|
» Sie befinden sich hier: Startseite /
Hobbys /
Teammitglieder schreiben / Aborigines
Aborigines
Gleichwertige Leistungsfeststellung von Tanja im Fach Englisch
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Aborigines
Aborigines are the original inhabitans of Australia.
The term “Aborigines” is latin and means “from the beginning”,
because they were the first people who immigrated to the continent.
This term was introduced by James Cook and it is only used by the
Europeans and not by the original inhabitans.
In Australia you often call them “Indigenous people”.
The Aborigines from Australia are not just one folk.
They consist of several folks and tribes which have diverse names.
Beyond they do not have a single culture but a accumulation of related cultures.
Their skin is brown or deep black, their hair as well as,
and they have very big lips. The picture on the right hand side
also shows painted bodies with ritual patterns.
The natives adapted themselves brilliantly to the nature
and they still impress outsiders with their skills and abilities.
40,000 years ago, the Aborigines settled from Indonesia to Australia,
when the sea level was low. Thus the distance to cover was shorter.
They “inhabited every part of Australia, from the cold an wet highlands
of Tasmania to the most arid parts of the interior”* .
Those who live on the coast were fishers , the others hunters and gatherers.
In 1788 at one fell swoop the life of the Aborigines changed.
White settlers under the leadership of James Cook arrived in Australia.
The consequence was catastrophical. Many Aborigines died because of
epidemic diseases brought by the whites. Moreover the white thought
they were superior. For this reason the Aborigines had also been
killed by a wave of massacres.
Since 1950 the life of the Aborigines improved.
They got a voting right, the racial segregation in schools
were abolished and they could continue their lives in the
outback without being disturbed.
Today the natives have to compromise
between their traditional lifestyle and
the influence of the west world. About
half of the original population lives in urban
areas. Consequently they have problems with
alcoholism, drugs and the bad medical care.
* Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australians
In Australia there were many different Aboriginal groups,
each with their own individual culture, belief structure and language.
But there is one thing they have in common, the Dreamtime.
The Dreamtime is the time when their ancestors created the world and the landscapes.
The ancestors are mostly big animals,
which shaped mountains, rivers, forests
on their way through the land. But also
extraterrestrial elements like the sun
and stars. For example the Aborigines believe
that at Ayers Rock a snake left her eggs on
the ground and formed deep grooves into the
rock. These grooves are still there as you can
see on the left hand side.
The Aborigines hold many of these places sacred and use them
for their rituals. These rituals and also customs and the belief arise from the Dreamtime.
The original inhabitants believe in a mortal and an immortal soul,
which have a spiritual relation to the ancestors.
So the ancestors protect the humans but they also can bring
misfortune above them. It is also possible to communicate
with spirits and find out the meanings of omens and the causes
of illness and other misfortune.
During the settlement of the white people missionaries
try to force the Christianity on the Aborigines.
Many changed their religion but they still believe in their old faith, the Dreamtime.
Today the Dreamtime plays an very important role in the
life of the Aborigines and influenced strongly music, singing, dances and art.
Ritual singing and rhythmic music is
used for the accompaniment of their multifarious
dances. With these dances the Aborigines
tell pantomimicly different stories from
the Dreamtime to their children. Figures
of the stories represents characters
of the Dreamtime. In their dances men
painted their bodies, as you can see
on the right hand side and imitate
animals and the nature. By the way some
stories last for fifteen minutes or even
several hours.
Music and dances express not only emotions and experiences
but it is also used for communication or for aiding someone’s recovery.
Aborigines orientate themselves with singing. Thus they describe their
territory and important places, where they can meet.
Another fact is that there are songs for special groups.
For example children, women and men had their own songs,
which are not accepted for others.
Furthermore instruments play an important role in their cultural life.
Especially the well known didgeridoo, an wind instrument.
Percussion instruments are seldom and stringed instruments are never played.
The most importantant instrument of the Aborigines is still their own voice.
The didgeridoo, also called didjeridu
is an traditional wind instrument of
the Aborigines, which is probably the
oldest wind instrument of the world.
“It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or drone pipe”*.
The instrument is about 1 to 1,50 meters long, for tourists offered also
in shorter versions, though which cannot be played.
The Aborigines use a holed thin tree trunk to produce the
didgeridoo and it “is usually cylindrical or conical in shape”*.
As you can see on the left hand side
the Aborigines play the Didgeridoo,
while sitting or perching, whereas the
end of the instruments is on the ground or on
the foot. With the didgeridoo the Aborigines
do not play melodys, because you can only create
two or three different notes. It is more
a instrument for creating different rythms and
sounds. Another important possibility to create
a sound is to speak or scream into the didgeridoo.
The didgeridoo is a symbol for the male energy and it shows the
erect phallus of the ancestors, wherefore women are not allowed to play on it.
As the New Age Music arised many musicans begin to show interest
for the didgeridoo. Consequently it is used in techno, pop and dance music.
For example the Aborigines-rockband “Yothu Yindi” had an number
one hit with the song “Treaty”. It is one of the fewest bands,
which combines tradional with modern music.
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didgeridoo
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Uluru_2.JPG
The Aborigines do not have a script. Therefore art is one
of the most important ways to express something.
The painting shows their traditions and different
stories from themselves. Wood, bark, rocks and cave walls
are used for the pictures. Amazingly the oldest still
existing works are about 30,000 years old.
The paintings you can find on rocks
are widely spread, which have often been
painted out over centuries, so that several
pictures exists at the same place. But
holy pictures are only allowed to repaint and
this only by particular painters.
But today most of the drawings vanish because the custom of
repainting has not the importance as in the past.
With ocher, dust of charcoal and clay the Aborigines
paint stories of the Dreamtime, animals, ghosts,
chases and simply what is happening around them.
It is interesting that humans and animals are often
shown with their skeleton or visceras.
They use these pictures to communicate, to orientate or to
impart knowledge about the nature. In addition they conduce to ritual ceremonies.
Moreover body painting plays an important role to express themselves.
Different events means a different body pattern, which is painted with
ocher and blood. And as you can also see on the right picture
they carry artful headdress.
Beyond painted art the Aborigines fabricate graven figures and rods for ritual ceremonies.
There were about 250 different languages of the Aborigines,
because they immigrated to Australia to different times.
Southern tribes are older than the northern ones.
Thus every tribe has its own language,
which means that they cannot communicate
among each other. The only possibility
to communicate is the usage of the sign
language. Furthermore the Aborigines cannot
write, consequently there is only an oral communication.
However during the colonisation the white settlers
exterminated many tribes. The result was that roughly 100
languages disappeared. Today approximately 25 to 50 languages are spoken.
As you can see on the chart below fewer children speak an Aboriginal
language. Because of this the australian government advances the use of
traditional languages in schools. For this reason children, who
descend from Aborigines reap the benefits of the bilingual education:
English and the suitable original language.
In addition the Northern Territory University offers to
take part in an interactive online course.
For example therein you can learn the language of an special Aboriginal tribe.
Apart from the development the language is extremely complex.
To set an example the original inhabitans have many different
expressions for the time of day. Moreover polysyllabic words,
just three vowels, usually a, i and u and almost never a voicing
contrast makes the pronounciation very difficult.
Thus it is a big challenge for non Aborigines to learn an traditional language.
To arise your interest here some language examples from the Aborigines in northeast Arnhem:
- baapanannia = sunrinse
- chooka-chooka = dream
- willawatta-thuyi = woman
The Aborigines lived in a clan which consisted of 30 to 50 members.
And one tribe contained between 20 to 35 clans.
The so called “The law” appointes the life of the Aborigines.
The law includes rules and tips. For example it constricts the
size of a clan and gives the reason for this.
It is interesting that a Aboriginal man is allowed to marry
as recently as he knows the whole law.
The economical life was divided into
two areas: coastal areas, which are more
fertile and desert areas, with less food.
Consequently people in the first area
were relatively static and the otherones had
to travel long distances to find food.
The outcome of this was that those who lived on the coast were fishers,
the others hunters and gatherers.
They still impress outsiders by knowing where “the water
holes and soaks were in the area”* , and by obtaining “water
from certain trees and roots”* . This was especially important in the inland.
Furthermore the Aborigines always knew where to find edible
things, though the range of foods is low.
The original inhabitants used simple tools made of wood
and stone to produce everything they need.
For example nets, snares and spears were used “to catch
different types of animals and birds”*.
Because of the fact that Australia has no native predators
the Aborigines did not have enemies, except themselves.
They were only at war with one another to increase their territory.
* http://users.orac.net.au/~mhumphry/aborigin.html
Age and knowledge are the crucial factor of the position in a clan.
Consequenlty the elders have the biggest influence.
The group chooses the elders so everyone has the chance to become
an elder by improving knowledge.
On the whole the group makes decisions but if the elders do not
agree the decision will be declined.
Children have to learn “how to keep alive”* , the content of the
law and also Aboriginal traditions. They have to learn songs
and stories to increase knowledge and they were taught the
“rhythms of dances in preparation for later participation in
sacred and non-sacred rituals”*.
In early life boys have to go fishing
and making tools with their fathers.
In opposite girls help their mothers.
As they grow older ceremonies were held and so they bear more
responsibility. As recently as they know the whole law they can
marry and the community regards them as fully-grown men.
In the life of the Aboriginals men are more important than wives.
They just are needed for domestic work: after they have found food
like fruits, manna or snakes they have to prepare a meal.
They are responsible for the group, whereas the men go fishung and make tools.
In case of a move women have to carry children and the other
possessions, men only their weapons.
If someone is ill or feels sick the “medicine man” will
try to cure the person by using medicine from natural resources,
like plants or roots. Moreover spirits, which are responsible for
illness and other misfortune are removed by him.
* http://users.orac.net.au/~mhumphry/aborigin.html
The white people tried to eradicate the Aborigines, force the
Christianity on them and with it they wanted to show their
superiority. In addition their dances were forbidden and
they have to bear misfortune, like illness and alcoholism brought by the whites.
Unfortunately we recognized too late the worth of the Aboriginal culture.
Today we try to rescue the Aboriginal culture by recording their
dances and ceremonies, but many things are still forgotten.
Under their flag the Aborigines feel more confident
and try to continue their conventional lives.
The flag is divided into a black area standing for the black skin,
a read area standing for the read earth and the yellow circle for the sun.
But conventional lives are mostly impossible because the
civilisation in Australia spreads and takes off their living space.
Sources:
Kontakt zur Autorin Tanja
© by Andreas Riedl | Impressum
Seitenanfang 
|
