LI: I am learning to Describe the experiences of an individual or group in the past
SC: Identify the interconnections between people and the environment
Before European settlement:
In this teaching and learning sequence, students will examine the diversity and longevity of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia. The students develop an understanding of ways of life for Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their connections to Country and Place.
Read and discuss Young Dark Emu - by Bruce Pascoe
Lesson objectives
Students will:
· Understand the diversity and longevity of Australia's First Peoples.
Evidence of learning
Can the student:
· Recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples connection to and care of Country and Place?
Indigenous Australians have two cultural groups: Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander. What Aboriginal groups inhabited the local area in which we live?
Yugambeh (you-gum-bear) is the language spoken by the Aboriginal family group who are the Kombumeri people.
As a class, research the associated family group (Kombumerri people) within South East Queensland?
The colonisation of Australia had a devastating impact on the Indigenous people who had lived on this land for over 60,000 years.
Prior to British settlement, more than 500 Indigenous nations inhabited the Australian continent, approximately 750,000 people in total. (1). Their cultures had developed over 60,000 years, making Indigenous Australians the custodians of the world’s most ancient living culture. Each group lived in close relationship with the land and had custody over their own traditional country. The differences between the British settlers and the Indigenous people were enormous (lifestyle, language, clothing, economics and diet) which made it difficult for both groups to understand each other. The English, who had invaded a traditional lifestyle, showed little willingness to understand the Indigenous peoples. They did not understand the complexity of the Indigenous lifestyle, because it was so different from their own lives.
· - The impact of colonisation: Introduction to Year 4 History Unit 2
· Slideshow - Diversity and longevity of Australia's First Peoples
· Sheet - Diversity of Australia's First Peoples
Once their sentence had been served many convicts chose to remain in the colony and acquire land. Owning land was something they could have never have done if they had returned to England. In the new colony, administrators and soldiers made themselves rich by buying and selling land. How do you think eh indigenous population felt about this?
Watch 'First Australians They have come to stay'. Clip 1 (3 minutes)
Without the luxury of images of life before contact, this period of history is presented through shots of the aforementioned landscape, maps of Aboriginal Nations, and archival photographs of ‘traditional’ life which were taken over 100 years after contact.
https://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/first-australians-episode-1/clip1/
Clip 2
On 25 January 1788 the First Fleet enters Sydney Harbour. Narrator Rachel Perkins and historian Professor Marcia Langton of the Yiman-Bidjara Nation convey the Indigenous point of view of this event.
https://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/first-australians-episode-1/clip2/
Clip 3
It said that Lieutenant Dawes ‘met with the first Australians on their own terms’ and it is perhaps because of this that he was able to form a trusting relationship with Patyegarang. They achieved an understanding of each other’s culture, learnt each other’s language and cultural protocol and shared their views freely and without reproach, as seen in Patyegarang’s fiery insistence that she hold on to her culture in the face of white settlement.
https://aso.gov.au/titles/documentaries/first-australians-episode-1/clip3/
Week 2
Use the Aboriginal languages interactive map to find out which local Aborigines inhabited their local area before European settlement.
Find the interactive map here.
https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/articles/aiatsis-map-indigenous-australia
Find the interactive map here.
https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/articles/aiatsis-map-indigenous-australia
Watch the Discover the Diversity of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages video (2 minutes) Marrin Gamu is a special video created by First Languages Australia to show the diversity and beauty of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. There are five languages featured in this clip: Kalaw Kawaw Ya, Warrgamay, Nywaygi, Yugambeh and Wiradjuri. Across Australia there are hundreds of traditional languages. Why do you think it is important for young people to learn traditional languages?
Watch at this link:
https://education.abc.net.au/home#!/media/1916032/discover-the-diversity-of-australia-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-languages
Then watch:
Watch video at this link:
https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/indigenous-australians-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-people
Research an Indigenous Aboriginal word for ‘hello’ used by the traditional language group of your local area.
Reflect on what they know about the Gold Coast Kombumerri people – KWL chart
Activity:
Indigenous Australians
Preparation:
- Indigenous Australians PowerPoint sent to students. Airdrop or email the information pages to iPad
Sharing knowledge
Aboriginal people have strong relationships with Country. They are connected to Country through their family, culture, spirituality and identity. They share knowledge about Country with each other and with non-Aboriginal people. Important knowledge is passed on about all aspects of Aboriginal life; e.g. what plants and animals can be eaten, how to track animals, where to find water and the right ways to care for Country.
Explain to students that throughout the term they will be learning about First Nation's people connection to country and place, specifically food, shelter and sustainability.
Firestick farming
Aboriginal peoples in parts of Australia have traditionally used a method or way of caring for Country called firestick farming. Firestick farming involves the controlled burning off of sections of bushland. Firestick farming has a number of benefits for people and the environment. In the past, some Aboriginal peoples used fires to help them hunt for food. They set fires as a way of making animals like kangaroos easier to find and catch. Fire also helps to improve the way many Australian plants and trees grow. Aboriginal peoples have known this for a very long time. Many Aboriginal groups consider seasonal burning a part of their responsibility of caring for Country.
Protecting the environment
Aboriginal peoples care for Country in many ways. These rangers are patrolling a beach in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park in the Northern Territory. One of their important jobs is to save marine animals, like sea turtles that become stuck in ghost nets. Ghost nets are discarded fishing nets that are left floating in the water or washed up on shore. This is one way Aboriginal people care for Country by protecting a marine environment. Another way that Aboriginal peoples protect the environment is by making sure that sacred sites are not damaged by human activity.
The Aboriginal people had a very healthy diet. They knew how to find foods that were full of vitamins and minerals.
The women were the main food gatherers and they would go out and search for seeds, vegetables, fruit and witchetty grubs. The men were in charge of hunting animals. They would hunt for kangaroo, lizards, snakes and goannas. To catch the animals they would use boomerangs, throwing sticks and spears.
The Aboriginal people ate different foods depending on where they lived in Australia. Some parts of Australia had a wide range of plants and animals that the Aboriginals could eat. In other parts of Australia there was barely enough food to survive.
The Aboriginals that lived along the coast would eat mainly fish and turtles. They would catch these animals by using spears.
Once the food was caught the Aboriginals would usually cook their meat on a fire. Before cooking their meat they would wrap it in bark or leaves.
There were various ways of preparing food. Meat was generally cooked on fire or steamed in pits. Sometimes it was wrapped in bark or leaves. Plant foods were washed, grinded, strained, grated, boiled or cooked in large seashells or in bark troughs. Roots were dried in the sun or roasted on hot ashes and sometimes baked into cakes.
The women were the main food gatherers and they would go out and search for seeds, vegetables, fruit and witchetty grubs. The men were in charge of hunting animals. They would hunt for kangaroo, lizards, snakes and goannas. To catch the animals they would use boomerangs, throwing sticks and spears.
The Aboriginal people ate different foods depending on where they lived in Australia. Some parts of Australia had a wide range of plants and animals that the Aboriginals could eat. In other parts of Australia there was barely enough food to survive.
The Aboriginals that lived along the coast would eat mainly fish and turtles. They would catch these animals by using spears.
Once the food was caught the Aboriginals would usually cook their meat on a fire. Before cooking their meat they would wrap it in bark or leaves.
There were various ways of preparing food. Meat was generally cooked on fire or steamed in pits. Sometimes it was wrapped in bark or leaves. Plant foods were washed, grinded, strained, grated, boiled or cooked in large seashells or in bark troughs. Roots were dried in the sun or roasted on hot ashes and sometimes baked into cakes.
Encourage students to research prior to next lesson.
Note: Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples are warned that these resources may contain images, voices and names of persons who may now be deceased.
· Slideshow (with script) - Importance of Country to Aboriginal peoples
· Sheet - Using Country and Place
· Sheet - Caring for Country (from C2C - contact above)
· Slideshow (with script) - Importance of Place to Torres Strait Islander peoples
Music plays a major role in traditional Aboriginal societies and is linked with a person's ancestry and country (the animals, plants and physical features of the landscape). It is traditionally connected with important events such as the bringing of rain, healing, wounding enemies and the winning of battles.
Music is used throughout an Aboriginal’s life to teach what must be known about their culture, about their place in it and about the world of nature. Children are encouraged to dance and sing about everyday tasks.
A didgeridoo is a type of musical instrument. It is one of the oldest instruments to date. It consists of a long tube and is traditionally made of eucalyptus. Today, didgeridoos are most commonly made from PVC piping. The didgeridoo is played only by men, and usually is played during ceremonies, singing and dancing.
The Australian Aboriginals have had no written language and rely on oral methods and music to pass on their knowledge. Without a written language, they could pass on knowledge through songs.
Music is used throughout an Aboriginal’s life to teach what must be known about their culture, about their place in it and about the world of nature. Children are encouraged to dance and sing about everyday tasks.
A didgeridoo is a type of musical instrument. It is one of the oldest instruments to date. It consists of a long tube and is traditionally made of eucalyptus. Today, didgeridoos are most commonly made from PVC piping. The didgeridoo is played only by men, and usually is played during ceremonies, singing and dancing.
The Australian Aboriginals have had no written language and rely on oral methods and music to pass on their knowledge. Without a written language, they could pass on knowledge through songs.
Aboriginal art is one of the oldest surviving art forms still practiced today. The oldest paintings were painted thousands of years ago in caves. These would have been painted with Ochre.
Traditional Aboriginal paintings always have a story because the Aboriginal people do not have a written language. The only way they could tell their stories was through paintings and songs.
Aboriginal art comes in many forms including dot painting, bark painting, body painting and wood carving.
In central Australia, body painting was used in ceremonies and sand paintings were also used to tell important stories. Aboriginal symbols were incorporated into the artworks.
Paints were made from ochre. These stone pigments were mixed with emu fats and kangaroo oils to make a liquid paint.
Traditional Aboriginal paintings always have a story because the Aboriginal people do not have a written language. The only way they could tell their stories was through paintings and songs.
Aboriginal art comes in many forms including dot painting, bark painting, body painting and wood carving.
In central Australia, body painting was used in ceremonies and sand paintings were also used to tell important stories. Aboriginal symbols were incorporated into the artworks.
Paints were made from ochre. These stone pigments were mixed with emu fats and kangaroo oils to make a liquid paint.
Week 3
LI: I am learning to Describe the experiences of an individual or group in the past
LI: Students will understand the nature and effects of interactions between Aboriginal peoples and early traders from Macassar.
SC:I can Identify the nature and effects of interactions between Aboriginal peoples and early traders from Macassar?
· Examine the experiences of contact between an Aboriginal group and Macassar traders
Identify how and why life changed and other aspects remained the same for an Aboriginal group after contact with Macassar traders Sheet - Early contacts - Macassar traders
· Video - Twelve canoes: The Macassans (Indigimedia Inc, Christensen Fund, South Australian Film Corporation and Screen Australia)
www.12canoes.com.au/
· Sheet - Aspects of life for the Yolngu people
LI: Understand the nature and effects of interactions between a Torres Strait Islander group and Europeans.
SC: I can Identify the nature and effects of interactions between a Torres Strait Islander group and Europeans?
· Examine the experiences of contact between a Torres Strait Islander group and Europeans during the 1870s
Identify how and why some aspects of life changed and other aspects remained the same for a Torres Strait Islander group after contact with Europeans
· Sheet - Map of Torres Strait Islands
· Sheet - People of Saibai Island
· Slideshow (with script) - The peoples of Saibai Island
SC:I can Identify the nature and effects of interactions between Aboriginal peoples and early traders from Macassar?
· Examine the experiences of contact between an Aboriginal group and Macassar traders
Identify how and why life changed and other aspects remained the same for an Aboriginal group after contact with Macassar traders Sheet - Early contacts - Macassar traders
· Video - Twelve canoes: The Macassans (Indigimedia Inc, Christensen Fund, South Australian Film Corporation and Screen Australia)
www.12canoes.com.au/
· Sheet - Aspects of life for the Yolngu people
LI: Understand the nature and effects of interactions between a Torres Strait Islander group and Europeans.
SC: I can Identify the nature and effects of interactions between a Torres Strait Islander group and Europeans?
· Examine the experiences of contact between a Torres Strait Islander group and Europeans during the 1870s
Identify how and why some aspects of life changed and other aspects remained the same for a Torres Strait Islander group after contact with Europeans
· Sheet - Map of Torres Strait Islands
· Sheet - People of Saibai Island
· Slideshow (with script) - The peoples of Saibai Island
- Model and explain effective note taking, key points and fact and opinion of clothing slide.
- Break up into small groups.
- Allocate research focus to each group.
- Higher level achievers to find alternate resources to add to information slide.
- Slide 1 – CLOTHING - What did they wear? What were their clothes made from?
- Slide 2 – SHELTER – What were their houses like?
- Slide 3 – FOOD – What did they eat? How did they gather and prepare their food?
- Slide 4 – TOOLS – What did they use tools for? What type of tools did they have? How were they made?
- Slide 5 - ART – What tools were used? How sis they express their creativity?
Week 4
Share and up level slides – creating one PowerPoint as a class which will be used as a resource by all students to complete individual activities in future lessons.
Individually highlight each slide to illustrate the interconnection between First Nation's people and the environment. Eg: Shelter – Aboriginal people built their shelter from branches and leaves.
Discuss their findings.
What does this demonstrate about the First Nation's people and their connection to the land and sustainability?
What does sustainability mean for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people?
Cold Write: Historical recount
In their cold write - Imagine you are a First Nation's people from before the time of European settlement.
Recount a day in their life. Students will need to include facts and details they have learnt from their studies about sustainability, connection to the land, food, shelter, clothing, tools and art.
Individually highlight each slide to illustrate the interconnection between First Nation's people and the environment. Eg: Shelter – Aboriginal people built their shelter from branches and leaves.
Discuss their findings.
What does this demonstrate about the First Nation's people and their connection to the land and sustainability?
What does sustainability mean for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people?
Cold Write: Historical recount
In their cold write - Imagine you are a First Nation's people from before the time of European settlement.
Recount a day in their life. Students will need to include facts and details they have learnt from their studies about sustainability, connection to the land, food, shelter, clothing, tools and art.
Most of Australia has a very hot climate and people often slept out in the open. To keep themselves warm at night they would sleep close to fires.
Aboriginal housing mostly consisted of simple shelters made from branches and then covered with leaves and sheets of bark. The Aboriginals were dependant on the materials that they could get from the land. In some places soft paperbark was easily pulled off trees to make a shelter. In other places there were only branches and leaves that could be used.
In the wet and cold conditions, closed dome-shaped shelters were made. Sticks were bent over and bark, grass and leaves were used to cover the shelter.
In the northern areas of Australia, the shelters were often larger in size. The shelters often had multiple entrances and were big enough for a small fire to be made inside. The fires provided warmth and were also used to repel mosquitos.
In other areas of Australia the Aboriginals would find rock caves to live in. They would use paperbark and leaves to make their beds.
Aboriginal housing mostly consisted of simple shelters made from branches and then covered with leaves and sheets of bark. The Aboriginals were dependant on the materials that they could get from the land. In some places soft paperbark was easily pulled off trees to make a shelter. In other places there were only branches and leaves that could be used.
In the wet and cold conditions, closed dome-shaped shelters were made. Sticks were bent over and bark, grass and leaves were used to cover the shelter.
In the northern areas of Australia, the shelters were often larger in size. The shelters often had multiple entrances and were big enough for a small fire to be made inside. The fires provided warmth and were also used to repel mosquitos.
In other areas of Australia the Aboriginals would find rock caves to live in. They would use paperbark and leaves to make their beds.
Transport
Transport
The main form of transport amongst traditional Indigenous people was walking. Because the Indigenous lifestyle was nomadic, people had to do a lot of walking to get from place to place.
Those Indigenous groups that lived near the coast or large bodies of water would often travel in canoes that they had made from hollowed out tree trunks. These canoes were very helpful in fishing activities, as well as for travelling around.
https://australian.museum/learn/cultures/atsi-collection/cultural-objects/indigenous-bark-canoe-from-new-south-wales/
The main form of transport amongst traditional Indigenous people was walking. Because the Indigenous lifestyle was nomadic, people had to do a lot of walking to get from place to place.
Those Indigenous groups that lived near the coast or large bodies of water would often travel in canoes that they had made from hollowed out tree trunks. These canoes were very helpful in fishing activities, as well as for travelling around.
https://australian.museum/learn/cultures/atsi-collection/cultural-objects/indigenous-bark-canoe-from-new-south-wales/
This is a bark canoe made in from a sheet of bark folded and tied at both ends with plant-fibre string. The bow (the front) is folded tightly to a point; the stern (the rear) has looser folds. The canoe was made by Albert Woodlands, an Indigenous man from the northern coast of New South Wales. It measures 310 cm in length and 45 cm in width.
Bark canoes such as this one were used by Aboriginal people for general transport, fishing and collecting birds' eggs from reed beds. When fishing in such canoes, women sat and used hooks and lines; men stood to throw spears. A small fire was kept alight in the canoe on a bed of wet clay or seaweed. This kept people warm in winter and also allowed them to cook the fish they had caught.
Bark canoes such as this one were used by Aboriginal people for general transport, fishing and collecting birds' eggs from reed beds. When fishing in such canoes, women sat and used hooks and lines; men stood to throw spears. A small fire was kept alight in the canoe on a bed of wet clay or seaweed. This kept people warm in winter and also allowed them to cook the fish they had caught.
LI: I can understand the process of historical inquiry.
SC: I can apply the process of historical inquiry?
Students start a practice historical inquiry to investigate how aspects of life changed and other aspects of life stayed the same for the Awabakal peoples of the Lake Macquarie and Newcastle regions after Europeans settled in the area in the past. Students will examine sources that provide information about how aspects of life for the Awabakal peoples changed and other aspects stayed the same, after contact and continued interactions with European settlers.
Sheet - Posing sub-questions
· Sheet - Investigating the Awabakal people
· Sheet - Awabakal peoples of Lake Macquarie: Sources
· Sheet - Points of view in sources
Sheet - Posing sub-questions
· Sheet - Investigating the Awabakal people
· Sheet - Awabakal peoples of Lake Macquarie: Sources
· Sheet - Points of view in sources
LI: I can understand how to locate and organise information from provided sources to respond to inquiry questions.
SC: I can understand how to develop text to describe how aspects of life changed and other aspects stayed the same for a group of Aboriginal people after European settlement.
· Sheet - Types of sources
· Slideshow - Types of sources
· Sheet - Investigating the Awabakal people (from Lessons 5-6)
· Sheet - Awabakal peoples of Lake Macquarie: Sources (from Lessons 5-6)
Sheet - Exemplar paragraph: The Awabakal peoples
· Slideshow - Types of sources
· Sheet - Investigating the Awabakal people (from Lessons 5-6)
· Sheet - Awabakal peoples of Lake Macquarie: Sources (from Lessons 5-6)
Sheet - Exemplar paragraph: The Awabakal peoples
LI: I can understand the nature and effects of interactions between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and others.
SC: I can understand the significance of contact experiences to the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
· Review the nature of contact between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people from other societies
· Identify the effects of change brought about by contact experiences
Recognise the significance of contact experiences to the lives of selected groups of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Sheet - The nature of contact: Sources
· Sheet - Nature of interactions between Australia's First Peoples and people from other societies
· Sheet - The effect of change brought about by contact experiences
· Sheet - Significance for the Eora nation
· Identify the effects of change brought about by contact experiences
Recognise the significance of contact experiences to the lives of selected groups of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Sheet - The nature of contact: Sources
· Sheet - Nature of interactions between Australia's First Peoples and people from other societies
· Sheet - The effect of change brought about by contact experiences
· Sheet - Significance for the Eora nation
LI: I can understand that Australia's First Peoples have longevity and diversity.
SC: I can understand that European colonisation affected Australia's First Peoples.
· Slideshow - Impact of colonisation quiz
· Sheet - Tassel Bradshaw painting
· Sheet - Effects of contact - Positive or negative
· Sheet - Tassel Bradshaw painting
· Sheet - Effects of contact - Positive or negative
Week 7
Excursion to Ngutana-Lui (Request specific activities from centre – showing connection to the land eg: Bush walk including food from trees and washing with leaves.)
Ngutana Lui Visit - Links to historical, geographical and environmental aspects of the HaSS curriculum this year.
Resources:
Welcome to NGUTANA-LUI - "To Teach"
Immerse yourself in the richness and diversity of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
In a full day program (9.30am-2:00pm) students, teachers, parents and caregivers, will experience the living traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Activities include aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, both traditional and contemporary.
Our programs are designed to align with the Australian National Curriculum, for all grades from Prep to Year 12 and beyond.
Please note: while you are more than welcome to take as many photographs as you like, please ask permission from our staff before any filming is done.
Ngutana Lui Visit - Links to historical, geographical and environmental aspects of the HaSS curriculum this year.
Resources:
Welcome to NGUTANA-LUI - "To Teach"
Immerse yourself in the richness and diversity of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
In a full day program (9.30am-2:00pm) students, teachers, parents and caregivers, will experience the living traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Activities include aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, both traditional and contemporary.
Our programs are designed to align with the Australian National Curriculum, for all grades from Prep to Year 12 and beyond.
Please note: while you are more than welcome to take as many photographs as you like, please ask permission from our staff before any filming is done.
Week 8
Reflect on Ngutana-Lu focussing on sustainability, connection to the land, food, shelter, clothing, tools and art.
Aboriginal art - Learning about the way that Aboriginal people communicated through paintings.
Painting in symbols and dots.
Aboriginal art - Learning about the way that Aboriginal people communicated through paintings.
Painting in symbols and dots.
Week 9 - PPT presentations
Reflect
History - First Contacts
Explorers
1. Dirk Hartog
2. William Dampier
3. Abel Tasman
4. Captain James Cook
Resources: History Booklet
Lesson 1. Brainstorm why people explore. 'Post it'
Lesson 2. Create Timeline
Lesson 3. Dirk Hartog
Lesson 4. William Dampier
Lesson 5. Abel Tasman
Lesson 6. James Cook
Lesson 7. Board Game
Explorers
1. Dirk Hartog
2. William Dampier
3. Abel Tasman
4. Captain James Cook
Resources: History Booklet
Lesson 1. Brainstorm why people explore. 'Post it'
Lesson 2. Create Timeline
Lesson 3. Dirk Hartog
Lesson 4. William Dampier
Lesson 5. Abel Tasman
Lesson 6. James Cook
Lesson 7. Board Game
- Positive stories/ Negative stories
- Students can then transfer the key information to the cards
- i.e. positive information means move forwards or extra turn and negative information means move backward or miss a turn.
- Negative:
- equipment failures
- getting lost
- interactions with indigenous people
- When the students have completed their board game they can swap with other groups to gain feedback on their game
- Assessment criteria
- Students’ accuracy of information gathering
- Students’ presentation of information
- Students’ demonstration of significant maritime history contribution.