Research+Notes+Arthur

=Later Years of the Indigenous Australians Research Notes= =By Arthur Rossignol=
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1.Climate and Geographical Factors
-marjority of continent is desert or semi-arid

-40 percent sand dunes

-although, where majority of aboriginals dwelled (eastern regions) was temperate, with moderately fertile soil

-small areas in eastern regions were subtropical aswell

-this is why they developed there.

-rain highly variable, with frequent droughts lasting several seasons

-occasional large tornado

-generally warm climate with temperatures reaching up to 60 degrees.

-harsh climate make sustainability hard, but the Indigenous Australians managed for hundreds

2.Events and Leaders
**-** British colonization began with arrival of the First Fleet, in Botany Bay in 1788.

-The White Man brought endless hardship to the Indigenous Peoples.

-Stealing their land, raping their women, abusing their resources and bringing over “Old World” diseases.

-No outstanding leaders, for their was no set-up government or legislature, before Brit. Settlement.

-Until this very day Aboriginals still being unfairly treated.

-Since the British Colonization, population of Aboriginals has shrunk to only 93,000.

3.Transportation and Weaponry
-the most common weapons were spears and boomerangs

-Many different types of spears:
 * Spears**

-strong hardwood spears with stone tied using resin and string or sinew were used to kangaroos buffalo and other large animals.

-if stone was not available the point of the point could be hardened using fire.

-lighter materials often with several barbed points were used for fishing

-in northern australia they used bamboo for extra points

-if the bamboo was not straight they straightened the branches by holding them over a fire.

-bird hunting spears were made from light wood and were used by hitting the birds in flight, damaging their necks and wings

-for catching birds they also used boomerangs and nets.

-some spears made specifically for fighting

-fighting spears were made from hard woods and had barbs so they could not be removed from a body without pushing the spears all the

way through

-Some spear throwers or "Woomera" as the indigenous call them, could produce fire on the end of the spear by rubbing it to a softer

piece of wood with some kindling near.

-The Boomerang has a number of uses, particularly hunting and fighting, but were also used as digging sticks and making music as
 * Boomerangs**

clapsticks

-most boomerangs are shaped like two wings joined at an angle

-it is the spinning action that causes the boomerang to return to the thrower.

-when correctly thrown, boomerangs are held roughly 45 degrees to the ground, halfway between horizontal and vertical, the boomerang

spins about 10 time a second at about 100 kilometres per hour, and can be thrown as far as 150 metres.

-some boomerangs are designed not to return

-these boomerangs were used in battle, they were bigger and heavier, so that they would spin farther, and keep rolling even after hitting the ground.

-they mostly travelled on feet and occasionally rode Kangaroos (I would like too point out that i made this up, but i kept it anyway because it made me laugh lol)

4.Plagues and Diseases
-British brought over “Old World” diseases such as smallpox

-these diseases killed 90% of the locals within 3 years of white settlement.

-Smallpox would kill around 50% of the Indigenous population in early years of British colonization.

-When the british came over to colonize, bringing over their old world diseases, it was the true downfall the Indigenous people of Australia.

5.Art, Literature and Music
-thousands of years old
 * Art**

-generally rock art and bark painting

usually earthly colours, specifically, from paint made from ochre

-paintings often depict stories from an infinite spiritual cycle Indigenous Australians referred to as “DreamTime”

-In modern Aboriginal art, watercolour and acrylic paintings more common

-Didgeridoo is most famous instrument
 * Music

-played primarily in eastern regions, by men only

- Clapping sticks more common   **

6.Socio-Political Structure
-they didn’t have governments or leaders, other than tribal leaders -religion differed slightly in different regions -all regions overlapped when speaking of "Dreamtime" -they believed there were two intertwining forms or time, two parallel streams of activity -one is the daily objective activity -the other an infinite spiritual cycle called the “Dreamtime” more real than reality itself -whatever happens in dreamtime establishes values, symbols and laws of aboriginal society. -some believed that certain people of unusual spiritual powers had contact with the dreamtime. -dreamtime is both at once both the ancient time of creation and the present-time reality of dreaming. -Major ancestral spirits include the Rainbow Sepent, Baiame and Bunjil. sticks more common