The First Peoples in Australia

Starter- List the similarities between Indigenous Australians and
Ancient Sumerians
L8. The first peoples in Australia
LI: To explain reasons about how people came to Australia.
Homework Check
Indigenous Australians and Ancient Sumerians are similar
because___________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
Indigenous Australians and Ancient Sumerians are similar but

_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Background
The First Peoples of Australia are the Indigenous peoples of the Australian continent and its islands,
• rich and diverse cultural heritage
• dates back tens of thousands of years.
The First Peoples of Australia are comprised of over 500 distinct groups
• Each with their own language, customs, beliefs, and traditions.
They have a deep spiritual connection to the land and its natural resources, and have a
• Rich oral history passed down through generations.
• First European settlers saw IAs as nomadic = no tie to any territory
The First Peoples of Australia have a long and rich history of art, music, and storytelling
• Made significant contributions to the development of Australia's cultural heritage.
• Family structures were of great importance on extended family  children might call many people ‘Mother’ or ‘Father’
• Kinship closely tied to sharing = build social standing by est. sharing relationships within group
The arrival of European settlers in the late 18th and early 19th centuries
• Profound impact on the First Peoples of Australia
• Leading to the loss of land, resources, and cultural practices.
Creation stories
Aboriginal peoples' connection to the land that is now Australia is deeply rooted in their creation
stories and spiritual beliefs.
The Dreaming stories
• Describe how the world was created, how different landscapes and natural features came into being, and
how people, animals, and plants were brought to life.
• It also outlines the social, cultural, and spiritual practices of Aboriginal peoples.
The Dreaming is a way of life and a way of understanding the world for Aboriginal peoples.
• It connects all living things to each other and to the land, and shapes their relationships with their
environment and spiritual realm.
• The Dreaming reminds Aboriginal peoples of their responsibilities to care for the land and maintain their
cultural traditions.
Aboriginal peoples have been living in Australia for over 65,000 years,
• Makes them one of the oldest continuous cultures in the world.
European arrival in the late 18th century
• Significant challenges to Aboriginal peoples, including displacement from their traditional lands, loss of
cultural knowledge and practices, and threats to their health and wellbeing.
Despite these challenges
• Aboriginal peoples have continued to maintain their connection to the land and cultural heritage, and have
What is the purpose of the Dreaming How do we know how long
stories? Aboriginal Australians have been
_______________________________ living here for?
______________________________ ___________________________
______________________________ __________________________
__________________________
What were some of the challenges of

colonisation?
_______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
Language
Groups rarely came into contact with one
another. This made each groups language
unique.
Pre-colonisation= 600 nations, 250 languages

and 750,000 people in Australia.
Post-colonisation= Population decrease
Today= 745,000 people who identify as

Aboriginal, 150 languages.
Torres Strait Islander peoples
'Torres Strait Islander peoples' refers to the people who come from the Torres
Strait islands.
• More than 200 islands in the Torres Strait
• Only 17 of them are populated.
Land bridge
• Between 8000 and 10000 years ago, there was a land bridge between Australia and
Papua New Guinea, allowing ancient peoples to settle in the area.
• Rising sea levels at the end of the last ice age flooded the area, leaving only the highest
peaks above water, which became the islands we know today.
Torres Strait Islander people are of Melanesian origin, not related to Aboriginal
cultures.
Today, around 7000 Torres Strait Islanders live on the islands, but over 40000
live on mainland Australia, mostly in Queensland.
Recap: Out of Africa theory
Modern humans have existed on Earth for around 200,000 years
According to the 'Out of Africa' hypothesis, the first Homo sapiens originated from Africa
• 100,000 years ago
• Started migrating in search of new hunting areas and places to settle
• Different groups of Homo sapiens migrated in various directions over many
thousands of years, including north into Europe, towards the Middle East and Asia,
and further south and into North America
The earliest Aboriginal peoples are believed to have crossed from Asia into Australia when a
land bridge connected the two areas
• Other groups may have travelled from Asia to Australia on boats or canoes
• The 'Out of Africa' hypothesis is rejected by many Aboriginal peoples due to
differences from their creation stories.
Let’s watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXXlUMz6sME
You will need your mini-white board for the next 5 slides
How long ago do scientists believe humans originated?
1. 50,000 years
2. 200,000 years
3. 20,000 years
4. 2,000,000 years
How many islands are there in the Torres Strait
1. 20
2. 200
3. 2000
4. 1
Which continent do most scientists believe human life began?
1. Asia
2. Australia
3. Europe
4. Africa
What is a creation story?
1. Tells a story on how Aboriginal peoples created their

food
2. How individual Aboriginal people were born
3. How the world was created and how people came to
walk on the land
4. Tells a story on how Europeans colonised Australia
What is the appropriate historical concept to describe the different opinions on the ‘Out of Africa’ Theory
1. Empathy
2. Significance
3. Primary Source
4. Contestability
What type of evidence would a creation story be considered?
1. Primary Source
2. Artifact
3. Secondary Source
4. Encyclopaedia
Who are first nation Australians?
▪ The genetic history of Aboriginal Australians
▪ The genetic history of Aboriginal Australians 2
Modern Australia landscape The ancient Sahul super-continent
What do you notice?

Researchers' theory on a
ncient Aboriginal migratio
n across Australia
Aboriginals of Australia a
nd the Out of Africa theor
y
Why did they move along

these routes?
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
What do you notice about where
Australia’s Highway network is
Located?
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
How might this map, showing the
direction water flows after rain, help
researchers mapping the movement
of first nation’s people?
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
_______________
Using this information on the maps

shown so far, how does the evidence
support the theory of movement by
first nations
people? _______________________
______________________________
______________________________
__________________
First Footprints
Living with Giant Animals
Many of the plants and animals of Ancient

Australia were very different to those we know
today. Megafauna- very large birds and animals-
roamed the country. They included some of the
following:
Diprotodon- a large marsupial much like a wombat
but as large as a rhino
Megelania- a large and carnivorous goanna
Thylacoleo carnix- the Marsupial Lion
It is believed that the Aboriginal people may have

Writing Activity
Answer the following questions:
List 5 things you can remember about the Aboriginal Peoples journey to Australia
Why do you believe Aboriginals made the dangerous journey to Australia?

Managing the land
How Aboriginal Australians Made Australia

Living in Ancient Australia
The most common theory about the first people to arrive in
Australia is that they lived by the coast. As they began to
develop their survival skills in the new country, they moved
further inland to different climates and food sources.
When the Aboriginal people first came to Australia, the centre
of Australia was cooler and wetter, with more lakes and animals.
Over the next 30,000 years, the climate in Australia changed
dramatically. The inland areas became hotter and drier, causing
the lakes to dry up. The ocean levels rose, causing Tasmania to
become an island.
Aboriginal Australians. The Men of the Fifth World
Aboriginal Women. The Men of Fifth World
Hunting. The Men of Fifth World
Question:
How do you think the Aboriginal people adapted to the changes that were
taking place within Australia? How did they cope?
____________________________________________________________
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Changing Technology
As the Aboriginal people moved throughout Ancient Australia, learning the

land and exploring the resources available to them, they began to develop
new technologies to help them survive. For example, they learnt to grind
stone to make sharper axe heads.
Scientists and historians cannot be 100% sure of when Aboriginal people
began using tools to hunt and gather, but the artefacts found suggest that
spear, boomerangs, fishing lines and hooks, knives, axes and carrying bags
were developed about 10,000 years ago.
Aboriginal inventions: 10 enduring innovations
Top 10 Aboriginal bush medicines
Question:
How many tools can you think of that may have been used by Aboriginal
people about 10,000 years ago?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
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Ancient trade
Study reveals history of Aboriginal trade with foreign visitors before British settlement | ABC News
Homework Task: because / but / so
Ancient trade was important to Australia because
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Ancient trade was important to Australia but

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Ancient trade was important to Australia so
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Homework:
Fill-in-the-blank Activity
Use the word from the bank below to complete these sentences:
▪ The earliest Australians probably lived by the .
▪ Around 50,000 years ago, Central Australia was and
than it is now.
▪ By around years ago, the inland lakes dried up, becoming
and the continent got smaller as
rose.
17,000 wetter salt plains
cooler coast sea levels

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Starter- List the similarities between Indigenous Australians and

Indigenous Australians and Ancient Sumerians are similar but

What were some of the challenges of

Pre-colonisation= 600 nations, 250 languages

Post-colonisation= Population decrease

Today= 745,000 people who identify as

1. Tells a story on how Aboriginal peoples created their

What do you notice?

Why did they move along

Using this information on the maps

Many of the plants and animals of Ancient

It is believed that the Aboriginal people may have

Why do you believe Aboriginals made the dangerous journey to Australia?

How Aboriginal Australians Made Australia

As the Aboriginal people moved throughout Ancient Australia, learning the

Ancient trade was important to Australia but

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