Australian Aboriginals

Aborigine culture is probably the oldest of mankind and is highly developed that can be contrasted with the modern culture lead by technology. Among the world's continents, it was only in Australia that the transition from hunting-and-gathering to agricultural and stock farming did not occur spontaneously. Aborigine culture is unique also in this sense but this does not mean it was inferior.

Aborigine culture is highly spiritual and has developed an unique faith in holy spirits and a worldview of its own.

Their artistry, in particular, has gained high appraisal.

Well known among them are an instrument called the didgeridoo that produces a unique deep-low tone and their paintings that are brightly colored. Aboriginal art is so popular that many counterfeits are marketed. Quite a few tourists may have ended up buying such counterfeits. An unique hunting gear known as the boomerang is one of the greatest discovery of the Aborigines.

The Aborigines are also known for its wall paintings on holy mountains and in caves dating back to the old times.

Ancient wall paintings are often compared with those of Lascaux in Europe or with the one drawn by Cro-Magnon men in Altamira and many times, spirituality of those paintings are held in high regards. But such high spirituality of aborigines who had been drawing wall paintings way before Cro-Magnon men did are hardly known to the world. The oldest wall paintings known to the public are the one discovered in Chauvet cave in South France that dates back 32,000 years and the one recently announced on Novvember 2000 that was discovered in a cave in Northern Italy dating back some 32,000 to 35,000 years.

But a part of the wall painting discovered in Kakadu National Park in Australia is thought to date back more than 35,000 years. Undoubtedly one of the oldest. This signifies that one of the characteristics of humanity, to apprehend such abstract concept of art, has developed spontaneously within Australia. Furthermore, it is conceivable that humanity originated in Australia.

Aborigines were not accepted as Australian until the 1960s. But now, policies to protect and secure aborigine's rights are now under process by the Australian government..

But under such Australian policies, many aborigines are leading dispossessed lives. Guaranteeing aborigine's right is, in fact, an important policy. But when the present-day population benefits from the guarantees of the past, idleness often fills them. America and other countries also face the same dilemma.

Not many can cite the unequivocal characteristics of aborigines except for the image that they are dark skinned indigenous people of Australia. But other than this dark skin, no similarities can be found with the neighboring Melanesians or with the African Negroes. In fact, they could be distinguished from all the other races. Surprisingly, many aborigines, the children in particular, are blond.

Generally speaking, aborigines are often distinguished from other races and are classified as Australoid. Linguistically, aborigines are also completely different from the neighboring Austronesians and Austroasians.

In anthropology, the existence of the aborigine is a great mystery. How and when they arrived in Australia is yet to be determined.

Some researchers point out its links with the Veddas of Sri Lanka, but nothing is certain. However, if, in time immemorial, some aborigines landed in Sri Lanka via sea routes, then the legend of Terra Australis may have been passed on through them.

Translated by Rie Ishida