How can I be a historian?
History is all around us.
Look out of the window. What is the oldest thing you can see?
To be a historian, you have to act as a detective.
Search for clues about the past and put them together to find out what happened.
You’ll get more detailed answers if you ask questions about particular topics, such as toys, transport, or school life.
Record your interview, so you can listen to those details again.
Make a list of questions to ask. Include some that start with each of these words: how, when, why, what, who and where.
Closed questions, which have simple factual answers, help to get people talking - but you usually won't get a lot of information.
"How old were you when you started school?" is a closed question.
Open questions are ones that ask people to give their views. They encourage people to talk about their feelings.
"What did you like in your first classroom?" is an open question.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zs3487h/articles/ztnvgk7
Look out of the window. What is the oldest thing you can see?
To be a historian, you have to act as a detective.
Search for clues about the past and put them together to find out what happened.
You’ll get more detailed answers if you ask questions about particular topics, such as toys, transport, or school life.
Record your interview, so you can listen to those details again.
Make a list of questions to ask. Include some that start with each of these words: how, when, why, what, who and where.
Closed questions, which have simple factual answers, help to get people talking - but you usually won't get a lot of information.
"How old were you when you started school?" is a closed question.
Open questions are ones that ask people to give their views. They encourage people to talk about their feelings.
"What did you like in your first classroom?" is an open question.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zs3487h/articles/ztnvgk7
The age of exploration
unit vocabulary: circumnavigate, claim, colonise, colony, empire, evidence, exploration, hunch, investigate, navigator, research, spice, trade route, trader, voyage
Why did the great journeys of exploration occur?
The Year 4 curriculum introduces world history and the movement of peoples.
Key inquiry questions
Key inquiry questions
- Why did the great journeys of exploration occur?
- What was life like for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples before the arrival of the Europeans?
- Why did the Europeans settle in Australia?
- What was the nature and consequence of contact between Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples and early traders, explorers and settlers?
LI: I am learning to explain how and why life changed in the past.
LI: I am learning to identify aspects of the past that have remained the same.
SC: I can explain how and why life changed in the past.
SC: I can identify aspects of the past that have remained the same.
Lesson 1. What motivated people from the fifteenth century to explore?
What risks did the early explorers take in the hope of discovering new places?
Why do people still explore today?
Australia had been left 'undiscovered' by early explorers, due to its distance from other countries.
Early explorers believed there was undiscovered land to be claimed in the southern hemisphere.
Early explorers named the great unknown southern land 'Terra Australis Incognita'.
Ask the students to imagine that they are a fifteenth-century European explorer. In pairs, allow the students to discuss which part of the world they would have explored and why. Encourage each pair to share their ideas with the rest of the class.
LI: I am learning to identify aspects of the past that have remained the same.
SC: I can explain how and why life changed in the past.
SC: I can identify aspects of the past that have remained the same.
Lesson 1. What motivated people from the fifteenth century to explore?
What risks did the early explorers take in the hope of discovering new places?
Why do people still explore today?
- What is the age of exploration? The so-called Age of Exploration was a period from the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century, during which European ships were traveled around the world to search for new trading routes and partners to feed burgeoning capitalism in Europe.
- Why was it an important part of world history? The Age of Exploration had a significant impact on geography. By traveling to different regions around the globe, explorers were able to learn more about areas such as Africa and the Americas and bring that knowledge back to Europe
- What influenced men and women to explore? (God, glory, gold).
- What were the impacts of this era? The Age of Exploration caused ideas, technology, plants, and animals to be exchanged around the world. Government Several European countries competed for colonies overseas, both in Asia and the Americas. Economics Developments during the Age of Exploration led to the origins of modern capitalism.
Australia had been left 'undiscovered' by early explorers, due to its distance from other countries.
Early explorers believed there was undiscovered land to be claimed in the southern hemisphere.
Early explorers named the great unknown southern land 'Terra Australis Incognita'.
Ask the students to imagine that they are a fifteenth-century European explorer. In pairs, allow the students to discuss which part of the world they would have explored and why. Encourage each pair to share their ideas with the rest of the class.
Christopher Columbus
Today we know what the world looks like. We've taken pictures of it from space!
We know there are many countries, some far away, and that there are lots of different people. But for thousands of years people didn’t know this. \ It was only when explorers travelled to new places that they met each other.
One of the most famous explorers was Christopher Columbus. He lived over 500 years ago.
Columbus wanted to travel to China and India, countries known as ‘The Indies’ which were full of wealth.
The Indies were in the east, but Columbus thought it would be quicker to go west, around the world.
It was a journey into the unknown and would cost a lot of money.
The King of Spain paid for three ships. The Pinta, the Niña and the Santa Maria.
In 1492, Columbus set sail. A few months later, the crew spotted land. Columbus thought he had reached the Indies. But he was wrong! He'd found a part of the world new to Europeans.
Columbus became famous as the man who discovered new lands called the Americas.
The King of Spain was happy, but the discovery was bad for people already living there.
Spain sent soldiers to take over these new lands. They took the people's treasures, like gold. Spain became very rich.
The locals were treated cruelly, some taken as slaves. Many died because of diseases brought from Spain.
Today people disagree about Columbus. Some say he was a brave hero. Others say his discovery caused misery for the people where he travelled.
One thing we can say for certain is that finding the continent of America was a huge event for Europeans, and that is down to Christopher Columbus.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z7f43j6
Today we know what the world looks like. We've taken pictures of it from space!
We know there are many countries, some far away, and that there are lots of different people. But for thousands of years people didn’t know this. \ It was only when explorers travelled to new places that they met each other.
One of the most famous explorers was Christopher Columbus. He lived over 500 years ago.
Columbus wanted to travel to China and India, countries known as ‘The Indies’ which were full of wealth.
The Indies were in the east, but Columbus thought it would be quicker to go west, around the world.
It was a journey into the unknown and would cost a lot of money.
The King of Spain paid for three ships. The Pinta, the Niña and the Santa Maria.
In 1492, Columbus set sail. A few months later, the crew spotted land. Columbus thought he had reached the Indies. But he was wrong! He'd found a part of the world new to Europeans.
Columbus became famous as the man who discovered new lands called the Americas.
The King of Spain was happy, but the discovery was bad for people already living there.
Spain sent soldiers to take over these new lands. They took the people's treasures, like gold. Spain became very rich.
The locals were treated cruelly, some taken as slaves. Many died because of diseases brought from Spain.
Today people disagree about Columbus. Some say he was a brave hero. Others say his discovery caused misery for the people where he travelled.
One thing we can say for certain is that finding the continent of America was a huge event for Europeans, and that is down to Christopher Columbus.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z7f43j6
Why was the fifteenth century known as the Age of Exploration?
Had European explorers had any contact with Australia at this point in history? Why or why not?
What were the fifteenth-century explorers hoping to discover on their journeys?
Why was China known as 'the ruler of the sea'? What was the name given to Chinese ships? Who led China on its greatest voyage in 1405?
As a class, brainstorm what might have stopped China from exploring the world.
Zheng He was a Chinese explorer who led a large voyage of discovery in 1405.
The Chinese government stopped China from exploring the world and destroyed all existing ships.
There is evidence to suggest that some of Zheng He's fleet made their way to Australia and made contact with the Aboriginal people.
As a class, brainstorm what might have stopped China from exploring the world.
Zheng He was a Chinese explorer who led a large voyage of discovery in 1405.
The Chinese government stopped China from exploring the world and destroyed all existing ships.
There is evidence to suggest that some of Zheng He's fleet made their way to Australia and made contact with the Aboriginal people.
Who were some of the early Europeans that explored Australia?
What did the Dutch name Australia?
Who was the first European explorer to completely circumnavigate Australia?
The Spanish and the Portuguese led the way in shipping and world exploration during the fifteenth century.
The Dutch were the first Europeans to land on Australian shores, map the coast of Australia and name the landmass 'New Holland'.
Many places in Australia were initially named by the Dutch. Do you know any?
What did the Dutch name Australia?
Who was the first European explorer to completely circumnavigate Australia?
The Spanish and the Portuguese led the way in shipping and world exploration during the fifteenth century.
The Dutch were the first Europeans to land on Australian shores, map the coast of Australia and name the landmass 'New Holland'.
Many places in Australia were initially named by the Dutch. Do you know any?
Let’s look at this map. This map was created in 1565. It tells us a lot about what people knew about the world in the 1500s. We can see that the continents of Europe, Africa, North America, South America and Asia have been discovered and mapped by Europeans. This map also tells us what people did not know about the world in the 1500s. There is a large landmass shown along the bottom of the map. The title of this land is ‘Terra Incognita’, which means ‘Unknown land’. This map reveals to us that people in Europe at this time thought that the ‘Great South Land’ existed, but they did not know exactly where it was or what shape it took. This map also reveals that European people in the past thought that strange creatures lived in the unknown land in the southern part of the world.
For hundreds of years prior to the colonisation of Australia, there were many reports around the world of a great land mass situated to the south of Asia. It became known as the Great South Land or Terra Australis Incognita, the 'Unknown South Land'. As navigational technology became more sophisticated, ships travelled into uncharted waters in search of new and exotic raw materials. Traders were reaping the rewards of bartering in spices, gold, precious stones and food commodities. Increased scientific knowledge propelled the imperial powers to compete with each other to claim this new land for themselves.
In the 16th century, Portugal, Spain and Holland sent ships into the southern ocean but didn't find the 'unknown' land. In 1605 the Spanish captain, Luis Vaez de Torres (1565–1607), sailed through the sea strait between Australia and New Guinea, naming it Torres Strait. Dutch explorers charted about two-thirds of the Australian coastline during the 17th century.
In the 16th century, Portugal, Spain and Holland sent ships into the southern ocean but didn't find the 'unknown' land. In 1605 the Spanish captain, Luis Vaez de Torres (1565–1607), sailed through the sea strait between Australia and New Guinea, naming it Torres Strait. Dutch explorers charted about two-thirds of the Australian coastline during the 17th century.
In 1642 Abel Tasman (1603–1659) sighted the land he named Van Diemen's Land, now Tasmania. Tasman called the Great Southern Land by the name of New Holland.
James Cook was a British Navy officer from the eighteenth century.
James Cook was a talented surveyor, navigator and astronomer.
James Cook was given command of the HMS Endeavour for a voyage to Tahiti and Terra Australis.
What were James Cook's secret orders?
What was James Cook's amazing discovery?
What did James Cook call the east coast of Australia?
Watch: https://www.ducksters.com/biography/explorers/captain_james_cook.php
James Cook was a talented surveyor, navigator and astronomer.
James Cook was given command of the HMS Endeavour for a voyage to Tahiti and Terra Australis.
What were James Cook's secret orders?
What was James Cook's amazing discovery?
What did James Cook call the east coast of Australia?
Watch: https://www.ducksters.com/biography/explorers/captain_james_cook.php
Aug. 1, 1768- first voyage route
July 13, 1772- second Voyage route
July 12, 1776- Last voyage route (third voyage)
February 14, 1779- Death of Captain Cook
Challenges of exploration
They faced a lot of cold weather where two of his crew members died. The first time they met the native Maori of New Zealand in October were violent, their warriors performing fierce dances, or hakas (a ceremonial Maori war dance that involves chanting), in attempts to threaten and challenge the ship´s crew but at the end they traded some things. Also when they were traveling to Australia, the Endeavor was damaged by coral and almost sank. In Batavia Java, about 30 crew members died from Malaria.
Captain cook's sextant
An instrument for determining the angle between the horizon and a celestial body such as the Sun, the Moon, or a star, used in celestial navigation to determine latitude and longitude. The device consists of an arc of a circle, marked off in degrees, and a movable radial arm pivoted at the centre of the circle.
Cook’s telescope
First contacts
Unbeknown to Cook, Aboriginal Australians had been interacting with explorers and traders for centuries, historian Lynette Russell says. She wants to challenge the conventional view that they were an isolated and passive people, stranded on a lonely continent. “It’s not a long period of Aboriginal people being here all on their own and then suddenly Cook bumps into the east coast, and everything is different,” she says. “Australian history is far more complex.”
Rock art from Arnhem Land suggests the Makassans may have begun visiting Australia as early as the 1500s, she says. The Makassans, who also visited the Kimberley, came for trepang, or sea cucumbers, arriving with the northwest monsoon each December, and living with Indigenous communities for about four months. After boiling and drying the trepang on Australian beaches, the Makassans returned home and traded their harvest with the Chinese.
Indigenous rock art from the Top End depicts sailing ships and guns, most likely from Dutch and Portuguese expeditions.
In preparation for Cold Write students watch Investigate James Cook
http://education.abc.net.au/home#!/search/Captain%20James%20Cook//
Was Australia empty of people when James Cook arrived? Why did James Cook declare Australia as 'Terra Nullius'?
What was the impact of this for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia?
'Terra Nullius' was the term used to describe a land that was empty of people.
James Cook informed the British government that Australia was a Terra Nullius land.
The Aboriginal and Torris Strait Islander people had been living in Australia for over 40 000 years; it was not Terra Nullius.
Explain to the students that they will be writing a letter, as James Cook, to convince the British government that Australia is a Terra Nullius land and is a great place to establish a penal colony.
What was the impact of this for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia?
'Terra Nullius' was the term used to describe a land that was empty of people.
James Cook informed the British government that Australia was a Terra Nullius land.
The Aboriginal and Torris Strait Islander people had been living in Australia for over 40 000 years; it was not Terra Nullius.
Explain to the students that they will be writing a letter, as James Cook, to convince the British government that Australia is a Terra Nullius land and is a great place to establish a penal colony.
Assessment:
LI: I am learning to locate and collect data from different sources.
LI: I am learning to sort, record and represent data in different formats.
SC: I can locate and collect data from different sources.
SC: I can sort, record and represent data in different formats.
Students choose and early explorer from list of explorers in ‘Early Explorers PowerPoint’ to research and present a PowerPoint /prezipresentation on.
How might your explorer’s actions have changed the world?
What impact do you think your explorer’s journeys had on the people he met?
How/why is your explorer remembered today?
LI: I am learning to sort, record and represent data in different formats.
SC: I can locate and collect data from different sources.
SC: I can sort, record and represent data in different formats.
Students choose and early explorer from list of explorers in ‘Early Explorers PowerPoint’ to research and present a PowerPoint /prezipresentation on.
How might your explorer’s actions have changed the world?
What impact do you think your explorer’s journeys had on the people he met?
How/why is your explorer remembered today?
Assessment: Create an information report on one aspect of Aboriginal Culture. These may include: Food, Dreamtime, Tools/weapons, shelters, communication, language/communication, clothing, dance/song.stories, family life - men's and women's roles. Present this to the class using a powerpoint, presi or poster.
year_4_planning_-_history_term_2_2013.docx | |
File Size: | 169 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Text: Flaherty, L. (2012) Early Contact First Peoples. Pearson Melbourne.
First Contacts
- Aboriginal History Intro - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEVifIIQ9fI
What did you notice? Art, Cermemony, Dance, Craft
Lesson 1. Aboriginal History Scootle Resource - Lake Mungo Powerpoint-
Students note key points from powerpoint.
50 000 to 60 000 years ago Aboriginals inhabit Australia
Lake mungo - famous archaeological site
Australia's oldest human remains found here
Stone tools 50 000 years old found
Lesson 2. Aboriginal stories/legends (Tina's booklet) Read Rainbow serpent
Discuss rainbow serpent (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCuuRRrfOXo)
Dust Echoes - download worksheets. (Some of these are very confronting/scary for nine year olds. Don't watch 'the curse').http://www.abc.net.au/dustechoes/
Lesson 3. Aboriginal Languages - Language Map (http://www.abc.net.au/indigenous/map/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIKHlne7aHs
- Clothes
(worksheet)
- Shelters
Examine:
http://www.aboriginalculture.com.au/housing.shtml
- Communication
Aboriginal people used symbols in their art.
See:
http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/culture/symbols.php
Lesson 4.
Artefacts - QLD MuseumTotems are symbols that acknowledge specific birds, animals, rocks or flora species and are considered sacred by their owners. Traditionally, each Indigenous person receives a totem from their M other or Father. Each totem would have previously been owned by his/her parents' ancestors. Traditionally, totems were often carved into stones and were carried by an individual so that s/he could be constantly connected to his/her ancestors, the land and his/her tribe.
Totems never change and are continually passed on to each generation. Additionally, totems have existed in traditional Indigenous life since the Dreaming.
Traditionally, the totem animal, bird, rock or flower is never hunted, killed or desecrated out of respect for ancestors. Totems are also extremely important in all individual and group celebrations and ceremonies. Totem images appear in paintings and carvings and on tools and implements.
Totems were extremely important in traditional culture because they showed loyalty to the past. Today totem systems are still used by Indigenous people as a way of continuing and maintaining connections with the land, the Dreamtime and their ancestors.Totems: For example, a person connected with a yam (native potato) totem might believe that he was a yam in a previous life, that some yams are his relatives, and that a particularly prominent rock feature in his clan estate represents the embodiment of his yam ancestor. This, or another area nearby, might also be an “increase centre” where rituals are performed to ensure the maintenance of this food supply. Each clan will have several totems, so this person will have a close human relative living on the same clan estate who is not of the yam totem. That person might belong to the kangaroo totem and similarly be related to kangaroos and have another feature of the landscape representing their kangaroo totem.
Corroborees
Aboriginal corroborees refer to the ethnic rituals or ceremonies performed by the Aboriginal tribes of Australia.
Musical devices such as didgeridoos, sticks, rattles and boomerangs that are sometimes struck are some of the accompanying instruments used in Aboriginal corroborees. Each of these special ceremonies has a specific purpose and form.
Through these enchanting and spellbinding corroborees, the Aboriginal people are able to preserve their culture and traditions. Everytime these sacred corroborees are performed and shared to certain groups, they are telling their youth and the world that the history of their ancestors that govern their lives and their traditions should never be forgotten or forsaken. Do comprehension sheet.
Lesson 5.
Utensils (weapons and tools)
Lesson 6. How Aboriginal people lived before colonisation
Aboriginal people lived according to efficient laws and ways of interacting with the environment to meet their needs.
Aboriginal peoples were lived in tribes and were nomadic. They moved from place to place in search of food and water. For food, Aboriginal people caught fish and shellfish from the sea and rivers, hunted kangaroos, possums and birds, collected plants or caught lizards. They used wood, bone and shells to make tools and weapons. When the natural resources of an area began to run low, Aboriginal people moved on to the next place. They did not farm the land, plant or harvest crops or herd animals
Initially, the European explorers had reasonably friendly relations with the Aboriginal people. Governor Phillip always encouraged the new settlers to treat Aboriginal people fairly. Phillip traded items such as axes and cloth with Aboriginal people in exchange for food and water.
The relationship became hostile when Aboriginal people realised that the colonisers would seriously disturb their lives. The settlers took away land, natural food resources and the order of a nomadic life from Aborigines. Between 1790 and 1810, clan people of the Eora group in the Sydney area, led by Pemulwuy of the Bidjigal clan, undertook a series of attacks against the English colonisers.
When Macquarie became governor in 1810, the clashes between the settlers and Aboriginal people increased. Governor Macquarie believed that the best way to treat Aboriginal people was to 'civilise' them. That meant replacing the traditional Aboriginal way of life with European ways.
Macquarie tried to send Aboriginal children to school but many left or returned to their tribes after a short time. Macquarie tried to create a settlement for Aboriginal people by teaching them farming and building techniques. His attempts failed because Aboriginal people did not want to become farmers. After all his failures, Macquarie then made laws to place Aboriginal people under British control. Under these laws it was permitted to shoot Aboriginal people if they resisted.
The effect of British colonisation on Aboriginal peopleBetween 1788 and 1900, the Aboriginal population was reduced by 90%. Three main reasons for this were the introduction of new diseases, loss of land and loss of people through direct fighting with the colonisers.
Introduced diseasesThe most immediate consequence of British settlement was the appearance of European diseases. Most were epidemic diseases such as chickenpox, smallpox, influenza and measles. As these diseases were infectious, they spread very quickly and killed many people. In large Aboriginal communities, the diseases spread even more quickly.
Loss of landAnother consequence of British settlement was the reduction of access to land and water resources. The settlers took the view that Aboriginal people, with a nomadic lifestyle, could easily be driven away from their lands. By the 1870s all the fertile areas of Australia had been taken from Aboriginal people and given to the white settlers. The loss of land and other essential resources such as food and water posed great danger to Aboriginal people who were left with no place to live and nowhere to hunt food. Already weakened by the new diseases spread by the new settlers, Aboriginal people had dramatically reduced chances for survival.
In the later 19th century, new settlers took vital parts of the land in the north, such as waterholes or soaks, for their own use. They also introduced sheep, rabbits and cattle. These animals took over fertile areas and fouled the land. Consequently, the native animals that Aboriginal people depended on to hunt began to disappear. Aboriginal people started to hunt sheep and cattle as they could no longer rely on hunting native animals.
During the 1850s, gold was found in south-eastern Australia. Many white pastoral workers left their stock farms or ranches to search for gold. Many Aboriginal men, women and children were hired to work in cattle stations and in other less popular industries, such as diving for pearls. Instead of being paid, Aboriginal people received food, clothing and other basic necessities.
Christian missions often provided food and clothing for Aboriginal communities and opened schools and orphanages for Aboriginal children. In some places, colonial governments also provided some resources.
In general, at the beginning, the British colonisers were welcomed, or at least not opposed by Aboriginal people. With time, however, when the impact of the British settlement increased, there were more and more conflicts between the white settlers and Aboriginal people, which often resulted in massacre.
In the Northern Territory until as late as the 1930s, Europeans travellers were sometimes speared to death.In retaliation, some European settlers shot Aboriginal people. The most severe series of killings in the Northern Territory occurred at Caledon Bay, which became a turning point in the relationship between Aboriginal people and the white settlers.
Lesson 7. Bubbleus to create concept map of Aboriginal ways of life.
https://bubbl.us
Lesson 7. Timeline (Books from library)
Lesson 8. Venn diagam comparing central and coastal aboriginal lifestyles from different regions.
Lesson 9. Assessment - Venn diagram of what life was like before white settlement.Create an information report on one aspect of Aboriginal Culture. These may include: Food, Dreamtime, Tools/weapons, shelters, communication, language/communication, clothing, dance/song.stories, family life - men's and women's roles. Present this to the class using a powerpoint, presi or poster.
- Aboriginal History Intro - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEVifIIQ9fI
What did you notice? Art, Cermemony, Dance, Craft
Lesson 1. Aboriginal History Scootle Resource - Lake Mungo Powerpoint-
Students note key points from powerpoint.
50 000 to 60 000 years ago Aboriginals inhabit Australia
Lake mungo - famous archaeological site
Australia's oldest human remains found here
Stone tools 50 000 years old found
Lesson 2. Aboriginal stories/legends (Tina's booklet) Read Rainbow serpent
Discuss rainbow serpent (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCuuRRrfOXo)
Dust Echoes - download worksheets. (Some of these are very confronting/scary for nine year olds. Don't watch 'the curse').http://www.abc.net.au/dustechoes/
- Aboriginal stories teach young children about natural events
- warn them about dangers
- teach them about the law and right behaviour
- explain relationships and identity
Lesson 3. Aboriginal Languages - Language Map (http://www.abc.net.au/indigenous/map/)
- 250 – 270 languages prior to white colonization
- today only 20 to 70 languages spoken
- Yugambeh – language in our area
- Kombumerri people– were Yugambeh speakers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIKHlne7aHs
- Clothes
- Men and women wore an apron like cloth made from possums and kangaroos.
- During winter people used animal skins as cloaks.
- They covered children's bodies with oil to keep them warm.
- They decorated their bodies with paints
- Necklaces made from seeds, shells, grass, animal's tails.
(worksheet)
- Shelters
Examine:
http://www.aboriginalculture.com.au/housing.shtml
- In mild climates Aboriginals sleep outside by a camp fire.
- Housing consists of simples shelters made from branches and bark.
- In colder areas shelters were built on a platform with a fire underneath.
- Two regions used caves and rock overhangs as shelters.
- Communication
Aboriginal people used symbols in their art.
See:
http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/culture/symbols.php
Lesson 4.
Artefacts - QLD MuseumTotems are symbols that acknowledge specific birds, animals, rocks or flora species and are considered sacred by their owners. Traditionally, each Indigenous person receives a totem from their M other or Father. Each totem would have previously been owned by his/her parents' ancestors. Traditionally, totems were often carved into stones and were carried by an individual so that s/he could be constantly connected to his/her ancestors, the land and his/her tribe.
Totems never change and are continually passed on to each generation. Additionally, totems have existed in traditional Indigenous life since the Dreaming.
Traditionally, the totem animal, bird, rock or flower is never hunted, killed or desecrated out of respect for ancestors. Totems are also extremely important in all individual and group celebrations and ceremonies. Totem images appear in paintings and carvings and on tools and implements.
Totems were extremely important in traditional culture because they showed loyalty to the past. Today totem systems are still used by Indigenous people as a way of continuing and maintaining connections with the land, the Dreamtime and their ancestors.Totems: For example, a person connected with a yam (native potato) totem might believe that he was a yam in a previous life, that some yams are his relatives, and that a particularly prominent rock feature in his clan estate represents the embodiment of his yam ancestor. This, or another area nearby, might also be an “increase centre” where rituals are performed to ensure the maintenance of this food supply. Each clan will have several totems, so this person will have a close human relative living on the same clan estate who is not of the yam totem. That person might belong to the kangaroo totem and similarly be related to kangaroos and have another feature of the landscape representing their kangaroo totem.
Corroborees
Aboriginal corroborees refer to the ethnic rituals or ceremonies performed by the Aboriginal tribes of Australia.
Musical devices such as didgeridoos, sticks, rattles and boomerangs that are sometimes struck are some of the accompanying instruments used in Aboriginal corroborees. Each of these special ceremonies has a specific purpose and form.
Through these enchanting and spellbinding corroborees, the Aboriginal people are able to preserve their culture and traditions. Everytime these sacred corroborees are performed and shared to certain groups, they are telling their youth and the world that the history of their ancestors that govern their lives and their traditions should never be forgotten or forsaken. Do comprehension sheet.
Lesson 5.
Utensils (weapons and tools)
Lesson 6. How Aboriginal people lived before colonisation
Aboriginal people lived according to efficient laws and ways of interacting with the environment to meet their needs.
Aboriginal peoples were lived in tribes and were nomadic. They moved from place to place in search of food and water. For food, Aboriginal people caught fish and shellfish from the sea and rivers, hunted kangaroos, possums and birds, collected plants or caught lizards. They used wood, bone and shells to make tools and weapons. When the natural resources of an area began to run low, Aboriginal people moved on to the next place. They did not farm the land, plant or harvest crops or herd animals
Initially, the European explorers had reasonably friendly relations with the Aboriginal people. Governor Phillip always encouraged the new settlers to treat Aboriginal people fairly. Phillip traded items such as axes and cloth with Aboriginal people in exchange for food and water.
The relationship became hostile when Aboriginal people realised that the colonisers would seriously disturb their lives. The settlers took away land, natural food resources and the order of a nomadic life from Aborigines. Between 1790 and 1810, clan people of the Eora group in the Sydney area, led by Pemulwuy of the Bidjigal clan, undertook a series of attacks against the English colonisers.
When Macquarie became governor in 1810, the clashes between the settlers and Aboriginal people increased. Governor Macquarie believed that the best way to treat Aboriginal people was to 'civilise' them. That meant replacing the traditional Aboriginal way of life with European ways.
Macquarie tried to send Aboriginal children to school but many left or returned to their tribes after a short time. Macquarie tried to create a settlement for Aboriginal people by teaching them farming and building techniques. His attempts failed because Aboriginal people did not want to become farmers. After all his failures, Macquarie then made laws to place Aboriginal people under British control. Under these laws it was permitted to shoot Aboriginal people if they resisted.
The effect of British colonisation on Aboriginal peopleBetween 1788 and 1900, the Aboriginal population was reduced by 90%. Three main reasons for this were the introduction of new diseases, loss of land and loss of people through direct fighting with the colonisers.
Introduced diseasesThe most immediate consequence of British settlement was the appearance of European diseases. Most were epidemic diseases such as chickenpox, smallpox, influenza and measles. As these diseases were infectious, they spread very quickly and killed many people. In large Aboriginal communities, the diseases spread even more quickly.
Loss of landAnother consequence of British settlement was the reduction of access to land and water resources. The settlers took the view that Aboriginal people, with a nomadic lifestyle, could easily be driven away from their lands. By the 1870s all the fertile areas of Australia had been taken from Aboriginal people and given to the white settlers. The loss of land and other essential resources such as food and water posed great danger to Aboriginal people who were left with no place to live and nowhere to hunt food. Already weakened by the new diseases spread by the new settlers, Aboriginal people had dramatically reduced chances for survival.
In the later 19th century, new settlers took vital parts of the land in the north, such as waterholes or soaks, for their own use. They also introduced sheep, rabbits and cattle. These animals took over fertile areas and fouled the land. Consequently, the native animals that Aboriginal people depended on to hunt began to disappear. Aboriginal people started to hunt sheep and cattle as they could no longer rely on hunting native animals.
During the 1850s, gold was found in south-eastern Australia. Many white pastoral workers left their stock farms or ranches to search for gold. Many Aboriginal men, women and children were hired to work in cattle stations and in other less popular industries, such as diving for pearls. Instead of being paid, Aboriginal people received food, clothing and other basic necessities.
Christian missions often provided food and clothing for Aboriginal communities and opened schools and orphanages for Aboriginal children. In some places, colonial governments also provided some resources.
In general, at the beginning, the British colonisers were welcomed, or at least not opposed by Aboriginal people. With time, however, when the impact of the British settlement increased, there were more and more conflicts between the white settlers and Aboriginal people, which often resulted in massacre.
In the Northern Territory until as late as the 1930s, Europeans travellers were sometimes speared to death.In retaliation, some European settlers shot Aboriginal people. The most severe series of killings in the Northern Territory occurred at Caledon Bay, which became a turning point in the relationship between Aboriginal people and the white settlers.
Lesson 7. Bubbleus to create concept map of Aboriginal ways of life.
https://bubbl.us
Lesson 7. Timeline (Books from library)
Lesson 8. Venn diagam comparing central and coastal aboriginal lifestyles from different regions.
Lesson 9. Assessment - Venn diagram of what life was like before white settlement.Create an information report on one aspect of Aboriginal Culture. These may include: Food, Dreamtime, Tools/weapons, shelters, communication, language/communication, clothing, dance/song.stories, family life - men's and women's roles. Present this to the class using a powerpoint, presi or poster.