Aborigines

Aborigines came to Australia over 40.000 years ago by sea or a land bridge. Aborigines keep track of their past through folklore. They believe in Dreaming- they guard and honour spirits created the land and life. The main job of aborigines was to find food. They all are expert hunters and food finders. They never over-pick fruits and vegetables and leave some to grow for the next year. All their weapons were made of wood and rock.

They did not build houses because they were constantly moving to new places of hunting. They did not wear clothes because it was hot. They became experts in finding water in the desert. They knew how to dig to find water in bodies of frogs, in hollow logs and in roots. After a hunt Aborigines shared equally with everyone. Today there are few true Aborigines left. They work in cities and on large sheep stations.

The Aborigines spoke more than 250 languages; only 50 of them have survived. Many people speak Aboriginal English. Some Aboriginal words entered English: kangaroo, boomerang.

Aboriginal art began with simple symbols. Concentric circles could mean a camp site, a tree or meeting place. For thousands of years, aboriginal tribes have created elaborate sand and body painting using sand, ochres, blood and feathers for ceremonies.