"We cultivated our land, but in a way differente from the white man. We endeavour to live with the land; they seemed to live off it".—Tom Dystra, Aboriginal elder
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have were the first inhabitants of Australia and have lived on Australian land for over 40 000 years. Indigenous Australians have developed in their culture and beliefs and not all are the same. There are hundreds of different Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tribes. Because of their knowledge of the land, they have been able to survive to be here today.
Before European settlement, Indigenous Australians lived in peace with the environment. The people and culture sustained Australia’s land. It is the essential part of all spirituality to them and they it holds great importance to all. They depended on their environment for survival and because of this their culture and heritage has lived on for millenniums. They relied on the passing of their languages, knowledge, arts and sacred objects or cultural materials to younger generations to keep their cultural heritage alive. Indigenous Australians had great knowledge of how to live with Australia’s environment harmoniously. Land supports Aboriginal beings in all areas, spiritually, physically, socially and culturally. Indigenous people formed a complicated system of land management and this included: · Contained, planned fires to lure the animals out of their dens for hunting benefits and for re-vegetation. Fires can germinate plant seeds and to generate new plant growth. · Farming- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were farmers. There is compelling proof advanced farming and agriculture practices. They grew crops such as yams, grains, macadamia nut, fruits and berries. · Modified templates- They thought of all different variables such as what grass animals like to eat to be able to use and manage the land without disturbing others. Indigenous people have different templates to fit the land, plants and animals. · Aboriginals used all cultivated and inhabited all land so no land was left unused. |