Way Of Life
Australian Aboriginal culture is one of the world's longest
surviving cultures. Amongst the cultural items recovered from the site's lowest levels
were used pieces of haematite which had been used in the preparation of paint,
as well as yellow and red ochre. This period ended with the rise of the sea
following the last Ice Age and the development of an estuarine environment 8000
years ago. All of Australia's Aborigines were semi-nomadic hunters and
gatherers, with each clan having its own territory. Those communities living
along the coast or rivers were expert fishermen. The territories or
'traditional lands' were defined by geographic boundaries such as rivers, lakes
and mountains. All Australian Aborigines shared an intimate understanding of,
and relationship with, the land. That relationship was the basis of their
spiritual life and shaped the Aboriginal culture. Land is fundamental to the
well-being of all Aboriginal people. The 'dreamtime' stories explain how the
land was created by the journeys of the spirit ancestors. Those creation
stories describing the contact and features which the spiritual ancestors left
on the land are integral to Aboriginal spirituality. 'Ancestor Spirits' came to
Earth in human and other forms and the land, the plants and animals were given
their form as we know them today.
surviving cultures. Amongst the cultural items recovered from the site's lowest levels
were used pieces of haematite which had been used in the preparation of paint,
as well as yellow and red ochre. This period ended with the rise of the sea
following the last Ice Age and the development of an estuarine environment 8000
years ago. All of Australia's Aborigines were semi-nomadic hunters and
gatherers, with each clan having its own territory. Those communities living
along the coast or rivers were expert fishermen. The territories or
'traditional lands' were defined by geographic boundaries such as rivers, lakes
and mountains. All Australian Aborigines shared an intimate understanding of,
and relationship with, the land. That relationship was the basis of their
spiritual life and shaped the Aboriginal culture. Land is fundamental to the
well-being of all Aboriginal people. The 'dreamtime' stories explain how the
land was created by the journeys of the spirit ancestors. Those creation
stories describing the contact and features which the spiritual ancestors left
on the land are integral to Aboriginal spirituality. 'Ancestor Spirits' came to
Earth in human and other forms and the land, the plants and animals were given
their form as we know them today.