What is the name of the indigenous people of Australia. Daily life of Australian aborigines

The material of the article gives students an idea of the indigenous population of Australia. Forms an idea of the ways of settlement of tribes. Indicates the negative aspects of the colonization of the continent by Europeans.

The Australian Aborigines are considered the oldest civilization on the planet. These tribes are also some of the least explored and least understood by mankind.

It is still not known exactly when and how the ancestors of the natives ended up on the mainland. It is only known that the indigenous population of Australia settled on these lands thanks to sea routes.

Rice. 1. Aborigines of Australia.

The indigenous people of Australia have led a predominantly primitive way of life for many thousands of years. However, it cannot be unequivocally stated that the inhabitants of the continent were absolutely primitive peoples. In favor of the fact that the natives were not primitive, the fact of the existence of their own religion testifies. They formed a system of beliefs, as well as mythology, which is called the "Time of Dreams".

The Indians of Australia had ideas about astronomy.

A feature of the Australian Aboriginal civilization

It is assumed that the natives lagged behind Europe in their development by several tens of thousands of years. This backwardness is due to factors such as:

remoteness from Europe;
specific climatic conditions.

Some tribes retained their way of life until the beginning of the 20th century. Their settlements were located on the remote islands of the Australian north.

However, with the arrival white man Australian aboriginal life has changed drastically.

Rice. 2. English colonist.

For 2-3 years of active conquest of the continent by Europeans, more than half of all Australian aborigines who came into contact with newcomers from Europe died out from diseases and viruses unknown to them. The reason is that the indigenous people of Australia lacked natural immunity.

smallpox;
measles.

Today things have changed in better side. Since May 26, 1998, Australia has been celebrating "Regret Day" in front of the Australian Aborigines for all they have had to endure.

For a long time, the Australian government did not express a desire to apologize to the Aborigines for the injustice and policy of destroying their race.

Rice. 3. Aboriginal with a boomerang.

The original inhabitants of the continent themselves prefer not to be called "natives". The reason is that they are all related to different tribes and are not happy when they are generalized by one term.

What have we learned?

It was possible to find out what explains the backwardness of the Australian tribes in comparison with the Europeans. Determine the factors that provoked the high mortality of the local population during the period of colonization. The cause of all the hardships and hardships that the indigenous population of the mainland had to face was revealed. What ended difficult times for the natives. What steps has the government taken to resolve the situation?

Aborigine of Australia - the native inhabitant of the continent. All nationalities are isolated from others in racial and linguistic terms. The indigenous people are also known as the Australian Bushmen. "Bush" means vast areas with an abundance of shrubs and stunted trees. These territories are characteristic of some areas of Australia and Africa.

General information

The indigenous people speak Australian. Only some of it is in English. Australian Aborigines inhabit mainly areas that are far outside the cities. They can be found in the Central, Northwestern, Northern and northeastern parts continent. A certain part of the indigenous population lives in cities.

New data

For a long time it was assumed that the Tasmanian Aborigines developed separately from other Australian tribes. It was assumed that this went on for at least several thousand years. results contemporary research testify to something else. It turned out that the language of the Tasmanian aborigines has many common words with other dialects of the Australian southern tribes. By race, these tribes are distinguished into a separate group. They are considered the Australian branch of the Australoid race.

Anthropology

On this basis, the natives of Australia, whose photos are presented in the article, belong to one characteristic look. It has certain features. The native of Australia has pronounced features characteristic of the Negroid complex. A feature of the Bushmen is considered to be a fairly massive skull. Also hallmark is a developed tertiary hairline. It is now well established that the Australian Aborigines descended from the same race. However, this does not exclude the possibility of the influence of others. For that period, the spread of mixed marriages was a typical phenomenon. In addition, it should be taken into account that there were several migration waves to this continent. There was a significant time interval between them. It has been established that before the beginning of the period of European colonization, a huge number of Aborigines lived in Australia. To be more precise - over six hundred different tribes. Each of them spoke their own dialect and language.

Aboriginal life in Australia

Bushmen have no houses or dwellings, they have no domesticated livestock. Aborigines don't use clothes. They live in separate groups, which can include up to sixty people. Australian Aborigines do not even have an elementary tribal organization. They also lack many of the simple skills that distinguish humans from animals. For example, they are not able to fish, make dishes, sew their own clothes, and so on. Meanwhile, at present, even those tribes that live in the wilds of Africa are able to do this. In the 19th century, relevant research was carried out. Then scientists came to the conclusion that the Australian native is on a certain line between animals and people. This is due to the blatant savagery of their existence. At present, the Australian aborigine is a representative of the most backward nationality.

The number of indigenous people

It is just over four hundred thousand people. Of course, this is outdated data, because the census was conducted about ten years ago. This number includes those natives who live on the territory of the Torres Strait Islands. The indigenous population is about twenty-seven thousand people. The local Aboriginal people are different from other Australian groups. First of all, this is due to cultural characteristics. They have many features in common with the Papuans and Melanesians. At present, the majority of Australian aborigines live off charitable foundations and state aid. Their means of life support are almost completely lost. Accordingly, there are no gathering, fishing and hunting activities. At the same time, a certain part of the natives living on the islands of the Torres Strait owns manual agriculture. Traditional religious beliefs are preserved. The following types of natives are distinguished:

Development before European intervention

The exact date of the settlement of Australia has not yet been established. It is assumed that this happened several tens of thousands of years ago. The ancestors of Australians are from Southeast Asia. They managed to overcome about ninety kilometers of water barriers. The Pleistocene era served as a road. They appeared on the continent. Most likely, this was due to an additional influx of immigrants who arrived by sea about five thousand years ago. This is also due to the emergence of the stone industry. Even before the intervention of Europeans, the racial type and culture of the Australian aborigines boasted breakthroughs in evolution.

Period of colonization

Europeans arrived here in the 18th century. At that time, the number of Australian Aborigines was approximately two million people. They formed groups. The composition was quite varied. As a result, there were more than five hundred tribes on the mainland. All of them were distinguished by a complex social organization. Each tribe had its own rituals and myths. Australian Aborigines spoke more than two hundred languages. The period of colonization was accompanied by the targeted destruction of the indigenous population. Australian aborigines were losing their territories. They were forced out into ecologically disadvantaged areas of the mainland. The outbreak of the epidemic contributed to a sharp reduction in their numbers. In 1921, the population density of Australia, the indigenous in particular, was no more than sixty thousand people. Later, government policy changed. Protected reservations began to be created. The authorities organized medical and material assistance. The combination of these actions greatly contributed to the fact that Australia has increased.

Subsequent development

Such a thing as did not exist until the beginning of 1949. Most of the locals were considered British subjects. An appropriate law was issued, according to which the entire indigenous population became citizens of Australia. Every person born in a given territory after this date was automatically its citizen. In the 90s, the number of Australian Aborigines was about two hundred and fifty thousand people. This is only one and a half percent of the entire population of the mainland.

Aboriginal mythology

The indigenous people of Australia believed that existence was not limited to physical reality. The natives believed that there was a world where their spiritual ancestors lived. They believed that physical reality echoes with him. And thus they influence each other mutually. There was a belief that the sky is the place where these two worlds meet. The movement of the Moon and the Sun was influenced by the actions of spiritual ancestors. It was also believed that they could be affected by a living person. A huge role in the mythology of the natives is played by celestial bodies, stars, etc.

Archaeologists and historians long time engaged in the study of fragments containing drawings of Bushmen. Until now, it is not completely clear what exactly the rock paintings depicted. In particular, were they celestial objects or some pictures from everyday life? Aborigines possessed certain information about the sky. Found that they tried to use to implement the calendar. However, there is no information that he was somehow connected with moon phases. It is also known that there were no attempts to use celestial objects for navigation.

The first inhabitants of the Australian continent were the Aborigines. They are also called native Bushmen. The peoples of Australia form an independent Australoid race. They occupy the mainland and nearby islands. Ethnographers distinguish two large groups. Representatives of one occupy continental lands. The descendants of another family live in an archipelago located in

aborigines

The peoples of Australia have a lot in common. Bushmen have dark skin, large features. With Europeans, they are related by growth. The islanders account for about two percent of the indigenous population. A small part of the inhabitants of the strait consider themselves Melanesians. The rest call themselves aborigines.

Historical reference

The ancestors of modern aborigines appeared on the mainland about fifty thousand years ago. Scientists believe that the first Australians arrived on the continent by sailing from Asia. Bushmen settled near water bodies with fresh water. They were collecting edible mushrooms, berries and fruits and were skilled fishermen and hunters.

As soon as the tribe grew, it was divided into several families. Young Bushmen moved away from their relatives in search of new places rich in living creatures. So the peoples of Australia spread throughout the continent. In the new lands, an unusual landscape and other climatic conditions. The tribes had to adapt to the inevitable changes. Their way of life changed, and after it their appearance.

One Bushmen got open savannahs. Others have occupied the territory of the mangrove forests. The third went to the swamps. The tribes inhabited deserts and coral shallows, water meadows and lake shores, subalpine foothills and tropical jungles.

resettlement

At the end of the 17th century, colonies of Europeans began to appear on the continent, which began to push the indigenous peoples of Australia. It is believed that at that time about four hundred thousand natives lived on the mainland. But this figure raises a lot of doubts. According to unofficial data, the number of Bushmen exceeded one million people. The decline in the local population was due to the epidemics that the Europeans brought with them. Unfamiliar diseases at times increased the mortality of the natives.

According to the descriptions compiled by the colonists, the indigenous inhabitants of Australia occupied territories located in the north and in the region major rivers. They basically did not leave their territories, but during the days of trade exchange they met on neutral lands. In 1788 there were about five hundred large tribes. Each family spoke its own language.

Current position

At the moment, the number of aborigines is rapidly increasing. This is due to the high birth rate. In 1967, the indigenous people of Australia became full citizens, they were assigned all the rights listed in the constitution. Today, the state governments are introducing laws that secure the lands of the reservations to the Bushmen. They are self-governing.

A large number of natives speak the Yolngu Matha language. For them, local television broadcasts special channels that are aimed at representatives of national communities. In 2010, cycles of educational television programs were launched. The lessons are devoted to the study of the dialects of the peoples of Australia and Oceania. At the same time, the main broadcast is still conducted in English.

Outstanding representatives of the indigenous population are the performer Jessica Mauboy and actor David Gulpilil, writer David Yunaipon and painter Albert Namatjira, professional football player David Wirrpanda and television presenter Ernie Dingo.

Ethnographers distinguish the following types of national groups inhabiting the territory of the continent:

barrinoid;
Carpentarian;
Murray.

barrinoid group

The tribes of this family live in the tropical thickets of the mainland and occupy the lion's share of the forests of Queensland. This type has big amount common features with the Melanesian group. The height of the natives is low, barely reaching 157 centimeters. Representatives of the barrinoid type are distinguished by very dark, swarthy skin. They have brown eyes and black curly hair. Beard and mustache grow poorly. The nose of the natives has a concave shape. The teeth of representatives of this group are small and rare, but some natives suffer from macrodontia.

Natives of these tribes can be found today in major cities of Australia and on reservations. Barrinoids have comparatively large heads with a minimum width of the frontal zone. The eyebrows are poorly developed, and the face itself is narrow and elongated. The cheekbones are not sufficiently pronounced.

Carpentarian group

Representatives of this type are common in the northern part of the mainland. Aborigines are distinguished by rich and almost black skin color. They are tall and lean in build. The descendants of this family are rare. They choose quiet and secluded places in the Arnhem Land area and on the lands of Cape York.

The forehead of the Carpentarians has a medium slope. But the eyebrows are strongly pronounced. They are powerful and sometimes merge into a single roller. Aborigines have large teeth. The hair is usually wavy. The hairline on the body and face of the Bushmen is medium. Ethnographers divide the Carpentarian group into two families. The Aboriginal people living in the Arnhem Land area are different from their relatives who have occupied Cape York. The first are tall and stately, the second are more like the Papuans. In the blood of the tribes occupying the Cape York Peninsula, there are admixtures of families belonging to the Murray and Barrinoid types.

Murray group

Scientists are still arguing which peoples inhabit Australia. This question raises many doubts. The life and history of the tribes have not been sufficiently studied. This is due to the disunity of families, many of which are still isolated from civilized society. As for the Murray type, people belonging to this group occupy lands in the south of the continent.

They are distinguished by a relatively light skin tone. There are natives with straight hair. Curly curls are observed in those groups that live in the vicinity. This is explained by the admixture of Tasmanian blood. They actively grow mustaches and beards. Their appearance closest to the appearance of a European.

The Bushmen have a broad forehead and a large head. The bridge of the nose is characterized by a straight profile. Aborigines have very large teeth. All Murrays are carriers of macrodontia. The slope of the forehead is maximum for Australian Aborigines.

The lower jaw is wide, the development of the brow is not as expressive as in the Carpentarians. The face is high and oblong. The height of the average Murray is 160 centimeters. Since there is not enough anthropological information, the description of the ethnic composition of Australia cannot be called exhaustive.

central region

Australians of English descent are rare visitors to this part of the continent these days. This is the least explored area. It is still inhabited by Aboriginal tribes, which have not yet been assigned to any type. Bushman skull of medium length. The forehead is narrow and high. The face cannot be called round or wide. But the nose is massive. Distinctive feature representatives of these tribes - the birth of blond children.

Over time, their curls become darker in color, but among women there are blondes. Men are tall, well developed chest, strong physique.

West

The appearance of the natives living in the west of the continent is somewhat different from the appearance of their neighbors. They have an elongated skull, a narrow face with a strong superciliary relief. The nose is set low, which visually makes the shape of the face appear wider.

Oceania

The peoples inhabiting the Australian part of the island archipelago are represented by Melanesians and Papuans. The former are distinguished by dark skin color. The tribes use different language dialects and are highly divided. Most Melanesians are engaged in agriculture. But there are those who travel the sea. They plow the ocean, moving away from their native shores for vast distances.

The vast majority of the inhabitants are converted to the Catholic and Protestant faith. This is the result of the long work of Christian priests who arrived in Oceania along with the colonists.

Papuans sailed to the shores of Australia from Asia. The migration took place about forty-five thousand years ago. This ethnic group consists of several hundred tribes. The Papuans are engaged in gardening, sometimes they are engaged in fishing. Their clothing tells about the belonging of aborigines to a certain type.

As such, there are no leaders among the Papuan tribes. All issues are resolved by adult men who have a high position in the group.

Australia and Oceania are traditionally divided into 4 historical and ethnographic regions: Australia, Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia. Australia is usually attached to the nearby island of Tasmania.

Australian aborigines are very specific and form a special Australoid type of race (dark skin, black wavy hair, abundant facial hair, relatively thick lips)

Language affiliation:

They belong to the Australian superfamily, which includes more than 20 groups. The language is poor in abstract concepts and numerical characteristics.

Main occupations:

Hunting for men (for kangaroos and other marsupials and birds with the help of spears (equipped with a spear thrower), clubs, boomerangs. Of the hunting methods, active ones are characteristic).

Gathering from women (using a pointed digging stick)

Fishing is not widespread due to the poor hydrographic network.

Dwellings:

Huts, barriers, sheds (built during the rainy or windy season)

Cloth:

Didn't use. There were only loincloths - decorations.

Food:

All products with a biological status were consumed. Cooked with an earthen oven. They did not know boiled food.

Social organization:

The unit of the device is considered to be a tribe (but not in the manifestation as it seems to us - but a population united by one dialect). Each tribe was divided into two exogamous halves - phratries(marriage is strictly prohibited). The phratries, in turn, were divided into 2 or 3 marriage sections (Men from class A married women from class C and their child fell into B or D)

In unfavorable times, economic collectives were created. In the season of mass cattle driving, groups of up to 800 people gather.

The main part of the population is of the patrilineal type of kinship, only in the northeast and southwest it is matrilineal.

Beliefs:

The predominant form of belief is totemism. Australian totems are closest to environment- taken from representatives of the fauna.

Totem- an animal that is a symbol of this group. It is considered an ancestor (people of the tribe descended from this animal).

Culture:

Folk art is very original. Folklore is closely related to religious beliefs. Corroboree- characteristic Australian dances.

Churinga- a tablet with inscriptions (fertility regulator)

12.Culture of Melanesia and Micronesia

Australia and Oceania are traditionally divided into 4 historical and ethnographic regions: Australia, Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia. Melanesia includes: New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Solomon Islands, Fiji, etc. Micronesia includes: Mariana, Caroline, Marshall Islands, etc.

Anthropological characteristic:

In New Guinea: Papuans and Melanesians ( dark skin, curly hair, thick lips, wide nose) Australoids + Mongoloids

Language affiliation:

The languages spoken by these peoples do not form a single genetic group, but are distributed over several superfamilies. Austronesian and Papuan languages.

Main occupations:

farmers (Slash-and-burn; they cultivate taro, yams, batan, banana, coconut palm, breadfruit with a stone ax, planting stake, narrow shovel, a hoe is less common). From domestic animals know pigs, chickens and dogs. In New Guinea + wild pigs, small birds, lizards, snakes are hunted (with bow and arrows). In Melanesia + sea fishing with nets, baskets, etc. sometimes even poisoned; pottery is poorly developed. Exchange is well developed. Rice was cultivated in Micronesia +, artificial irrigation was known, pottery was known in the west, and the horizontal loom was known in the east.

Dwellings:

They usually live in small villages. Pile-type huts or ground huts made of bamboo and bark, covered with palm leaves. The shape of the house is rectangular, less often round. Sometimes on a foundation or one roof on pillars. They travel in boats.

Cloth:

For men - a belt wrapped several times and passed through the legs. For women - a skirt made of vegetable fibers. Jewelry is worn mostly by men + everyone has body tattoos.

Food:

In Guinea, it is mainly of vegetable origin, meat is rarely consumed. . Cooked in an earth oven and over an open fire.

Social organization:

They are divided into tribes - ethnic communities. The Papuans have a paternal clan, the Melanesians and most Micronesians have a maternal one, the custom of exogamy is strictly preserved, the wife settles in the husband's community. Big people stand out - leaders. Adult men settle separately - in men's houses. There is a sex and age division of labor.

Among the Papuans, the union of clans is the largest social association that the Papuans had at the time of contact with Europeans. The Melanesians excel in social development.

Beliefs:

The Papuans have totemism. The Melanesians have MANA (inherent in various natural phenomena, some powerful people, their souls after death). The cult of ancestors is also widespread and various forms of magic. Micronesians have + some elements of shamanism.

Culture:

Among the Papuans, folklore is closely connected with beliefs, among the Melanesians it is less (represented by mythological epos, fairy tales, historical legends). From musical instruments, drums and gongs, shell horns are presented. Music is always accompanied by dancing.

There is an amazing country in the world that is entirely located on one mainland - this is the mysterious and so distant Australia. Many are interested in when the first people appeared there and what nationalities live there today? The population of Australia is very heterogeneous, and representatives of different nationalities from all continents of the Earth live there in peace and harmony.

East is the most favorable place

The population of Australia, according to modern standards, is very small. As shown by the last census, which was conducted three years ago, 23 million 100 thousand people live on this hot continent today. In fact, this is a little more than in one and only Moscow.

At the same time, people were distributed unevenly across the mainland. After all, the climate in this area is very harsh. More than half of all lands are occupied by hot deserts and semi-deserts, where it is almost impossible to live. In these places, the population density of Australia is extremely low - there is only one person per square kilometer.

But the eastern coast of the continent is very favorable for people to live - the climate there is milder and more even. There, the population density of Australia is already ten times higher. There are ten people per square kilometer.

metropolitan cities

Despite the small population of Australia, there are million-plus cities in this country. This is Sydney, where more than three and a half million people live, Melbourne - three million and one and a half million Brisbane.

The rest of the people live in small towns and rural-type settlements. The main population of Australia lives in metropolitan areas. Rural residents here are only 10 percent. However, farming in this country is very developed. Products Agriculture Australia is not only fully self-sufficient, but also exports.

local natives

The indigenous population of Australia are the Aborigines who still live somewhat apart in the northwest of the mainland. Interestingly, the Aboriginal tribes live in the 21st century according to the laws of the Stone Age. Their children do not receive education, people do not know what the modern calendar is, what the days of the week and months are called. In their everyday life they do not use metal and iron objects. According to scientists, the indigenous population of this country is perhaps the most ancient on our planet.

Aboriginal tribes live apart. Representatives of each tribe have their own dialect and clear rules of life. They preserve their traditions, which are rooted in the depths of centuries. Only in 1967, the indigenous people were given equal rights with the alien white population of Australia. But many tribes prefer to stay on reservations, which are not very suitable for a full human life.

Interestingly, before the arrival of white people to the mainland, the indigenous population did not know what cattle breeding was. After all, all livestock - sheep, cows, bulls - was imported from other countries. Prior to this, the natives knew only one large mammal - the kangaroo, which is a symbol of this distant country. The natives did not engage in agriculture either because of the harsh climate. They lived mainly by hunting and fishing.

Inevitable assimilation

The authorities of the country are very concerned about the preservation of the culture and traditions of the natives. However, assimilation inevitably occurs. After all, natives are not required to live in places that were strictly assigned to them until 1967. Many have changed from a nomadic lifestyle to an urban one and are quite happy with it. Due to the fact that living conditions have improved significantly, there has been a surge in the birth rate among the indigenous population.

Aborigines began to gradually merge into modern life. In 2007, the country's authorities even created a special television channel for indigenous peoples. True, it broadcasts in English. Because it is impossible to broadcast for all tribes, there are too many dialects and dialects.

Currently, the number of indigenous people in Australia is small - only 10 thousand people. But on the other hand, they are very fond of demonstrating their traditions, their way of life, their way of life. Many tribes willingly host numerous tourists. They show their ritual rites, demonstrate dances, perform sacrificial dances.

Instead of prison - link

Australia is often referred to as a prison paradise. This unflattering definition has its own historical justification. IN XIX-XX centuries British prisoners are fabulously lucky - many of them prison sentences replaced by a reference to the most distant continent of the planet. The very first settlement of this territory was forced. And it was the thieves, murderers, swindlers and embezzlers of Great Britain who began to develop these deserted lands. Gradually, sheep breeding began to develop here, which began to make a profit. The living conditions of the people improved from year to year. And then already Australia became a tempting country for many poor people of Great Britain. They were sure that on the hot mainland they would be able to live richer and more satisfying. And already in 1820 the first volunteers went to Australia.

Gold lured thousands of emigrants

And then there was a sensation at all - gold deposits were discovered on the mainland, and people began to massively move there in search of wealth. In 10 years, the population of Australia has increased to one million people.

The Germans also showed up. The first emigrants from Germany were participants in the 1848 revolution. They were persecuted in their homeland, but here they could live in peace.

Already in the middle of the 20th century, the composition of the population of Australia was very heterogeneous, and the number of people living on the mainland increased 6 times. Today, the British, Germans, Irish, New Zealanders, Greeks, Chinese, Dutch, Italians, Vietnamese live here.

They are still going

Since the century before last, the inhabitants of the entire planet have known that they are expected in distant Australia and that it is good to live there. Interestingly, emigration to this sultry, but very hospitable country continues to this day. According to statistics, it is Australia today that holds the palm for receiving emigrants. More than 150 thousand people annually change their place of residence for permanent registration on the Green Continent. They have every chance to quickly get a job and join such a heterogeneous Australian society that in a few generations their grandchildren will say: "I am an Australian!"