First Australians
What does Indigenous mean?
The original people of a place.
What is The Dreaming?
Aboriginal stories that explain creation, laws, culture and connections to the land.
What does semi-nomadic mean?
Moving from place to place depending on seasons and resources.
What is archaeology?
The study of the past using objects and evidence left behind.
What are the two main Indigenous cultural groups of Australia?
Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
What do Dreaming stories often explain or teach?
How the land, animals and people were created.
Why did Aboriginal peoples move with the seasons?
To find food and allow land and animals time to recover.
What is an artefact?
An object made or used by people.
What does the term Country mean to Aboriginal peoples?
The land, sea and sky that people belong to and care for, including culture and spirituality.
What is a songline?
A path across the land that is remembered through songs and stories to guide travel and survival.
Name one food source Aboriginal peoples gathered and one they hunted.
Gathered: yams/seeds/berries | Hunted: kangaroo/fish/emus.
Name two artefacts archaeologists might find in Australia.
Stone tools, shells, bones, rock art, fire pits.
Why do Aboriginal peoples identify with language groups and Countries rather than states or cities?
Because their identity is connected to ancestral land, culture and language, not modern borders.
Why are Dreaming stories still important today?
They teach values, laws, history and how to care for the land.
Why were shelters built from natural materials like bark and grass?
They were available locally and suited the environment and lifestyle.
Why is Aboriginal art important to learning about the past?
It tells stories, shares knowledge and records history.
How does understanding Aboriginal identity help us understand Australia’s history better?
It shows Australia’s history began long before Europeans arrived and is deeply connected to land and culture.
How do Dreaming stories help Aboriginal peoples pass knowledge between generations?
They use storytelling, songs and symbols to teach lessons without written language.
How did Aboriginal peoples show sustainability in the way they lived?
By taking only what they needed and caring for the land through practices like controlled burning.
How do archaeology and Aboriginal art work together to teach us about history?
Archaeology provides physical evidence while art explains stories, beliefs and connections to land.
Why is Aboriginal history important to understanding Australian identity today?
Because it shows Australia’s deep cultural roots and the long connection between people and land.