Saturday, February 2, 2013

Aborigines: The First Australians

Aborigines, the first peoples to inhabit Australia, have lived on the continent for at least 50,000 years; it is thought that they came over by sea from Southeast Asia, possibly the area that is India in particular. Archeologists study fossils, landforms and artifacts to figure this out, bless them.

When European settlers arrived in 1788 (I think we may have mentioned this in a previous blog), the indigenous population was, perhaps inevitably, hugely affected and certainly there have been enormous issues arising between Aborigines and settlers, similar in many ways to our continent's uneasy relationship between European settlers and Native Americans.

Our guides have allowed us to learn about Aboriginal history and cultures in a very respectful and frank manner. I only wish we could convey it all. I will try to post particular thoughts and images.

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