Aboriginal Culture

The Aborigine Culture of Australia

The Indigenous people of Australia, also known as the Aborigines, have a population of just over half a million and their indigenous languages are not related to any other continent.  Most Aborigines live in the outback, but there are a large number that do live in the cities and suburbs.  Tribal languages have declined over the years, since white European settlement, from about 650 to 200, and now only 20 are commonly in use today, with rest slowly dying out. The Aboriginal culture varies widely between different tribes, with only a few similarities.

The Aborigines believe that the ˜First people" in Australia worked across the land, naming everything as they went. Through time stories have been passed on through oral tradition, of how things were created and named, this is known as the Dreamtime.  Although stories between the different tribes differ, there are some common ones including Baiame, Bunjil and, my favourite the Rainbow Serpent.  

Two things that are very distinctive of the Aborigine culture is the art and music.  The use of the didgeridoo and the clapsticks in Aboriginal music has created its unique sound.  The clapsticks offer the beat and the didgeridoo, where the player will breath in through his nose, out through his mouth and using his tongue and cheeks to vary the pitch, gives a breathy rhythm.  These rhythms, along with the Dreamtime stories, are passed down through the generations.  Although traditionally played in ceremonies by men, nowadays its also used for recreation and for tourists, when women can play it as well.  The didgeridoos are often decorated with traditional paints and patterns; ones with no decoration may be made by white Australians.

The art of the Aborigine people tell the stories of the Dreamtime and use paints commonly made with ochre, to produce earthy colours.  The style of indigenous paintings involve the use of dots, lines and intricate cross-hatching.  These styles are used on rocks, bark, musical instruments and even for body painting. Other types of indigenous art includes rock engraving, stone arrangements, sculpture and weaving.

The Aboriginal stories, art, music and culture are interesting and unique to Australia; when traveling throughout Australian outback, take some time to learn about the Aboriginal culture, and even try playing the didgeridoo yourself.
Must See Places in the Outback

Despite the vast distances and low population of the Australian outback, there is a great amount to do and see.  No matter if you are travelling by road, train, air or even horseback, there are a lot of places to see.  The main “must doâ€� outback journey is to the Australian centre, Alice Springs where, just down the road, is Uluru, also know as Ayres Rock.  This is an iconic image of Australia; a sandstone “rockâ€� that stands about 348 metres high, and just under 10 kilometres in circumference.  The Indigenous people of the area, the Anangu, provide tours around the rock, talking about the wildlife and fauna that the rock is home to and local bush foods and Dreamtime stories.  While your there you should also see Ulur’s “sisterâ€�, Kata Tjuta, which is about 25 kilometres away.

From here, you can travel north, by road, plane or train, to Darwin via Kathrine George and see the beautiful Kakadu National Park and a few of those big saltwater crocodiles.  East of here will take you to Outback Queensland where you can see Mount Isa, a large mining town of silver, lead, copper and zinc and Birdsville.  West of Darwin will take you to Western Australia, were you should see the Kimberly Ranges, another great National Park of Australia and the town Broome.  Keep heading south from Broome and you will eventually reach Kalgoolie, another mining town.  South west of here will take you to Adelaide and the underground town of Cooper Pedy.

Other then this route, briefly described above, there are historical stock routes that were once used by drovers who moved  their cattle from one place to the next to find feed in times of drought.  Although not used much these days in their traditional sense, many people follow the tracks by car or four-wheel drive.  These tracks include the Oonadatta track, Birdsvill Track and Canning Stock Route, to just name a few.  Also, if you do want to experience the outback at its best, there are some companies that provide horseback tours, where you go along with the drovers, moving cattle from one place to the next.  Although this is a historical and old-fashioned practice, the facilities provided by the companies are not.