History

Australias First People

Term 1

Indigenous Culture

LI: Identify prior knowledge of

Indigenous culture and define what
Indigenous culture is.
Click on the
picture to
watch a short
clip.
Then fill in the
KWH on the
next page.

KWH
What
do we
alread
y
know
about
life
befor
e
Europ
ean
coloni
sation
?

What
do we
want
to
know?

How
will
we
find it
out?

What do we know about

Australias first people?
Activity: Complete the sheets.

Indigenous
Australians are the
first human
inhabitants of the
Australian
continent and its
nearby islands.
The term includes
two separate
groups of people,
the Aborigines and
Torres Strait

Before 1788, Australia was populated only by

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Aborigines inhabited all of mainland Australia
and Torres Strait Islanders lived on the islands
between Australian and Papua New Guinea,
which is now called the Torres Strait.

There were many

different Aboriginal
and Torres Strait
Islander communities
made up of people
who spoke different
languages with
various cultural
beliefs, practices and
traditions.

"Aborigines" was
not the name
these people used
to describe
themselves. It was
the name given to
the first
Australians by the
Europeans because
it means the
original inhabitants

An Aboriginal or Torres
Strait Islander is:
A person of
Aboriginal or Torres
Strait Islander
descent
A person who
identifies as an
Aboriginal or Torres
Strait Islander and
A person who is
accepted by the
Aboriginal

ACTIVITY
Use Wordle to write down some of
the key terms that you have learnt
throughout the lesson.

FLAGS
LI: Identify the key features of the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
flag.

FLAG

The Aboriginal Flag

FLAG

The Torres Strait Islander flag

FLAGS
ACTIVITY
Read the information sheet
about the three Australian
flags and glue it into your
History workbook.
Use this information to colour
in the Aboriginal flag and
answer the questions.

Language and
Communication
LI: Discuss Aboriginal words for
familiar items.

This map
shows
where the
different
languages
groups
are.

Language
At the time of First
Settlement in 1788
there were
approximately 700
languages spoken
throughout
Australia with an
estimated
population of
750,000 people.
Now there are less

Language
One of the major practices of
colonists was to stop
Aboriginal people speaking
their own languages, which
interrupted the passing of
language from one generation
to another.
Today, many of Australia's
Indigenous languages are no
longer spoken as first
languages. However they live
on through individual words
and through varieties of
Aboriginal English which
incorporate the structures of
Aboriginal languages.

Language
Activity: Complete the language
worksheet

Language
Fast Finishers: Find out words from the
local language of our area and create
cards to make a memory matching
game. The following link may help
you:
http://austlang.aiatsis.gov.au/main.ph
p

ABORIGINAL PLACE
NAMES
LI: Identify different cities and states
that have Aboriginal names.

ABORIGINAL PLACE NAMES

Many places in Australia have traditional Aboriginal names. Some of
these include
Canberra
Canberra, the name of Australia's capital city, comes from an
Aboriginal word which means 'meeting place'. The original word was
kamberra and comes from the language of the local Ngunnawal
people.
Ballarat
Ballarat, a city in Victoria, comes from the Aboriginal word balaarat
which means 'a resting place' or 'a camping place'.
Wagga Wagga
Wagga Wagga is one of New South Wales' largest regional cities. The
word 'wagga' comes from the Aboriginal word for 'crow'. Therefore
'Wagga Wagga' means 'place of many crows'.

ACTIVITY
Research a city in Australia that has an
Aboriginal name. If you have difficulty
you can choose one of the cities we
covered in class.
Using Thinglink find a map of Australia
to import.
Tag the city on the map and write its
name and what the name means.

Dreamtime

Click the picture

to watch a video

DREAMING
The form and expression of
spirituality differs between
Aboriginal people and Torres
Strait Islanders.
Aboriginal spirituality mainly
derives from the stories of
the Dreaming, while Torres
Strait Islander spirituality
draws upon the stories of the
Tagai.

DREAMING
The Dreaming is both the
ancient time of creation and
the present day reality of
Dreaming.
There were many different
groups, each with their own
individual culture, belief
structure, and language.
These cultures overlapped to
a greater or lesser extent,
and evolved over time.

DREAMING
The Rainbow
Serpent is a
major Ancestral
being for
Aboriginal people
across Australia.
The Yowie and
Bunyip are also

One version of a Dreaming

story is:
The whole world was asleep. Everything was quiet,
nothing moved, nothing grew. The animals slept under
the earth. One day the rainbow snake woke up and
crawled to the surface of the earth. She pushed
everything aside that was in her way. She wandered
through the whole country and when she was tired she
coiled up and slept. So she left her tracks. After she had
been everywhere she went back and called the frogs.
When they came out their tubby stomachs were full of
water. The rainbow snake tickled them and the frogs
laughed. The water poured out of their mouths and filled
the tracks of the rainbow snake. That's how rivers and
lakes were created. Then grass and trees began to grow
and the earth filled with life.

ACTIVITY
Using Word summarise the story of the
rainbow serpent. Then find an image
in Google images and paste it into the
document.
Make sure you put a heading up the
top that reads The Rainbow Serpent

Dreaming

Clothing
Traditionally, Indigenous
people did not wear
clothing. The different
seasons and climates
across the country
determined the need for
clothes. Indigenous
groups in colder areas
would often use animal
skins, fur side in, for
warmth, especially during
cold nights. A special oil
based substance was
often placed on children's

Clothing
Men would often wear a
girdle, similar to a belt,
made from animal fur or
twine. Some women
were known to wear
apron style clothes made
from animal skins and
leaves.

Shelter
Indigenous groups
around the country
developed different
shelters based upon
their specific needs.
Some shelters were
simple, whilst others
were more complex.
Trees were a useful
natural resource and
acted as both a simple
place to shelter and as

The variety of different

shelters include the
simple hollowed-out tree
trunk, bark shelters,
windbreakers, rounded
huts and sleeping
platforms. A bark shelter
is a simple construction
that looks like a modern
day tent. Long pieces of
bark were attached to
stabilised sticks to

A windbreaker protected
Indigenous people from
strong winds and allowed
them to make fires without
the wind blowing the fire
out. These shelters were
often one metre in height
and several metres in
length. Branches, leaves
and bark were combined to
produce a curved shelter
for the whole family.

Huts were common

constructions in
Indigenous
communities and
came in varying sizes.
They were rounded at
the top and look
similar to a dome.
Tree branches were
used as anchors
whilst leaves, twigs
and sometimes clay

Sleeping platforms
were raised areas that
provided with shelter
and protection from
the elements (sun,
rain). Four posts, or
tree trunks, were set
up and a thatched
base was attached
above the ground.
Sometimes in the cold

Many traditional
shelters were
temporary as
Indigenous people
would move from
place to place.

ACTIVITY
Based on what you learnt about
Indigenous shelters draw a diagram.
You should include a paragraph to go
with your diagram describing its
features.

Food
Traditional Indigenous
people ate foods that
they were able to find
on the land, as they did
not have shops or
supermarkets like we do
today. The types of
foods available
depended greatly on the
group's location in
Australia (desert or
coastal areas) and on
the seasons (summer,

Food
Men and women had different roles
when it came to providing food for the
tribe.

Food
Women and children
would often spend their
days searching for and
gathering food from the
local area. They gathered
things like fruits, nuts,
seeds, roots, yams,
witchetty grubs, insects,
snakes, lizards, stalks,
berries, edible leaves,
honey, shellfish, lobster,
pipis, crab, mussels and
yabbies .

Food
The traditional role of the
men was to hunt and fish for
the meat to feed the tribe.
They would spend their days
making the necessary tools
needed to catch and kill
animals and then go out and
track and stalk their prey.
Traditional prey included
kangaroos, ducks, goannas,
fish, rabbits, small mammals
and occasionally emus.

Food
The changing seasons meant
different foods were available. For
this reason, many Indigenous
tribes would travel to different
areas to find different foods. The
groups were able to read the land
to determine the seasons. Tribes in
wetter, coastal areas had a greater
variety of foods than those that
lived in arid, desert areas.
Most food was prepared by
cooking it in a fire, roasting it on
coals or steaming it. Most
vegetation was eaten raw.

ACTIVITY
Watch the clip and then
answer the questions

BTN Episode 16
1. In your own words describe what bush tucker is.
2. Yulagi are also referred to as...
a. Wild mushrooms
b. Wild bananas
c. Wild limes
3. Describe what a witchetty grub tastes like.
4. How is a didgeridoo hollowed out?
5. What do Indigenous people use native plants for?
6. How does learning about bush tucker benefit the
younger generations?

Tools
Indigenous people have
traditionally used many
different tools and weapons to
build shelters, to hunt for fish
or animals , to protect
themselves during conflicts
and in ceremonies. All tools
were made with things found
in the surrounding
environment. Materials were
also obtained through trading
with other tribes and groups.

Tools
Many of the tools were
made from stone
because it was a hard
substance that would
last longer than other
materials.
Other materials used
included plant fibres,
shells, wood and bones.

Tools that were made included:

spears for killing animals and for protection;

boomerangs for killing birds and for sports

activities;

shields for protection and for use in

ceremonies;

spearheads;

hatchets;

knives;

clubs, and

woomeras (spear throwers).

ACTIVITY
Choose one of these
tools.
Find an image of the
tool and write a
description about it.
This should include
what the tool is
made of and what it
is used for.
Then use PowerPoint
to put your image
with the description
that goes with it.
Dont forget to
include the name of
the tool.

Lake Mungo

Click on the picture to watch the video

ACTIVITY
Use the information sheet
that you are given to create a
fact sheet about Lake Mungo.
Highlight the key facts from
the article and then write
these in your own words as
facts.
Then add an image that goes
with the information.

Activity
Mungo Man - Add

Totems
Totems 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
Totems never change
and are continually
passed on to each
generation.
Additionally, totems
have existed in
traditional
Indigenous life since
the Dreaming.

Totems
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
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

Totems

Aboriginal Art
Your task is to consider what your
totem would be. If you were to
portray elements of our modern
life to future generations
through art, what would you
include? The artwork should be a
representation of you and your
modern life (including food,
shelter, clothing, special places
and use the style of traditional
aboriginal art using dots and
lines. You must also include a
short description of your art
outlining the elements you have