Before the occupation by Europeans at the end of the eighteenth century, Australia had a flourishing composition of Aborigine communities scattered over the continent as well as islands. These have been discussed by many historians who note the numerous tribes that were present, as well as their lifestyle, traditions and general society, as well as their lifestyle, traditions and general society, makeup. A commonly referred label or term that is used when discussing the select group, indigenous Australians is “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander,” (ATSI) 1 . The source also goes on to provide an extensive analysis of these communities before contact with Europeans, identifying how their culture was largely different from that of the Europeans. This paper goes on to discuss the communities of indigenous Australia, highlighting their societies, traditions, and general way of life. Additionally, the identified factors concerning the discussed group will also be examined regarding their strength and weakness.
Background to ATSI
The first item that should be noted concerning ATSI’s in pre-colonial Australia is that there were numerous regarding number as well as highly diverse. For instance, according to the Australian National Museum, there were over 700 languages spoken by the Australia Aborigines. This is indicative that regarding diversity, this was very high in pre-colonial Australia. In addition to this, these different tribes were recorded to have been scattered over the continent, with the different groups occupying different regions. This helps one understand the composition of this group, which was mainly diverse as well as the aspect of geographical distribution. The Australian Museum estimates that before European Contact the population of ATSI’s on the continent stood at 750,000. These factors help one attain a possible picture of Pre-colonial Australia where a flourishing and diverse culture of Aboriginal communities was present.
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ATSI Society
Going ahead to analyze the general ATSI society reveals critical factors about them. For example, one should understand that these Aborigine communities were mainly nomadic hunters and gathers. Therefore, the first aspect that can be identified is that owing to their main economic activity or food provision being hunting and gathering, they lived scattered/ active lifestyles, in which they moved from place to place in search of food 2 . Considering the vast nature of the Australian content, it is now possible to visualize, how these communities went about their activities as well as their movements from one area of the continent to the other. This aspect is also highlighted by the Australian Museum, which points out that majority of the aborigine communities lived nomadic lifestyles. However, the same source also points out that some communities or tribes lived in proper climatic conditions as well as fertile soils. These tribes were more settled as compared to those who lived in the arid or dry areas of the continent. Reason being, the closeness to food, which discouraged nomadism and led to increased settlements in the fertile areas.
Food and Nutrition
Another, a way of getting to understand better how the indigenous Australians lived can be attained by going ahead and looking at how they acquired their food as well as what they ate. As highlighted above the majority of the communities were hunters and gatherers, who lived a nomadic lifestyle. This way of life shaped the type of food the aborigines ate. For example, the Australian Museum points out that these communities hunted a wide variety of animal, bird and fish species depending on the location. Some of the examples that can be highlighted include emus and kangaroos which are some of the animals commonly associated with Australia. There is also a large part of their food source coming from plants such as nuts and fruits 3 . This shows that the communities had a diverse food basket regarding the varieties of plant and animal foods. Food preparation is highlighted as an important part of the community’s social culture. An example that can be used to demonstrate this is seed grinding which is also noted in Aborigine community. This is supported by artifacts found in some of the historical sites, which include grinding stones. Therefore, the dynamic lifestyles of the aborigine are also seen in their approach to food and nutrition.
Social Structure
After-understanding some of the basic aspects of the aborigines communities, especially concerning food and shelter, the next item to examine is their social structure. This plays an important role, especially because; social structure shapes how the communities eventually live especially when it comes to roles, customs, and traditions. The Australian Museum provides a comprehensive analysis of the different aspects of the Aborigine community social make up. For instance, these nomadic groups had similar structures regarding how they lived with a council of elders being responsible for tribe affairs. A paternal structure can be observed in which men, made up the council of elders. However, this group only intervened in critical affairs that affect the general community. Most of the social structure is seen as shaped by the different roles that each community member played. For example, the men played the role of hunting and gathering, while the women prepared food and looked after homesteads. There is also the practice of significant ceremonial activities as part of the cultural practices that the different Aborigines communities had. These among other factors help one understands, the simplified social structures that the Indigenous Australian’s had.
Customs, beliefs, and Practices
Aside from the above basic factors that help one understand the traditional way of life for Australian Aborigines, looking at the customs and beliefs and practices can help deepen the discussion further. Ritualistic practices were largely present in these communities and this discussed by the Australian museum from the perspective of the sacred sites found belonging to these tribes 4 . Additionally, the same communities are noted to have frequently participated in traditional songs, dance, as well as other activities. Regarding religious beliefs, these communities venerated their ancestors and through different rituals and ceremonies honored their spirits. These were done for specific reasons, for instance, celebrating a birth or changing seasons. These communities also demonstrated craftsmanship on various levels given the tools and artifacts found belonging to them. For instance, aside from the necessary hunting tools such as spears and boomerangs, as well as household tools the aborigines made items such as drawings and practiced body art. This points out to their richness in cultural practice as well as diversity. All these lifestyles, seem to be compatible with the way the communities lived or co-existed in pre-colonial Australia.
Strengths of the Aborigines Communities Lifestyle
After understanding some of the important factors that shape the Aborigines lifestyle or socio-economic activities, it is possible to identify both strengths and weaknesses of these communities. The first item that can be highlighted regarding strengths is the simplified lifestyles that these communities lived. This has a profound impact on them as well as their environment. For instance, the Australian university highlights that this lifestyle kept them very healthy due to the diverse nutrition. It also ensured that there was no exhaustion of natural resources as a result of staying in one place for a very long time 5 . Therefore, both the communities and the environment benefited from the existing lifestyle that the aborigines lived on the continent. The simple social structure also allowed increased interactions between the communities members allowing for a closer-knit society. This can be seen in the different social practices highlighted such as singing songs, dancing, and storytelling among many others. Therefore, the communities are more likely to have experienced a close relationship with community’s members as a result of this structure and activities. These can be considered some of the strengths that these communities had.
Weaknesses
On the subject of weaknesses, several examples can be mentioned regarding aborigine communities in Australia. A major weakness was the fact that these communities lack adapting to changing global patterns and events. For instance, with colonization, there was an erosion of aborigine communities, culture, as well as displacement from their traditional lands. Their inability to adapt led them to be colonized by the British and this had different adverse outcomes on their part. Their nomadic lifestyle can also be seen as a weakness considering that it discouraged them from establishing permanent residency and thus contributed to a partially unstable lifestyle 6 . This can be seen in examples where natural events, disrupted their lifestyles or the lack of proper nutrition. These can be identified as some of the weaknesses for the communities.
In conclusion, the paper has identified that the Aborigines had a well-established social structure as well as lifestyle before European occupation of Australia. These communities lived scattered throughout the continent and owing to the vast size, contributed to diversity regarding culture. The Aborigines way of life, identified as simple, offers an interesting understanding of them. They show strong connections to beliefs in ancestral spirits as well as an interconnection with nature. These are seen in the beliefs that these communities held, as well as the practices that were present.
Bibliography
Australian Museum. “Indigenous Australian Overview.” 2018. Accessed May 24, 2018. https://australianmuseum.net.au/indigenous-australia
1 Australian Museum. “Indigenous Australian Overview.” 2018. Accessed May 24, 2018. https://australianmuseum.net.au/indigenous-australia
2 Australian Museum. “Indigenous Australian Overview.” 2018. Accessed May 24, 2018. https://australianmuseum.net.au/indigenous-australia
3 Australian Museum. “Indigenous Australian Overview.” 2018. Accessed May 24, 2018. https://australianmuseum.net.au/indigenous-australia
4 Australian Museum. “Indigenous Australian Overview.” 2018. Accessed May 24, 2018. https://australianmuseum.net.au/indigenous-australia
5 Australian Museum. “Indigenous Australian Overview.” 2018. Accessed May 24, 2018. https://australianmuseum.net.au/indigenous-australia
6 Australian Museum. “Indigenous Australian Overview.” 2018. Accessed May 24, 2018. https://australianmuseum.net.au/indigenous-australia
