In Cairns, we went to Tjapukai Cultural Center and we learned about Aborigines. They wore traditional clothing, taught us about didgeridoos and medicines, and even danced. Did you know that they make fire by rubbing two sticks together? Or that Aborigines paint from a bird’s eye view? Keep reading if you would like to learn more.

First of all, Aborigines use red and yellow oxide and crushed rock as paint. In some Aboriginal art, you will see symbols and lots of small dots. Dots with circles around them symbolize important places. Important places with lines connecting them together symbolize travel. Lines can symbolize water, including rivers or rain, and “u” shapes symbolize people. To tell if a person is a boy or a girl, you look at the symbols next to the “u.” Women have a digging sticks or dots to represent body paint. Men have spears and boomerangs. Below is a painting I made. It represents 3 rainy days. Since the circles are places, they are museums, the zoo, and the sheep farm where we went in Sydney when it was raining.

key to Aboriginal symbols

Lucy’s painting

Also, Aborigines are made up of many tribes. In fact, Aborigines are all the indigenous people of Australia. Tribes may have different beliefs. The story of Kuniya and Liru (a serpent and a python) can be seen at Ayers Rock. Ayers Rock, or Uluru, is in the middle of the outback. Tribes that live by the water believe different things.

The Aborigines eat different things, too. Some Aborigines eat fish, while the Aborigines in the outback would not because it is not available. Here is a hunting tip they used. Whenever animals go to a watering hole, they go in a group. You always hunt the last one because if not, they will know there is danger and move to another waterhole. The next day, you won’t be able to hunt that animal anymore.

I think Aborigines are interesting, and I hope you do too. If you would like to know more, check out my page on fashion. Here are some questions that will be answered there:

Is there a difference between what they where for ceremonies than any other day?

Do they wear different things in cold weather than hot?

Do they use the same paint for the skin as for art?

Also, Natalie has posted her Tim Tam Taste Test results.