As soon as the Dutch set foot on the coast of Australia, which was at that time the western southern land, they immediately appeared before them representatives of the oldest civilization on the planet- Australian Aborigines.
To guests from Europe, the indigenous inhabitants of the mainland treated with extreme caution. Especially the natives of Australia began to resent when curious sailors from Europe frequented the lands of the Green Continent. So who are the Aborigines of Australia and what was their way of life?
Typical appearance of an Australian aborigine
One of the versions says that the first inhabitants appeared in Australia about 50 thousand years ago.
But some researchers and scientists claim that people lived in Australia and 70 thousand years back when New Guinea and Tasmania had not yet separated from the mainland.
The first inhabitants of Australia arrived on the Green Continent by sea. Where exactly they immigrated to this day is unknown.
The Australian Aboriginal way of life remained over forty thousand years unchanged. If the Europeans had not begun to develop these remote lands, the indigenous population of Australia would not have known for a long time what writing, radio and television are.
The aborigines of the mysterious and magical outback of Australia still adhere to their long-standing traditions and habits. These people can be called real representatives primitive way of life.
The photo shows Aboriginal rituals Australia:
This arid and barren area is now home to 17% of the Aboriginal people who live in Australia. The largest settlement is 2500 people.
Qualified medical care began to be provided here only, since 1928. Also, there are no educational institutions here, and children are taught by radio.
What do the Bushmen of Australia look like?
A dark-skinned man with a lush shock of curly hair, a convex facial part of the skull, and a wide base of the nose - that's what it looks like typical native Australia.
Characteristic physique Bushmen(as the indigenous population of the mainland is called) is rather frail, but at the same time, the Bushmen of Australia are athletic and have well-developed muscles.
Photo Australian Bushmen:
10 % The dark-skinned Aborigines who lived in the Solomon Islands northeast of Australia had blond hair. Scientists have long argued whether this is due to European expeditions to the southern land.
The conclusion of the researchers suggests that such a seemingly incompatibility of dark skin and blond hair is genetic mutation thousand years ago.
Modern Aboriginals Australia (photo):
The Aborigines of Australia are divided into three races. Most black indigenous population Australia resides today in the province of North Queensland.
Aboriginal Australian body decoration - scarring(photo):
The tallest natives Australia, which scientists attribute to the third wave of immigrants, live in the north of the mainland. They have a dark coda, and the vegetation on the head and body is practically absent.
But the valley of the largest river of the Green Continent Murray is inhabited by Murray type natives. The population of medium height with thick hair on the body and head, scientists attribute to the second wave of seafaring settlers.
Photo of the traditional type of weapon of an Australian aborigine - boomerang:
Australian Aboriginal language
Before the advent of Europeans on the mainland, the natives spoke in 500 dialects, each language of which was not similar to the other. Today, each indigenous tribe of Australians has its own unique language.
It is important to know! Most of the Australian Aboriginal languages exist orally, as some tribes have not mastered writing.
Melodically, these dialects are not similar to any of the African, European or Asian languages. Today, linguists talk about what Australian aborigines say more than two hundred languages.
Aboriginal dances Australia - imitation of the habits of animals (photo):
Interesting that almost all the inhabitants of the Aboriginal tribes of Australia speak English.
Aboriginal customs in Australia
Australia's sacred mountain Uluru main object of worship Bushmen. The indigenous people of Australia say that this rock is the door between the worlds.
It is important to know! Scientists claim that the shrine of the indigenous people of Australia is more than six million years old.
This mountain is called by different names. So in Europe, Mount Uluru was given the name Ayres or Aires Rock. A very popular type of recreation are sightseeing tours to this unusual natural phenomenon and local shrine.
Attention! More than once, tourists who tried to climb to the top of the mountain died tragically. You should not "flirt" with death in these mysterious places, because it is not in vain that customs exist.
Various rituals that were performed thousands of years ago are still practiced by the indigenous people of Australia near Mount Uluru. Belief says that climbing to the top will lead to the wrath of spirits and ancestors.
The invention of the boomerang and the traditional Aboriginal pipe didgeridoo
Few people know, but boomerang invention owned by the Australians. Only real warriors can manage it.
This art is taught by natives to tourists on the east coast. in Tjapukai.
Culture, life and traditions of the indigenous population of Australia very varied.
So, in the tribes that inhabit the northern regions of the mainland, are popular individual singing accompanied by percussion instruments. But in the center and in the southern parts of the Green Continent, group singing is popular.
Interesting that a number of Australian Indigenous musical instruments have sacred significance. For example, the magic buzzer of the natives made of stone and wood, with sacral symbols applied. She makes very strange and terrifying sounds.
But the didgeridoo created by nature is spiritual musical bushman instrument. A trunk of bamboo or eucalyptus eaten inside by termites, the length of which is from one to three meters, is still decorated by the indigenous people of Australia with totem symbolic images.
It is important to know! For many centuries, the natives of the Green Continent knew about the movements of stars and planets thanks to a stone structure that exactly repeats the famous Stonehenge. It is located on the way from Melbourne to Geelong. One hundred huge stone blocks located from half a meter to a meter high indicate exactly the summer and winter solstices, as well as the equinoxes.
Aborigines of Australia are the indigenous population of the Green Continent, which keeps the tradition to this day, customs and even the way of life of people who lived on the mainland thousands of years ago.
Thanks to their culture, you can learn how people lived in Australia before the Europeans arrived on the continent. It must be said that the life of a multinational civilized society significantly different from the way of life of the indigenous people. This is all of Australia!
We invite you to look interesting video about how Australian aborigines demonstrate ritual dances, javelin throwing, an ancient musical instrument - the didgeridoo:
The Australian Aborigines are considered perhaps the most ancient of civilizations living on Earth. And at the same time, one of the least explored and understood. Arriving in "Australia" (then it was called "New Holland") in 1788, the English colonists called its native inhabitants "Aborigines", borrowing this term from Latin: "ab origine" - "from the beginning".
Until now, it has not been precisely established, and it is unlikely that it will ever be established exactly when and how the ancestors of modern aborigines got to this mainland. But it is generally accepted that the indigenous people of Australia came here through the sea about 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". Aborigines led a primitive way of life (gathering fruits, hunting birds and animals, fishing, burning fires and living in forests, deserts, savannahs) for thousands of years until recently. At the same time, it cannot be unequivocally said that the Australian Aborigines were primitive people, since they had a kind of religion (beliefs, mythology of the "Dreamtime", ceremonies, traditions, initiations) and maintained their own cultural heritage (Aboriginal music, dances, rock paintings , petroglyphs). The natives of Australia had certain ideas about astronomy, although the interpretation and name of the stars and constellations did not at all coincide with European astronomy.
The most striking thing, perhaps, is how far behind the "progress" of the aboriginal civilization from the European one, being at a considerable distance from Europe and in special climatic conditions. This difference is perhaps several tens of thousands of years old. 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 advent of Europeans, the life and future of the Australian Aborigines have changed radically and irrevocably. Since 1788, a black streak begins in the history of the original inhabitants of Australia. Most of the indigenous people of Australia initially peacefully and with interest met newcomers from Europe, although some tribes met the colonists "with hostility". During the first 2-3 years, about half (and in some cases more) of all Australian Aborigines who had contact with European newcomers died from diseases and viruses unknown to them (introduced by Europeans), from which the indigenous people of Australia had no immunity. The most common diseases from which the natives died were smallpox and measles.
In addition, the colonists killed the natives, drove them from their ancestral lands, mocked them, raped their women, poisoned them, forcibly relocated and forcibly took their children from them. The state policy of forcibly removing children from Aboriginal families under the title "Assimilation of Indigenous Australians" continued until the 1970s (and in some places even longer). These Aboriginal children, deprived of their own parents, are now called the "Stolen Generation". For a large portion of the 20th century, Aboriginal Australians did not even have citizenship until 1967.
Today, the situation has begun to change for the better. Since 1998, May 26 is celebrated in Australia as "Day of Regret" (or "Day of Asking Forgiveness") in front of the Australian aborigines for all that they had to endure and endure, starting from 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 publicly apologize 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 February 13, 2008, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made the first public apology to all Australian Aboriginal people on behalf of the Australian Parliament. This was an important step in the "reconciliation" of the Aboriginal people with another part of the Australian population. Although this apology was made in English and was not translated into any of the Aboriginal languages, which a priori can be considered injustice and humiliation of the Aboriginal people. Now the aborigines do not like to remember and talk about the "Stolen Generation", which is "sick" for them.
Today, Aboriginal people live throughout Australia, although they are rarely found in large cities. Most Aboriginal people now speak English and live in the central and northern territories of Australia. Among Aboriginal people, alcohol and drug abuse is common, among them there is a higher mortality and crime rate and a very high unemployment rate, 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 natives themselves prefer not to be called "aboriginal", 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 approximate number of Aboriginal people is about 520,000 people, i.e. 2.5% of the Australian population. In almost every city in Australia there is a "center of Aboriginal culture" where you can get in touch with this culture, and sometimes even meet an Aboriginal.
In order not just to "look" at the natives, but to learn more about them, to understand them, and at least to get to know their culture and knowledge and history a little, I suggest that you come to Australia and visit one (or maybe not one) of our individual excursions.
On our excursions, a Russian-speaking guide will tell you in detail about the former and current 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 the real Australian Aborigines. On some of our excursions you can see Aboriginal dances, hear Aboriginal music performed on traditional Aboriginal instruments (see Didjiridu), 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), whetstones and fire stones (not in a 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 natives of Australia.
Our tours in Australia, where you can see real natives, talk to them or see traces of their life (drawings, footprints, petroglyphs, native places, caves):
Sydney:
- Excursion with a Russian guide to the North from Sydney to the Couring 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 - Russian Guided Tour - S4
- Travel to the capital of Australia - Canberra - tour with a Russian guide - S9
Melbourne:
- Sightseeing tour with a Russian guide to the sights of Melbourne for a full day - M2
- Tour package of excursions from Melbourne with a Russian-speaking guide for 4 days -TPM4-5-8-2012
cairns:
- Excursion to Kuranda by funicular with an English speaking guide - CR07
- Full Day Australian Wildlife & Tropical Tablelands Tour from Cairns - 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
Australian aborigines have been making musical instruments for centuries. The most famous of them is the Didjiridu - a pipe 1 to 2 meters long made of a bough or eucalyptus trunk, eaten by termites in the center. It is very difficult to learn to play it: it requires a lot of practice and strong lungs. Good Aboriginal players on the Didgiridoo can play it continuously for an hour (without stopping or pausing). When playing the Didjirudu, the performer often diversifies the game with guttural sounds or tongue for added effect and imitates the sounds of animals and birds, because. kookaburra (laughing kookaburra).
Dancing
Aboriginal people often imitate different 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 didjiridoo and percussion sticks. Some dances are used by the natives only for certain purposes or seasons, there are ritual dances.
Aboriginal rock paintings and petroglyphs
Throughout Australia, there are about 50,000 places where traces of Aboriginal painting have been found (drawings on stones or petroglyphs carved in stone, or hand and finger prints made using ocher, a dried, pounded 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 paintings.
In order to see these drawings or petroglyphs and get acquainted with the aboriginal culture, we invite you to our Russian-speaking excursions with Russian guides in Australia. We know these places and are ready to show them to you on our tours 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 "Vomurrang" or "Boumarrang", which means "returning throwing stick" in the language of the Aboriginal tribe Turuwal (Turuwal). 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 need to 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 the limbs, without which it will not be able to return.
Aboriginal people also used a variety of javelins in hunting and conflict, and some of them can throw spears up to 100 meters with an accurate hit on 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 too.
If you want to see how to throw a boomerang or a spear, try to throw a boomerang yourself and get to know the Aboriginal culture, we invite you to our Russian-speaking excursions with Russian guides in Sydney, Melbourne and Cairns.
Copyright 2012 Samoorai International
The Australian Aborigines are the most ancient cultures living on Earth. And one of the least studied. The English conquerors of Australia called the natives "Aborigines", from the Latin "aborigene" - "from the beginning
Photo State Library of New South Wales Women have traditionally been gatherers. During migrations in search of food, women collected edible roots and shoots of plants, nuts, seeds, emu eggs, various types of insects, larvae and put them in special wooden vessels that they wore on their heads. In the evening, at the parking lot, they prepared food from the found products. The manufacture of weapons and tools, as well as household items, was done by men. Australians made weapons, tools and most household items from stone, shells, bones, wood, plant fibers, skins, human hair. Many types of weapons and tools resembled those that our distant ancestors, the hunters of the Stone Age, made from stone and bone. For example, the "pirri" spearheads were made with serrated edges and were similar to the Early Neolithic ones in terms of the manufacturing method. For cooking, they used the fire of a fire. Fire was made by rubbing two pieces of wood against each other. The work to extract the spark took from half an hour to an hour. The writing was not boiled, meat and fish were fried over a direct fire or baked in coals, wrapped in leaves. An earthen oven was sometimes used to cook meat and vegetable products. The Australians lived in huts. Household utensils did not differ in variety and were fully adapted to nomadic life. As clothing, loincloths made of vegetable fibers and skins were used. The scarcity of Aboriginal clothing was made up for by an abundance of jewelry made from various materials and differing in a variety of forms. Jewelry was mainly worn by men. Necklaces were made from beans, shells, reeds, animal teeth. Mother-of-pearl pendants were decorated with complex geometric patterns. They were worn around the neck or on the forehead. Legs and arms were decorated with bracelets made of shells, tree bark, brightly colored bird feathers, and plant fibers. Much attention was paid to body coloring. The coloring had aesthetic (to attract the attention of the opposite sex), hygienic (a thick layer of paint diluted with fat protected the skin), magical (an unusual combination of colors could scare the enemy) and symbolic (a certain pattern made it possible to determine the social status of the owner) values. In Australian Aboriginal society, rites of passage from one age or social category to another, or initiations, are widespread. The rite of age initiations marked the transition. Australian boys to adult male status. At the age of 9, the boys were isolated from the life of the tribe and in special secluded places - sanctuaries - adult men subjected them to various tests of courage and endurance. Scars were made on the chest and back with sharp flint knives, which were then sprinkled with red-hot ash for hygienic purposes. After such a procedure, the scars acquired a voluminous character and remained for the rest of my life. A stick was inserted into the nasal septum, the ears were pierced and earrings made of bird bones were inserted into the holes. The Australian tribe was divided into tribal groups, each of which had its own guardian spirit or "totem". Such a guardian spirit could have the appearance of some animal, plant, inanimate object or natural phenomenon: snakes, frogs, ants, kangaroos, rainbows, etc. According to the mythological ideas of the Australians, receptacles of totems or patron spirits - churingi- specific oval-shaped objects made of wood or flat stones of oblong outlines served. The elders of tribal groups kept churingas in special sacred places, securely hidden from the eyes of the uninitiated.
The colonists who arrived in 1788 expelled the natives from their lands, which led to the death of part of the cultures and stratification in society. The British brought diseases against which the local population had no immunity. Epidemics, alcohol finally finished them off. The armed resistance of the natives to the colonialists turned into the extermination of the local population.
For a long time, the indigenous population of Australia lived in reservations - remote desert parts of the continent, where outsiders were not allowed. Even in the censuses, the natives were not taken into account. November 11, 1869 in the state of Victoria, for the first time in Australia, the “Aboriginal Protection Act” () was passed - legislative norms governing the life of aborigines. Only in 1967, as a result of a popular referendum, the indigenous people were recognized as citizens of the country and received the right to free movement.
Some of the tribes have retained a way of life that does not differ from that which they have been leading for many millennia: in the daily struggle with nature, the endless search for water and food.
The Australian Aboriginal language is unlike any other and includes six language groups and many dialects. Their speech is complemented by gestures. Most dialects still do not have their own written language.
A feature of the culture of the natives are original drawings on the bark of eucalyptus and sacred rocks. In hundreds of places in various parts of the continent - in caves, on sheer cliffs, on individual stones - the ancestors of the aborigines captured their daily life for thousands of years. This is hunting, and dancing, and ritual ceremonies, and ideas about the world around.
more about Australia and its indigenous people
According to archaeological data, Australia was inhabited by humans approximately in the period of 30-12 thousand years BC. According to anthropological features, the natives belong to the Australian branch of the Negro-Australoid race. By language, Australian Aborigines are divided into two large groups: southern and northern. Up until the 19th century. The aborigines maintained a primitive communal system. Australian Aborigines led a nomadic lifestyle and lived in tribal communities, which were ruled by a council of adult men. The climate of Australia is harsh. A significant part of the mainland is occupied by a rocky desert, unsuitable for human life. But for thousands of years, the local population has developed skills that allow it to adapt to the harsh natural conditions. Men traditionally hunted kangaroos, wallabies, couscous, opossum, Australian ostrich, emus, birds, turtles and snakes. They were skilled hunters, able to navigate the wild. They were greatly assisted by the semi-wild dog dingo.
classic australoids - natives australia.
Australian aborigines pass on to their children the unique ability to find water in a lifeless rocky desert that stretches for many hundreds of kilometers. A spear was used as a weapon during the hunting of mammals. The spear was sent to the target with the help of a spear thrower, which increased the flight range and impact force. A spear thrown by hand flies 25-30 m, and with the help of a spear thrower 100-150 m. For hunting birds they used boomerang. It was made from hardwoods - iron, eucalyptus, acacia. A feature of this type of weapon was that in flight it described a closed line, and not hitting the target, returned to the feet of the one who threw it. The flight path of this type of hunting weapon was determined by the presence of uneven blades and small helical roughness on its surface. Making a boomerang required skills and special craftsmanship. Shields were used as military equipment to protect against spear attacks.
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 amazing facts testify to the uniqueness of the indigenous population of Australia.
1. The wildest of all people
Aborigines inhabit 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 the peoples of the world, and 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 natives 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, like 50 thousand years ago, is hunting and gathering plants and roots. If necessary, these natives can even eat an insect larva or a caterpillar. Almost one-fifth of all Australian Aborigines live here.
However, there are among the indigenous population and those who have achieved great success and world recognition. These are, for example, artist Albert Namatjira, writer and journalist David Yunipon, Olympic champion in athletics Kathy Freeman.
2. They are discriminated against
The indigenous population was legally equalized in rights with ordinary citizens of the country only in 1967, and before that they were considered second-class people on the continent.
Now they have their own schools and their own flag. However, during modern sociological surveys, the natives admit that they still feel neglected by the "white" citizens.
Children attending mainstream schools also claim to be discriminated against. Although Indigenous Australians are naturally gentle and genetically devoid of aggression, from time to time they protest, demanding more rights.
3. Aboriginal people do not have a common language
For some time now, the indigenous population has its own TV channel and it broadcasts in English - this is done so that the TV programs are understood by the natives from all over the country. After all, when Europeans sailed to Australia, there were about 600 dialects on the continent. Now the aborigines have become much smaller, but still each Australian tribe has its own language, and in total there are about two hundred of them.
Now, as a result of the introduction of the modern world into the culture and life of the natives, many of them more or less know English. But ordinary Australians practically do not understand the language of the Aborigines. Of the non-aboriginal citizens, only old people own it, and even then not all.
4. There are three types of Aboriginal people living in Australia.
The indigenous population of this continent is divided into three types. The first (Barenian) is small in stature and has 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 rather dark skin, on which there is practically no vegetation. The third racial variety (Murray type) is aborigines of medium height with very abundant vegetation on the skin and a thick mop of hair on the head. They live mainly in the valley of the Australian Murray River.
All three types of aborigines came to the continent by sea many millennia ago. Presumably from Africa. Such great anthropological differences among these groups are due to the fact that each of them arrived in Australia at different times and from different places.
5. Some Australian Aborigines are dark-skinned and fair-haired.
About one tenth of the inhabitants of the Solomon Islands, located in the northeast of Australia, are blond. At first, researchers thought that such aborigines began to be born after contacts 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 a subject 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 the 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 mainland who came up with the returning type of boomerang.
By the way, the natives still use it when hunting. The lower part of the Australian boomerang is flat, and the upper part is convex. The natives also have other types of boomerangs that differ in shape and size, and each has its own purpose.
7. Aboriginal religion
According to the natives, a certain deity created life on Earth, which 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 allegedly control the Sun, the Moon and other celestial bodies, but living people can also influence what happens in space.A number of scientists argue that the ancient rock carvings of the emu, made by the natives, may actually be a figure formed in the sky by dust clouds of the 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 the ritual ceremonies performed by the tribes. And there are many such rituals among the tribes - for example, initiation into shamans and the celebration of the puberty of boys or girls.
8. The natives have their own Stonehenge
Many basalt boulders about a meter high, forming even 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 that it is twice as old as the famous English counterpart - Stonehenge.
This group of stones played an important role among the natives. It is possible that ancient people could use this stone structure as a cosmic calendar - a determinant of the time of sunrise and sunset or the onset of the seasons. However, there is, of course, no exact confirmation of the purpose of this group of boulders.
In Africa, too, there are many amazing tribes that seem very strange to us.
Aborigines, wild tribes that once inhabited Australia are the indigenous inhabitants of this continent. Now they make up only 1% of the total population. Australian Aborigines settled the young continent 40-64 thousand years ago. Scientists believe that they arrived here from Asia. Prior to colonization, Australian Aborigines lived by gathering, fishing and hunting. These wild tribes did not know weaving, pottery, metalworking.
But on the other hand, they created a very deep and interesting system of mythology and related art. Australian Aboriginal works of art include mainly household utensils and religious objects.
The wild tribes of Australia, its indigenous inhabitants, in our time have received part of the territories as property. Tourists are not allowed to enter some areas. In their tribes, they lead an ancient primitive way of life, like their ancestors for many centuries in a row.
Modern Australian Aborigines.
The "time of dreams" in the mythology of the Australian Aborigines is the basis of all their traditional beliefs and worldviews. "Time of dreams" for them is the era when everything that was created appeared. The time when the earth appeared, all living beings, rain, wind, rivers ... Australian aborigines believe that in the spiritual aspect, as a continuation of life experience (transmigration of souls), and also referring to a special, innate feeling of unity with the earth, “Dream time ' continues today. Therefore, the expulsion of natives from the land of their ancestors for them is tantamount to expulsion from the "Time of Dreams", deprivation of the sacred connection with the ancestors, roots and faith in life. equates to spiritual death. It is no secret that magical rites are common among many peoples.
Tours to the giant monolithic rock are the most popular among travelers. Aborigines of Australia call it Uluru, the white population - Ayers Rock. The Aboriginal name means a place that gives shade or a meeting place. At sunset, Uluru turns bright orange. Its outlines resemble an alien spaceship. The height of Uluru reaches 350 meters, the length is up to 3 meters, and the width is a little more than 1.5 meters. It must be said that representatives of the Australian aborigines are sympathetic to the fact that annoying tourists, for some reason, are not only interested in their sacred rock, but they also strive to climb it. Recently, at the foot of Uluru, they even opened the Cultural Center and laid a track that goes around the rock.
Another popular tour among visiting tourists is the small town of Alice Springs in the McDonnell Mountains. Tourists who come here in September witness a very unusual regatta - Henley-on-Todd. Competitions are held between rowers in boats that do not have a bottom. Watching the participants of the regatta, hurrying to the finish line on boats without a bottom along a dry channel, you begin to look at many things in this amazing country in a new way and cease to be surprised at many things.
Modern Aborigines, short video for 5 minutes:
An interesting film about the life of the natives: "Tracks of the Hunter by the Hunter's Path". It turns out there are still natives keeping their traditions. I recommend to look. In short, white man and award-winning filmmaker Larry Gray embarks on a perilous journey through the Northern Territory of Australia. He travels barefoot and armed only with a spear. And most importantly, he learns to survive in the wild from his friend, aboriginal and hunter Peter Daetzhinga.
Another film about the culture and traditions of the indigenous people of Australia: ABORIGENIC DREAMTIME. From the Riddles of Antiquity cycle. (Ancient Mysteries. Aboriginal Dreamtime)
Survive at any cost. Kimberley - Australia. There are no natives in this film, but it is full of traces of them. From this film you can understand in what harsh conditions the natives had to survive.
And to finish off, a few more old black and white photographs.
