Amazing Facts You Should Know About The Indigenous People of Australia

Aboriginal Australians are the first people in Australia who have lived on the continent for more than 50,000 years. Today, there are 250 distinct language groups that expand throughout Australia. Aboriginal Australians are divided into two groups: first, are the Aboriginal people who are linked to those who already lived in Australia when Britain started colonizing the island in 1788, and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who came from the habitat of the Torres Strait Islands, a group of islands that’s a fraction of modern-day Queensland, Australia. 

These amazing people have established a vibrant culture overflowing with unique stories, languages, art, songs, and music. In this article, we are going to introduce to you the culture of Australia’s Indigenous people with these fun and unique facts. 

Understanding the Origins of Aboriginal 

Photo by Berkeley Political Review 

A genetic study conducted in 2017 about the genomes of 111 Aboriginal Australians found that today’s Aboriginal Australians are all related to a similar ancestor who was a member of a particular population that descended on the mainland about 50,000 years ago. Primitive boats were the mode of transportation that was taught to these humans in order to migrate to Northern Australia from Asia. 

There is a current theory that claims that those early migrants emerged from Africa about 70,000 years ago, which will make Aboriginal Australians the most ancient population of humans living outside Africa.

1. Plenty of English Words Are Obtained From Aboriginal Languages 

It was believed that there were over 250 Aboriginal languages, but today, there are less than 20 that still exist. The richness of our language can be seen in the fact that even the English dictionary borrow a lot of words from our culture, for instance, words like the dingo, kangaroo, barramundi, kookaburra, yakka, koala, bung, and wombat. Furthermore, there are more than 400 words that have been borrowed from Aboriginal languages. 

2. Dreamtime (People’s Understanding of the World’s Creation) 

Photo by Ancient Origins

If you don’t know what ‘Dreamtime’ is, it’s the Aboriginal cultural and spiritual identity. Most of the dreaming stories tell us that our ancestor spirits arrived on earth in human form and created animals, land, rocks, plants, etc. as we know today. Australian indigenous people believe that their ancestors can transform into things like rocks, stars, trees, watering holes or other stuff. One of these sites that are considered to be sacred is the Uluru or Ayers Rock in Northern Territory. 

The Dreaming is a continuous story with no end since the ancestors never disappear at the end of the Dreaming. 

3. They Use Boomerangs as Weapons to Hunt Animals 

This is not what you use on Instagram! This boomerang is an Australian icon that has been used for thousands of years as an important tool in the arsenal of our Aboriginal hunters. Its main purpose is to hunt animals such as kangaroos. There are several boomerangs that were created to circle around birds that they were trying to hunt. 

Also, men are the only ones that use boomerangs since they were considered hunters and women, on the other hand, did the repairs and gathered food. Boomerangs were also known to play a huge part in their Spirit of the Red Sand Evening Experience.

4. The Rainbow Serpent is Considered as a Huge Ancestor Spirit 

Photo by WilderUtopia

This serpent is the greatest creator god in the mythology of the Indigenous Australians. However, its story is nothing compared to the European ‘Adam and Eve’ tale. This major ancestor is believed to bring water, and life to the land, known to be the creator of the universe in several communities. 

5. Music Has a Big Contribution to the Indigenous Culture

The clapping sticks and didgeridoo are the famous and recognisable Aboriginal instruments that play a huge role in traditional culture, and they never run out of contemporary Indigenous bands and singers like Dan Sultan, A.B. Original, Emily Wurramara, and the Medics. 

6. Art is Also Important to the Indigenous Culture 

Photo by Mcraeblog

Art is just as same as music. It plays a huge role in the culture of the Aboriginal people. Aboriginal rock painting is the seemingly endless and unbroken art tradition in the world, with creations in the Narwala Gabarnmang rock shelter in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory dated at 28,000 years. Also, indigenous art is still thriving in the new millennium, with outstanding galleries in places such as Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, and Central Australia. We highly recommend that you take a flight to Melbourne and make it your priority on your next vacation. 

7. Sport is a Well-Liked Form of Recreation 

Jardwadjali and Djab Wurrung people in Victoria had been playing Marn Grook which is a type of football that uses a possum hide as the ball. It was used for a year before it led to the invention of Australian rules in football sports that Indigenous players have contributed hugely too. AFL was not the only sporting arena where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are good at, with Indigenous athletes joining in all states of Australia’s sporting life.