The Aborigines

The word Aboriginal has been used in Australia to describe first sighted indigenous peoples, when Europeans started to settle. It soon became a common name to refer to all indigenous Australian tribes, even though there were more than 300 different languages. At present the term refers only to those peoples who were traditionally hunter-gatherers. The exact timing of the arrival of the ancestors of the Indigenous Australians is unknown. The most generally accepted date for first arrival is between 40,000 - 50,000 years BP. The people most probably came from Asia. First Europeans settled down in 1788. Due to the long time of complete seperation the developed culture of the Aborigines is very particular. Some basic facts you have to know about Aboriginies. Dreamtime Aboriginies believe in two forms of time; two parallel streams of activity. One is the daily objective activity, the other is an infinite spiritual cycle called the dreamtime, more real than reality itself. Whatever happens in the dreamtime establishes the values, symbols, and laws of aboriginal society. A Boomerangs is a curved piece of wood traditionally used as a weapon. Boomerangs come in many shapes and sizes depending on their geographic or tribal origins and intended function. The most recognizable type is the returning boomerang, which is a throwing stick that returns to its point of origin when thrown correctly. Didgeridoo (also known as a didjeridu or didge) is a wind instrument of the Aborigines of northern Australia. The instrument is traditionally made from living Eucalyptus trees, which have had their interiors hollowed out by termites. Uluru/Ayers Rock is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory. Uluru is notable for appearing to change colour. It is a particularly remarkable sight when it briefly glows red. Although rainfall is uncommon in this semiarid area, during wet periods the rock acquires a silvery-grey colour, with streaks of black algae forming on the areas that serve as channels for water flow. On 19 July 1873, the surveyor William Gosse visited Uluu and named it Ayers Rock in honour of the then-Chief Secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. In 1993, a dual naming policy was adopted that allowed official names that consist of both the traditional Aboriginal name and the English name. On 15 December 1993, it was renamed "Ayers Rock/Uluru" and became the first officially dual-named feature in the Northern Territory. The order of

the dual names was officially reversed to "Uluru/Ayers Rock" on 6 November 2002 following a request from the Regional Tourism Association in Alice Springs. Nowadays the native Australians still have to fight for their rights. Many of them live in reservoirs, are unemployed and have alcohol problems. Aboriginies still are not integrated into australian society.