Aborigines
From AustraliaWiki
Contents |
Introduction
The Indigenous People are the natives in Australia. The Whites called them Aborigines. Those people are the original habitants of Australia.
They conserve the wisdoms of the land in ceremonies and songlines. In stories and paintings they tell about the history the dreamtime - the creation of all things. They lived as hunters and gatherers because they did not know cereals or rice. The earth was not suitable for agriculture. They know to life with the country. They do not want to conquer it.
Naming the Natives
Old Name: Aborigines
Earlier the natives were called "Aborigines". The word have it's origin in ab origine (latin) = native one live / originally : fabulous tribe nation of Latin (landscape Latium in Italy, today "Lazio" with capital Rom). Denotation of the Australian native people by the white ones. It was about a typical name of the Australian natives by the whites, at least since the landing of James Cook in the Botany Bay. This natives call themselves differently, depending on area.
This is a small overview of some peoples:
| Name | Region |
|---|---|
| Koori | Southeast |
| Murri | South of Queensland |
| Ngarinjin | Westaustralia, Near Derby |
| Nanga | Southaustralia |
| Nyungar | Southwest of Australia |
| Wonghi | Deserts in the west |
| Yolngu | Arnhem Land |
However, the meanings are comparable as "people" or "nation". You can load a larger list of known peoples which contains more than 100 names.
New Name: Indigenous People
Quoting: The Indigenous People and Racial Policy
 Quote - Dieter Tischendorf, 2007 (Translation in English)
[...] And here is the best place to say, that the term "Aborigine" is a kind of indignity. This term to name the natives was established by the white people. Whith establishing this term the whites did not want any kind of indignity. It should remember the fabulous tribe nation of Latin. The natives tell us that the short-term "Abo" is not polite. They ask for not using the term "Aborigine" anymore. They agree to a new term "Indigenous People". Be careful if you want to use the old term "Aboriginal" furthermore. The adjective written with a capital "Aboriginal" is ok. And the term "Aboriginal People" describes the natives of Australia. In this comparison to the lowercase term "aboriginal people(s)" like describing the natives in other countries. The lowercase "a" is a deep indignity for the Australian natives. [...] Great Australian tourist companies only use now the term "Aboriginal People" or "Australian natives". The natives in Australia want to delete the supraregional term "Aboriginal" completely. [...] |
| Quote - Dieter Tischendorf, 2007 (Original in German)
[...] Und hier ist dann wohl auch die richtige Stelle anzuführen, dass die von den Weißen eingeführte Bezeichnung Aborigine für die Ureinwohner als Beleidigung gilt. Dabei war der Name, der sich vom Lateinischen „ab origine“ (Ureinwohner) ableitet und an jenes sagenhafte Stammvolk der Latiner erinnert, nicht als abwertend oder beleidigend gedacht. „Abo“ wird von den Ureinwohnern sogar offiziell als hochgradig unkorrekte Bezeichnung betrachtet. Des Weiteren gibt es deren Forderung, dass Begriffe wie Aboriginie nicht mehr verwendet werden sollen. Man hat sich auf die Bezeichnung „Indigenous People“ (einheimisches Volk) geeinigt. Wenn man den Begriff „Aboriginal“ noch verwenden will, muß man aufpassen. Als Adjektiv ist „Aboriginal“ großgeschrieben, politisch korrekt. Also bezeichnet „Aboriginal People“ die Ureinwohner Australiens, zum Unterschied zu „aboriginal people(s)“ in anderen Ländern. Die Verwendung als Substantiv oder mit kleinem „a“ stellt für die Ureinwohner eine Beleidigung dar. [...] Auch einige große Australientouristikunternehmen verwenden im englischen Sprachgebrauch nur noch die Begriffe „Aboriginal People“ oder „australische Ureinwohner“. Die australischen Ureinwohner selbst versuchen durch die vermehrte Betonung der Selbstbezeichnungen, die auch überregional sein können, den Begriff „Aboriginal“ gänzlich zu umgehen. [...] |
Listen how to pronounce "indigenous".
The natives flag
The flag was developed by Harold Joseph Thomas in 1971. It says that he didn't have any thoughts about the color-formation for himself. However, today, following established interpretations are applicable to it:
The yellow circle in the middle symbolizes the hot sun. The red low area shows the burnt red earth. The black upper part represents the nightly black heaven. The black heaven could indicate the absent of air pollution in the Outback.
(Alternatively, but incorrectly, the black part is interpreted as symbol of the dark skin - the color - of the natives.)
In court, the official colors, design and origin were confirmed: [1]
The Dreamtime
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The Dreamtime (also: "Creation time") sets up an important role in mythology of Australian Indigenous People. It is the creation which determined the beginning of time many million years ago. With fantasy the term dream time is not to be confused, already this English denotation "Dreamtime" is not correct speaking. In the languages of the Indigenous People, it is mentioned "Altjeringa", "Tjurkurrpa" or "Palaneri".
Rather, the time of the origin of all things should be characterized with the term Dreamtime. The Indigenous People remember in many rites to this time in which life began and the "things" came from the inner one of earth or the sky to the surface. Not only the people but also the animals, mountains and plants, just every available "existence".
The ceremonies held by the Indigenous People should provide them with vigour of the ancestors in order to continue the Dreamtime.
The Paintings
Paintings 30.000 years old (from the dream time?) were found, incorporated in rocks. You can find a lot of rock-paintings in the Kakadu Nationalpark. Some basic symbols you find in lots of pictures.
In the Kakadu Nationalpark are very well preserved rock-paintings to view for tourists. Into the weather-protected rock of the Ubirr Rock and the Nourlangie Rock, the old artworks of the natives could withstand the huge strengths of the weathering. The rock-paintings of the Indigenous People were revealed to beginning of the 1980er years by archaeologists. They estimates that the natives used the rock there as shelter 20000 to 6000 years ago.
The Kangaroo-Hunt and Nabulwinjbulwinj are good examples for rockpaintings an the telling of stories. The most famous rockpainting my be Nabulwinjbulwinj. Another example of an image in the style of X-Ray painted on bark is The Emu. The Killing of Lumaluma was painted on bark, too. But it is in the style of telling stories.
The Music
Didgeridoo
The famous music-instrument called "Didgeridoo" may not be missed here. The names of this wind-instrument was shaped by the European immigrants and was written in a type phonetic spelling. With the sound of the word "Didgeridoo", the immigrants wanted to imitate the sound of the instrument. This version of the name-origin disagrees with the (very likely wrong) widespread version that the word "Didgeridoo" is originated from one of the languages of the natives. The "Didgeridoo is a Termites hollowed out bole in the form of a tube made of the wood of Eucalyptus plants. It finds the musical origin in the north in the Arnhemland finally then found application all over Australia at rites and dances.
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This is a musical example playing a Didgeridoo:
(Copyright EDV Düsseldorf
)More about the Didgeridoo you can read in in the German Wiki at Didgeridoo - Legend, Cult and Present Time.
Clapstick
The Clapsticks are another music-instrument made of the wood of eucalyptus, too. They are played together with the Didgeridoo. My Clapsticks have a length of 23cm. Others may have a length between 20cm and 30cm. By clinking the sticks together they produce a nice rhythmical sound. In general you call this music-instrument Clave.
The Fire
Like in history time the fire is also used today for the cooking of meals for the natives. In the many thousand year of old history, however, it was used also for signals, when hunting requires for medical attendance and as cleaning in form of bushfires.
Bill Neidjie (Bunitj clan, indigenous traditional owner, about 1920-2002) expresses the necessity of fire with these words. The natural ones and man-made fires clean the earth and put the basis for new fertile country. The bushfires are so important, that them are even held on to in the calendar:
| Quote - Bill Neidjie
This earth, I never damage. |
Told in a dreamtime legend:
As told in a Dreamtime Story a crow was burn to death after it stole fire. The crow wanted to make the fire available for all people and clans. But there is also told another story why the crow is black
There is another story telling the origin of fire
Historical Contracts
It is unbelievable, which terms were negotiated in the contracts in the 2nd half of this 20th century. The natives fight for basic human rights. They fight for rights, that are completely obvious for us.
Remarkable at first ist the Bark Petition of 1963. The indigenous people fought for their legal rights in the Arnhem Land. Later in 1988 they write the Barunga Statement. Fighting for their basic legal rights concerning to international agreements.
Interesting in this context is the movie "Long Walk Home" beeing discussed here in the forum.
Information about the situation of the natives
Articles of the Society for Threatened Peoples
- Report: Industrial Area threatens cultural heritage of the Indigenous People of Australia (04/2008)
(Text only available in German!) - Press release: Members of the Stolen Generation must now receive compensation (13/02/2008)
- Press release: Mining of coal and uranium destroys basis of existence of native peoples (07/12/2007)
- Press release: "General Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a break-through for protection of human rights throughout the world – states must now test their projects concerning land belonging to native peoples (14/09/2007)
- Report: Prohibit the Jabiluka Uran-Mine and preserve Kakadu Nationalpark (01.10.2001)
(Text only available in German!) - Report: 10 years of reconciliation in Australia (01.01.2001)
(Text only available in German!) - Background: Stolen Generations - In all Australia children wre taken away their families (01.03.1998)
(Text only available in German!) - Report: Hoping and trembling (01.03.1998)
(Text only available in German!) - Report: Die Politics for Indigenous People of Australia - national and international law
(Text only available in German!) - Report: Stolen Generations
(Text only available in German!)
Political change in November 2007
New Government im November 2007
At the 24.11.2007, John Howard (conservative) and Kevin Rudd (labour) fought for the government. Kevin Rudd was the winner of the election. The political situation is very important for the natives. Because of this you can listen to both speaches of them:
To listen press the "Play"-button:
Farewell speech of John Howard / 2,9MB / 12:58Min. Inaugural speech of Kevin Rudd / 4,5MB / 19:45Min.Kevin Rudd's speech at 02/13/2008 about the Stolen Generation: We say sorry
The Apology to the Stolen Generation of Australia at 02/13/2008 by Primeminister Kevin Rudd. You can read his speech.
To listen press the "Play"-button:
We say sorry / 1.79MB / 3:55Min.The complete speech:
- The ABC broadcast 'The Apology to the Stolen Generations of Australia' live from Canberra Parliament House on Wednesday, February 13 on ABC1 and ABC Online from 8.55am in NSW, Victoria, ACT and Tasmania.
See also
Internal Links
- More information about the Dreamtime Stories.
(Text only available in German!) - Basic information about paintings.
- The Indigenous People and Racial Policy.
(Text only available in German!) - Reconstructing Indian-Australian phylogenetic link
- List of known peoples
- The wiki-articles in the category of Indigenous People.
- Our topics in the forum, inviting you for active participation.
(Text only available in German!)
External Websites
General
- Aboriginal Australia Art & Culture Centre: Information on Aboriginal Art & artists, australian aboriginal culture, didgeridoo, history and language.
- Yirrkala Arts: "This is letting you know so you will learn from us. Learn from these words like we have learnt from you. Your knowledge, your education, your background, we are using it. Some of the law and some of the culture of yours. OK and in the same way you must learn..."
- taz.de: UN-Declaration about natives.
(Text only available in German!) - Noongar: The Noongar (alternate spellings: Nyungar/Nyoongar/Nyoongah/Nyungah/Nyugah), are an indigenous Australian people who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the south coast.
- Gordys Gespür für die australische Erde
(Text only available in German!) - The Society for Threatened Peoples.
Dreamtime
- An A-Z spanning history of the Australian Aboriginal people from the earliest legends to the present day.
- Australian Legends by C. W. Peck
- The Didj Book tells a lot about the Didgeridoo.
- Article about the Australian Dreamtime with lots of pictures.
- Aboriginal Gods and Goddesses
Pintubi
- Article at the Wikipedia about the Pintubi.
- The Pintubi Expedition of Donald Thomson.
- News of ABC Local Radio about the flood in 2001.
- ABC Radio National Transcript of Using Technology To Maintain Cultural Traditions in 1996.
- The Canovanogram Research Paleoanthropology: PINTUBI-1, A Modern Australoid Points To The Past by jim vanhollebeke 2002.
