semblance national park for tourists, where “inept” foreigners are taught how to use the ancestral weapons of all Australian tribes. In words it is easy, but in reality it is not very easy. The flight speed of a heavy boomerang can reach 80 km per hour. Didn't calculate the force of the throw, swung it wrong - a blow to the head can have serious consequences.

Aboriginal music of Australia

Australian Aboriginal music consists of ritual, everyday and ethnic chants. In the tribes inhabiting the northern regions of the green continent, individual singing to the accompaniment of percussion instruments is common. In the south and central part of Australia - group singing.

Traditional Australian Aboriginal pipe - didgeridoo

Many Australian Aboriginal musical instruments have sacred meaning. This is a magical buzzer, the material for which is stone and wood, with sacred signs applied to them. The sounds it makes can hardly be called very pleasant to the ear.

In 2-3 hours, an Australian aborigine can provide himself with food while in a desert area - he eats giant worms and insect larvae

The boomerang is a weapon invented by Australian Aborigines

The didgeridoo, created by nature itself, is considered a spiritual instrument. This is a tree trunk (eucalyptus or bamboo), the core of which has been completely eaten away by termites. Its length varies from 1 to 3 m. Other names for the “termite” tool are yedaki and didieridoo. The instrument is decorated with totemic drawings of a certain Australian Aboriginal tribe.

Australian Aborigines are a very mysterious people. Inhabiting a highly civilized country with a developed infrastructure and existing side by side with modern citizens, these people continue to remain original and preserve their ancient, almost primitive culture. Many surprising facts testify to the uniqueness of the indigenous population of Australia.

1.The wildest of all people

The Aborigines have inhabited Australia for about 50 thousand years, and for 40 thousand of them the life of these tribes remained unchanged. It is believed that this is the most backward of all nationalities in the world, and, by the way, there are almost half a million such ancient, wild people on the mainland.

In the central part of the continent there is a desert area where the aborigines live, as in ancient times - without television, cell phones and other benefits of civilization. Since there are no schools here, children are taught by radio. The population performs ancient rituals, and their main activity, as 50 thousand years ago, remains hunting and gathering plants and roots. If necessary, these natives can even eat an insect larva or caterpillar. Almost one fifth of all Australian Aborigines live here.

However, among the indigenous population there are those who have achieved great success and world recognition. These are, for example, artist Albert Namatjira, writer and journalist David Unaipon, and Olympic champion in athletics Katie Freeman.

2.They are discriminated against

The indigenous population was legally given equal rights to ordinary citizens of the country only in 1967, and before that they were considered second-class citizens on the continent.

Now they have their own schools and their own flag. However, during modern opinion polls Aboriginal people admit that they still feel neglected by “white” citizens.

Children attending regular schools also claim to be discriminated against. Although indigenous Australians are gentle by nature and genetically devoid of aggression, they periodically protest, demanding more rights.

3.Aborigines do not have a common language

For some time now, the indigenous population has had its own television channel and it broadcasts in English - this is done so that television programs are understood by aborigines from all over the country. After all, when Europeans arrived in Australia, there were about 600 dialects on the continent. Nowadays there are much fewer natives, but still everyone Australian tribe their own language, and in total there are about two hundred of them.

Now, as a result of the implementation modern world into the culture and life of the aborigines, many of them more or less know English language. But ordinary Australians practically do not understand the Aboriginal language. Of the non-aboriginal citizens, only old people own it, and even then not all of them.

4. There are three types of Aboriginal people living in Australia

The indigenous population of this continent is divided into three types. At the first (Barrenian) short stature and dark, almost black skin. These Aboriginal people live mainly in the province of North Queensland. The second type (Carpentarian) is very tall and also has quite dark skin, on which there is practically no vegetation. The third racial variety (Murray type) are aborigines of medium height with very abundant vegetation on the skin and a thick head of hair on the head. They live mainly in the valley of the Australian Murray River.

All three types of aborigines arrived on the continent by sea many millennia ago. Presumably from Africa. Such great anthropological differences between these groups are due to the fact that each of them arrived in Australia in different time and from different places.

5. Some Australian Aborigines are dark-skinned and fair-haired

About one tenth of the people of the Solomon Islands, located northeast of Australia, are blond. At first, researchers thought that such natives began to be born after contact with European sailors. However, genetic studies have shown that the blond hair of these wild people is the result of a mutation that occurred several thousand years ago.

6. Australians invented the boomerang

The boomerang is an object that is now known all over the world; it was the Australians who invented it many centuries ago. Similar objects were used by Paleolithic people in Europe, but rock carvings of boomerangs discovered in Australia are the most ancient (they are 50 thousand years old). In addition, it was the inhabitants of this continent who came up with the returning type of boomerang.

By the way, the aborigines still use it when hunting. The lower part of the Australian boomerang is flat, and the upper part is convex. The Aborigines also have other types of boomerangs, differing in shape and size, each with its own purpose.

7.Aboriginal religion

According to the aborigines, life on Earth was created by a certain deity, who then retired to heaven. Many Indigenous Australians believed and continue to believe that, in addition to physical reality, there is a world of spirits (the world of dreams) that can be encountered in the sky. Such spirits supposedly control the Sun, Moon and other celestial bodies, but living people can also influence what happens in space.

A number of scientists claim that ancient rock carvings of an emu made by Aboriginal people may actually be a figure formed in the sky by dust clouds milky way, to which the Australians, like the Incas, attached great mystical significance.

Aborigines believe that spirits can sometimes descend to Earth using a tree or a ladder during ritual ceremonies performed by tribes. And the tribes have many such rituals - for example, initiation into shamans and the celebration of puberty of boys or girls.

8.Aborigines have their own Stonehenge

Many basalt boulders about a meter high, forming smooth circles, were discovered some time ago in a desert area about 45 kilometers from Melbourne. As scientists have found out, this structure is at least 10 thousand years old, which means it is twice as ancient as its famous English counterpart, Stonehenge.

This group of stones played some kind of important role. It is quite possible that ancient people could have used this stone structure as a cosmic calendar - a determinant of the time of sunrise and sunset or the onset of seasons. However, there is, of course, no exact confirmation of the purpose of this group of boulders.

There are also many amazing tribes left in Africa, which seem very strange to us.

Aborigines of Australia

Australian aborigines belong to the Australoid race, whose representatives are characterized by a massive protrusion of the facial part of the skull, dark skin, hair growth on the face and body, a wide nose, and wavy hair. The indigenous population of Australia is (as of 2001) 437 thousand people. Aborigines live in remote areas of Northern, North-Western, North-Eastern and Central Australia, some in cities.

Aboriginal languages

By the beginning of European colonization, the number of Australians was about 700 thousand people, united in about 500 tribes who spoke more than 260 languages.

Australian languages have a large number of dialects that are very different from each other, mutual understanding between speakers of some of them is impossible. The autochthonous languages (that is, the languages of the indigenous population) of the Australian mainland do not have clear genetic connections with other languages. They can be divided into two main groups: the Pama-Nyunga languages (characteristic of the southern part of Australia), and non-Pama-Nyunga (the languages of the north and north-west).

Presumably, all languages of Australia are related and descended from a single proto-Australian language, but this hypothesis has not yet been proven in detail. Information about the languages of Tasmania is even more fragmentary. There were approximately nine communities there, each speaking its own language.

aboriginal with didjiridoo

Indigenous Australians were multilingual; the adult population knew at least three languages. Since the beginning of the colonization of the mainland by Europeans, new languages have developed - the so-called “pidgins”.

The Australian aborigines were characterized by polygynous marriage; the husband was most often older than his wife.

Life and culture of the aborigines

traditional aboriginal painting

Traditional activities of the Australian Aborigines were hunting, fishing and gathering, and among the people of the Torres Strait Islands - manual farming. Australians hunted animals and birds, fished, dug up roots and plant bulbs, collected berries, leaves, insect larvae, bird eggs, honey from bees and wasps, and caught mollusks and crustaceans. Australians had no pets, with the exception of the dingo.

All tools were made of stone, shells, bones and wood. Hunting weapons (spears), digging sticks and troughs for carrying plant food, sacks, bags, and ropes were used. The Aboriginal costume included woven belts, bracelets, and feather headdresses. The Aborigines did not use bows and arrows for hunting, nor did they use poison for spears.

At the same time, they knew poisonous plants, poured them into water bodies to poison fish, emus and other birds. Fire was made by rubbing two sticks against each other. Grain grinders were used to grind hard roots and grains, crack nuts, and crush animal bones. Roots, tubers, and seeds were soaked in water or baked in a fire. The snakes were rolled into a ring and baked in ashes. Small animals, birds, caterpillars and snails were fried on coals. Large game was cut into pieces and fried on hot stones.

The Aborigines led a semi-nomadic lifestyle. During long stops, huts were built from poles, branches, stones, and earth. Women were engaged in gathering, men hunted big game. Women shared the food they collected only within their families. A large animal brought by a man was divided among all members of the production group from several families, thus a wide circle of relatives received meat food. When food resources within a radius of 10-13 km from the site were depleted, the group moved to a new place.

Australian Aboriginal Beliefs

Australian Aboriginal flag

Aboriginal religion of Australia is associated with the ritual life of tribes and reflects totemic cults, initiation rites, inticium (magical reproduction of animals of their totem) and calendar rituals. Ideas about space are poorly developed. The most common myths explaining the origin natural objects- lakes, hills, trees, etc. In mythology, the “time of dreams” is distinguished, when mythical heroes made their life cycle, brought to life people, animals, plants. Then they turned into sacred objects - rocks, trees.

Mythical heroes are totemic ancestors, progenitors of a certain breed of animals or plants and, at the same time, of a certain human group; in totemic myths there are kangaroos, dogs, snakes, crabs, emus, and opossums. In myths, totemic ancestors introduce various customs and rituals, teach people to use a stone ax, and make fire. The northern tribes have the image of a matriarchal ancestor, symbolizing the fertile earth; the tribes of the southeast have the patriarchal universal father living in the sky.

Government policy towards Aboriginal people -

Colonization, accompanied by the extermination of Australians, their displacement into environmentally unfavorable areas, and epidemics, led to a decrease in their numbers - to 60 thousand in 1921. Since the 19th century Until the 1960s, the Australian government took half-breed children from Aboriginal families and sent them to assimilation camps. There they had to learn to live in white society. During this government campaign, approximately 50 thousand children were sent to assimilation camps. The situation of the Aborigines began to improve in the second half of the 20th century.

In 1967, the civil rights previously granted to Aboriginal people were legally enshrined. Since the late 1960s. A movement is developing for the revival of cultural identity and the acquisition of rights to traditional lands. Many states have enacted laws that provide reserve lands for the collective ownership of Australians under conditions of self-government, protecting their cultural heritage.

photograph of 1906

In 2010, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd formally apologized to the indigenous people of Australia for the actions that white colonialists committed against the aborigines.

Official apology from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

Currently, the rate of growth of the Aboriginal population exceeds the Australian average. Aborigines live in remote areas and often make up the majority of the population there. Thus, over 27% of the population of the Northern Territory are Aboriginal. However, their standard of living is below the Australian average. Few Aboriginal people retain lifestyle their ancestors. Traditional hunting, fishing and gathering have been lost.

Aboriginal Australian stamp

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“The liberals were and remain the ideologists of the bourgeoisie, which cannot tolerate serfdom, but which is afraid of revolution, afraid of a mass movement capable of overthrowing the monarchy and destroying the power of the landowners. Liberals therefore limit themselves to the “struggle for reforms”, “struggle for rights”, i.e. division of power between serf owners and the bourgeoisie" Lenin, 1911.