All Things You Never Knew About Australian Aboriginal Culture

Australia is a country in the Oceanic region that predates tens of thousands of years ago and has grown over hundreds of years. Ancient Australia is considered to be the period that began in 1788 when the first Aboriginal people lived on Rottnest Island. They’re known to be one of the oldest living humans that existed outside of Africa and they migrated by using boats. The European occupation began in 1788 and the Aboriginal tribes adapted to their changing climate because their land was very fertile. They managed to keep their languages and today they have over 200 different languages. Ancient Australia is chock full of interesting facts, here are some pieces of information which you may not know.

Aboriginal People Didn’t Grow Crops

Since the Aboriginal people of ancient Australia didn’t grow crops, they also did not domesticate animals (besides the dingo). They relied on their natural resources and their environment and believed that it would sustain them with everything they needed. They also had a strong sense of commitment towards their home and they would set out in groups to gather food to eat and share together. Social gatherings were an integral part of Aboriginal culture.

They Were Spiritual

The Aboriginal people were very much in touch with their inner selves and had a strong sense of who they are and their ancestors. They would partake in dancing, rituals and even have spiritual objects with them when they practice their dream states. They were entranced by the dreams and believed that humans could be in touch with people who’ve passed away or “spirits” through the sleep realm. The Corroboree dance is performed when they reenact their dreams and it involves singing, dancing, and white face paint.

Aboriginal Australians Traded with Asian Countries

Initially, it was believed that the Aboriginal indigenous people were isolated from the rest of the world. They didn’t engage much in trading and commerce but there were accounts of them trading with the Chinese and Indonesians. The Torres Strait stretched all the way to 150 kilometers with plenty of islands along the way and this one of the main routes they traveled through. There were also commercial interactions since they also discovered 18th-century Chinese coins that were used for fishing by the Aboriginal people. They had close interactions with Indonesian fishermen and they would also purchase vegetables from the Chinese too.

Over 200 Indigenous Aboriginal Languages

Before Australia was colonized, they had a rich set of languages that shaped their culture. Currently, the languages have slowly declined to leave only 20 spoken indigenous languages. More than 400 words were translated into the English language and are widely used in our day to day conversations. Many words like “kangaroo” and “wombat” were adopted from Aboriginal languages and we have Ancient Australia to thank for that.