A trip in Down Under
Many blogs talk about sun, beach and kangaroos when they describe trips in Australia, but most of the time the Australian History is forgotten.
I‘ve just spent 3 weeks in Australia, a wonderful country, but I‘d like to offer you a new kind of trip : a human adventure on contact with the Aborigines. I visited the well-known places such as Sydney Opera House or the Great Barrier Reef but still keeping in mind my number one goal : learn more about the Aborigines.
Aborigines settled the country 40 000 years ago. They lived primarily of hunting and fishing in harmony with Mother Nature.
That is until the British explorers, led by James Cook, discovered the land in 1770. They colonized the country and dispossessed the Aborigines. Since this turning point, the situation of the Native Australians has got worse year after year until be in plight. The most painful period of their History is unfortunately recent : from the 1890’s to the 1970’s Aboriginal children were taken away from their families and placed in foster ones or institutions. Indeed it was believed that if they were cut off from their culture they would assimilate and gradually disappear. That’s why you have probably heard about the “Stolen Generations”, people who have been deprived of their childhood. To my mind this time is the worst for the Aborigines, moreover I don’t understand how people could try to make a whole civilization disappear.
Nevertheless the situation is changing :the government is working on it.
During my road trip I have met some Aborigines in Tasmania villages and in a Melbourne community. They all mentioned with great philosophy that although the government is wilful to enact laws, mentalities cannot be altered as easily. Even if Australia is a multicultural country the Aborigines are far from a complete integration.
Aboriginal art is such an impressive Australian culture part, that it is not possible to ignore it.
And to see more Aboriginal paintings I went to the Art Gallery of New South Wales : there you feel the Aboriginal particular painting.
Indeed Aboriginal Art uses only symbols to represents their camp (“U” for a person or curved lines for water travelling) and the legend of Dreamtime. The latter refers to the beginnings of the world, its creation and its continuation in the future, it explains why the Aborigines picture Nature like a part of themselves. The most popular art styles are dot paintings and X-ray styles.
The Devil Marbles is both a sacred and eminent site for Aboriginal legend and an impressive place. Indeed you probably know it for this surprising position. While, according to the legend, the Snake Rainbow laid these two eggs when he created the rivers during the Dreamtime.
I come back soon with more stories of the Land of Oz…
See U
