Aboriginal History & Culture
Human skeletal remains dated at an amazing 38,000 years old were discovered at Lake Mungo in New South
Wales. Traces of ochre found on the skeleton are thought to be amongst the oldest example of ochre used in a ceremonial context ever discovered.
The find suggests that Australian
Aboriginal civilisation is one of the oldest in the world.
Over this immense span of time, waves of cultural change have swept across the continent including those caused by changes in climate and natural resources. In the process,
Aboriginal groups developed strategies for living off the land including seasonal movements to sustain food supplies.
 Today, Australia’s indigenous culture has become a magnet for visitors. The Aboriginal themes presented in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games opening ceremony and the worldwide
focus on conservation and ecotourism have stimulated a demand for knowledge and greater insight into one of the world’s oldest cultures.
Conservation and ecotourism are of particular relevance, as Aboriginal people have dwelt in Australia’s challenging natural environment for many thousands of years.
They have lived in ways that sustained their societies while conserving resources, protecting fragile soils and leaving a light footprint on the environment.
Aboriginal culture has many faces and voices. Every
stretch of country has its own creation ancestors, sacred places, languages, ceremonies, totems, art, clan groupings and law. There are desert people and
saltwater people, people of the stone country and people of the islands.
For all this diversity there are also similarities. Among different clan groups there are mutual
responsibilities and common values. These links have been maintained through generations working together on trade routes, ceremonial sites and the dreaming tracks that
cross borders -and the continent itself.
Traditional rock paintings describe much of this history and can be found dotted throughout the country. Some of the most striking
and best preserved rock paintings can be viewed at rock galleries in the Kimberley's Kakadu National Park and other parts of northern Australia.
Traditonal Ways
 Traditional ways of life blend with today’s commercial realities. In Australia’s tropical far north, for instance, a rich Aboriginal culture thrives in the savannas,
a vast expanse of dense grass and scattered trees covering regions such as Arnhem Land where visitors need a permit from the Aboriginal owners to enter. In these parts, many
Aboriginal people work as tour guides, putting to use their in-depth knowledge of the region’s natural and cultural assets.
Aboriginal cultural festivals, where people gather for traditional activities as well as modern diversions such as football and athletics, are held regularly
in various parts of Australia. The three-day Cape York Dance Festival takes place biennially in Laura in the last weekend of June on years ending with an odd number.
Participants compete at dancing, didgeridoo playing, boomerang and spear throwing. Performers paint their bodies and dance - mainly in the traditional manner but not entirely. Modern
interpretations are permitted and Aboriginal elders judge the result.
In various parts of Australia, Aboriginal dance troupes – both traditional and modern – thrill audiences with spellbinding routines and interpretations
of creation stories. Aboriginal art and dance can be sampled in Australia’s cities but growing numbers of discerning visitors want to travel farther afield to gain deeper
insights. These visitors seek educational adventures; they want to meet the artists who create the paintings they buy; they look for Aboriginal guides to interpret the
significance of places they visit. More tours have been designed to cater for their needs.
Spirit Ancestors
 According to Aboriginal belief, the spirit ancestors of the land and its people descended from the sky, emerged from the earth or sprang from waterways. These ancestral spirits
possessed supernatural powers, enabling them during the Dreamtime of the world’s creation to change into human, animal or other forms.
Many Aboriginal communities are willing to explain their heritage and show visitors around their ancestral homelands. Knowledge gained in this way helps visitors to understand
and enjoy Aboriginal performance and artworks.
Spirit ancestors govern and determine Aboriginal ritual activity, imparting a specific meaning to every step of a dance, every
verse of a song and each pattern in a painting. Ceremonial songs and dances commemorate legends of the Dreamtime creation era, celebrating in music and movement the
deeds and journeys of heroic spirit ancestors. Participants in traditional dance ceremonies are painted with the emblems and totems of their clans. Their performances follow
established formulas designed to evoke the spiritual power of the spirit ancestor.
One of the most powerful
and pervasive spirit ancestors is the Rainbow Serpent, who occurs in many Aboriginal beliefs under various names. The Rainbow Serpent travelled the length and breadth
of the land, creating landforms as it went. Often, the Rainbow Serpent is associated with water. As well as being the source of life, water is a scarce commodity
in outback Australia. Its presence is not always apparent on the surface. For many millennia, the ability of Aboriginal people to find water in arid conditions ensured their
survival. The Rainbow Serpent is said to dwell in deep, permanent waterholes, many of which have a sacred significance for indigenous Australians.
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