The Regions: Australia

The following ojects originated in Australia:

The first inhabitants of Australia spread as far as Tasmania and the Indian Ocean. Their way of life was suited to their environment; fertile in some places, arid in others, without over-exploiting it. There were between 500,000 and one million people living in groups of related families or clans.

Before Europeans arrived the main means of living was by hunting animals and gathering plant resources, fruit, leaves and roots. Intimate and detailed knowledge of the ways of animals and the cycle of plant life was required in order to survive.

The connection between the Aboriginal clan and its traditional homeland is central to their way of life. The dreamtime refers to the period outside historical time when the landscape of Australia achieved its present shape. The stories of the dreamtime are enacted regularly at meetings which serve to pass on to new initiates the ties between the living members of the group and their sacred sites.

There were about 700 clan groups throughout Australia, speaking over 270 languages. Clans in different groups were linked by association with particular dreamtime beings and sacred sites. There were no states or kingdoms but each member of a clan-group had elders who controlled access to their ancient knowledge.

Today Aborigines live as all modern Australians do, in cities, towns and rural areas. Aboriginal communities are using their connection with the sacred sites in their areas to legitimise claims to land and the right to control how it is to be used.

Read more about Bond, Cook, Montague, Van Bussel and Veitch who collected these aretefacts