As soon as the Dutch set foot on the coast of Australia, which was at that time the western southern land, they immediately appeared before them representatives of the oldest civilization on the planet- Australian Aborigines.
To guests from Europe, the indigenous inhabitants of the mainland treated with extreme caution. Especially the natives of Australia began to resent when curious sailors from Europe frequented the lands of the Green Continent. So who are the Aborigines of Australia and what was their way of life?
Typical appearance of an Australian aborigine
One of the versions says that the first inhabitants appeared in Australia about 50 thousand years ago.
But some researchers and scientists claim that people lived in Australia and 70 thousand years back when New Guinea and Tasmania had not yet separated from the mainland.
The first inhabitants of Australia arrived on the Green Continent by sea. Where exactly they immigrated to this day is unknown.
The Australian Aboriginal way of life remained over forty thousand years unchanged. If the Europeans had not begun to develop these remote lands, indigenous people Australia would not have known for a long time what writing, radio and television are.
The aborigines of the mysterious and magical outback of Australia still adhere to their long-standing traditions and habits. These people can be called real representatives primitive way of life.
The photo shows Aboriginal rituals Australia:
This arid and barren area is now home to 17% of the Aboriginal people who live in Australia. The largest settlement is 2500 people.
Qualified medical care began to be provided here only, since 1928. Also, there are no educational establishments and children are taught by radio.
What do the Bushmen of Australia look like?
A dark-skinned man with a lush shock of curly hair, a convex facial part of the skull, and a wide base of the nose - that's what it looks like typical native Australia.
Characteristic physique Bushmen(as the indigenous population of the mainland is called) is rather frail, but at the same time, the Bushmen of Australia are athletic and have well-developed muscles.
A photo Australian bushmen:
10 % The dark-skinned Aborigines who lived in the Solomon Islands northeast of Australia had blond hair. Scientists have long argued whether this is due to European expeditions to the southern land.
The conclusion of the researchers suggests that such a seemingly incompatibility of dark skin and blond hair is genetic mutation thousand years ago.
Modern Aboriginals Australia (photo):
The Aborigines of Australia are divided into three races. Most black indigenous population Australia resides today in the province of North Queensland.
Aboriginal Australian body decoration - scarring(a photo):
The tallest natives Australia, which scientists attribute to the third wave of immigrants, live in the north of the mainland. They have a dark coda, and the vegetation on the head and body is practically absent.
But the valley of the largest river of the Green Continent Murray is inhabited by Murray type natives. The population of medium height with thick hair on the body and head, scientists attribute to the second wave of seafaring settlers.
A photo traditional look australian aboriginal weapons boomerang:
Australian Aboriginal language
Before the advent of Europeans on the mainland, the natives spoke in 500 dialects, each language of which was not similar to the other. Today, each indigenous tribe of Australians has its own unique language.
It's important to know! Most of the Australian Aboriginal languages exist orally, as some tribes have not mastered writing.
Melodically, these dialects are not similar to any of the African, European or Asian languages. Today, linguists talk about what Australian aborigines say more than two hundred languages.
Aboriginal dances Australia - imitation of the habits of animals (photo):
Interesting that almost all the inhabitants of the Aboriginal tribes of Australia speak English.
Aboriginal customs in Australia
Australia's sacred mountain Uluru main object of worship Bushmen. The indigenous people of Australia say that this rock is the door between the worlds.
It's important to know! Scientists claim that the shrine of the indigenous people of Australia is more than six million years old.
This mountain is called by different names. So in Europe, Mount Uluru was given the name Ayres or Aires Rock. A very popular type of recreation are sightseeing tours to this unusual natural phenomenon and local shrine.
Attention! More than once, tourists who tried to climb to the top of the mountain died tragically. You should not "flirt" with death in these mysterious places, because it is not in vain that customs exist.
Various rituals that were performed thousands of years ago are still practiced by the indigenous people of Australia near Mount Uluru. Belief says that climbing to the top will lead to the wrath of spirits and ancestors.
The invention of the boomerang and the traditional Aboriginal pipe didgeridoo
Few people know, but boomerang invention owned by the Australians. Only real warriors can manage it.
This art is taught by natives to tourists on the east coast. in Tjapukai.
Culture, life and traditions of the indigenous population of Australia very varied.
So, in the tribes that inhabit the northern regions of the mainland, are popular individual singing with accompaniment percussion instruments. But in the center and in the southern parts of the Green Continent, group singing is popular.
Interesting that a number of Australian Indigenous musical instruments have sacred significance. For example, the magic buzzer of the natives made of stone and wood, with sacral symbols applied. She makes very strange and terrifying sounds.
But the didgeridoo created by nature is spiritual musical bushman instrument. A trunk of bamboo or eucalyptus eaten inside by termites, the length of which is from one to three meters, is still decorated by the indigenous people of Australia with totemic symbolic images.
It's important to know! For many centuries, the natives of the Green Continent knew about the movements of stars and planets thanks to a stone structure that exactly repeats the famous Stonehenge. It is located on the way from Melbourne to Geelong. One hundred huge stone blocks located from half a meter to a meter high indicate exactly the summer and winter solstices, as well as the equinoxes.
Aborigines of Australia are the indigenous population of the Green Continent, which keeps the tradition to this day, customs and even the way of life of people who lived on the mainland thousands of years ago.
Thanks to their culture, you can learn how people lived in Australia before the Europeans arrived on the continent. It must be said that the life of a multinational civilized society significantly different from the way of life of the indigenous people. This is all of Australia!
We invite you to look interesting video about how Australian aborigines demonstrate ritual dances, javelin throwing, an ancient musical instrument - the didgeridoo:
They like to reproach Russia with the fact that it has seized vast territories, they call it the “prison of peoples”. However, if Russia is a “prison of peoples”, then the Western world can rightfully be called a “cemetery of peoples”. After all, the Western colonialists slaughtered, destroyed hundreds of large and small peoples, tribes all over the world, from Europe itself to America, Australia and New Zealand.
In 1770, the British expedition of James Cook on the ship Endeavor explored and mapped the east coast of Australia. In January 1788, Captain Arthur Philip founded the settlement of Sydney Cove, which later became the city of Sydney. This event was the beginning of the history of the colony of New South Wales, and the day of Philip's landing (January 26) is celebrated as a national holiday - Australia Day. Although Australia itself was originally called New Holland.
First Fleet - the name given to the fleet of 11 sailing ships that sailed off the coast of Britain in order to establish the first European colony in New South Wales, brought mostly convicts. This fleet marked the beginning of both the transportation of prisoners from England to Australia, and the development and settlement of Australia. As the English historian Piers Brandon noted: “Initially, some effort was made to select for the transport of convicts who had skills in various areas of English production. But this idea was abandoned because of the number of convicts. Behind the bars on the Thames were so many wretched and destitute members of the human race that they threatened to turn the rotting prison blocks into plague barracks - both figuratively and literally. Most of the convicts sent with the First Flotilla were young laborers who had committed petty crimes (usually theft). Some from the category of "village" and an even smaller number of "townspeople" ... ".
It is worth noting that the British convicts were not hardened killers, such people were immediately executed in England, without further ado. So, for theft, the perpetrators were hanged from the age of 12. In England, for a long time, even vagrants who were caught again were executed. And after that, the Western press likes to recall the real and invented crimes of Ivan the Terrible, the Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire and Stalin's Gulag.
It is clear that such a contingent had to be managed by the appropriate person. Australia's first governor, Arthur Philip, was considered "a benevolent and generous man". He offered to hand over anyone deemed guilty of murder and sodomy to the New Zealand cannibals: "And let them eat him."
Thus, the natives of Australia were "lucky". Their neighbors were mostly British criminals, whom the Old World decided to get rid of. In addition, they were mostly young men without a corresponding number of women.
I must say that the British authorities sent prisoners not only to Australia. To unload prisons and earn hard currency (each person was worth money), the British sent convicts and the colonies of North America. Now the image of a black slave has taken root in the mass consciousness, but there were also many white slaves - criminals, rebels, those who were unlucky, for example, they fell into the hands of pirates. The planters paid well for delivering labor: between £10 and £25 per person, depending on qualifications and physical health. Thousands of white slaves were sent from England, Scotland and Ireland.
In 1801, French ships under the command of Admiral Nicolas Bodin explored the southern and western parts of Australia. After that, the British decided to proclaim their formal ownership of Tasmania and began to develop new settlements in Australia. Settlements also sprang up on the east and south coasts of the mainland. They then became the cities of Newcastle, Port Macquarie and Melbourne. The English traveler John Oxley explored the northeastern part of Australia in 1822, as a result of which a new settlement appeared in the Brisbane River area. The governor of New South Wales in 1826 created the settlement of Western Port on the southern coast of Australia and sent Major Lockyer to the King George Sound in the southwestern part of the mainland, where he founded a settlement, which was later called Albany, and announced the extension of the power of the British king to the entire mainland. The English settlement of Port Essington was founded at the extreme northern point of the continent.
Almost the entire population of the new settlement of England in Australia consisted of exiles. Their transportation from England every year was more and more active. From the founding of the colony to mid-nineteenth century, 130-160 thousand convicts were transported to Australia. New lands were actively explored.
Where did the indigenous people of Australia and Tasmania go? By 1788, the indigenous population of Australia, according to various estimates, ranged from 300 thousand to 1 million people, united in more than 500 tribes. To begin with, the British infected the natives with smallpox, from which they had no immunity. Smallpox killed at least half of the tribes that came into contact with the newcomers in the Sydney area. In Tasmania, diseases brought by Europeans also had the most devastating effect on the indigenous population. Sexually transmitted diseases led many women to infertility, and lung diseases such as pneumonia and tuberculosis, against which the Tasmanians had no immunity, killed many adult Tasmanians.
"Civilized" aliens immediately began to turn the local natives into slaves, forcing them to work on their farms. Aboriginal women were bought or kidnapped, and the practice of kidnapping children with the aim of turning them into servants - in fact, into slaves, was formed.
In addition, the British brought with them rabbits, sheep, foxes, and other animals that disrupted the biocenosis of Australia. As a result, the natives of Australia were brought to the brink of starvation. The natural world of Australia was very different from other biocenoses, since the mainland was isolated from other continents for a very long time. Most of the species were herbivores. The main occupation of the natives was hunting, and the main object of hunting was herbivores. Sheep and rabbits multiplied and began to destroy the grass cover, many Australian species became extinct or were on the verge of extinction. In response, the natives began to try to hunt sheep. This served as a pretext for the mass "hunt" of the whites for the natives.
And then the same thing happened with the natives of Australia as with the Indians of North America. Only the Indians, in their mass, were more developed and warlike, having put up more serious resistance to the newcomers. Australian aborigines could not offer serious resistance. Australian and Tasmanian natives were rounded up, poisoned with poisons, driven into the desert, where they died of hunger and thirst. The white settlers gave the natives poisoned food. The white settlers hunted the natives like wild animals, not considering them human. The remnants of the local population were driven into reservations in the western and northern regions of the mainland, the least suitable for life. In 1921, there were already only about 60 thousand natives.
In 1804, English settlers colonial troops began a "black war" against the natives of Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land). The natives were constantly hunted, hunted down like animals. By 1835 the local population was completely liquidated. The last surviving Tasmanians (about 200 people) were resettled on Flinders Island in Bass Strait. One of the last full-blooded Tasmanians, Truganini, died in 1876.
"Niggas" in Australia were not considered people. Settlers with a clear conscience poisoned the natives. In Queensland (Northern Australia) late XIXвека невинной забавой считалось загнать семью «ниггеров» в воду с крокодилами. During his stay in North Queensland in 1880-1884. Norwegian Karl Lumholz noted such statements of local residents: “Blacks can only be shot - you can’t communicate with them in any other way.” One of the settlers remarked that this was a "cruel... but... necessary principle." He himself shot all the men he met on his pastures, "because they are cattle-killers, women - because they give birth to cattle-killers, and children - because they will be cattle-killers. They don't want to work and are therefore not good for anything but getting shot."
Among the English farmers flourished trade in native women. They were purposefully hunted down. A 1900 government report noted that "these women were passed from farmer to farmer" until "they were eventually thrown out like rubbish, left to rot from venereal diseases."
One of the last documented Aboriginal massacres in the Northwest took place in 1928. A missionary who wanted to investigate Aboriginal complaints witnessed the crime. He followed a police squad heading to the Forest River Aboriginal Reservation and saw the police capture an entire tribe. The prisoners were shackled, building the back of the head in the back of the head, then all but three women were killed. After that, the bodies were burned, and the women were taken with them to the camp. Before leaving the camp, they also killed and burned these women. The evidence collected by the missionary led the authorities to launch an investigation. However, the police officers responsible for the massacre were never brought to justice.
Thanks to such methods, the British destroyed in Australia, according to various estimates, up to 90-95% of all Aborigines.
Residents of each country have a particular mentality. different habits, different character and different rules behavior... This is what distinguishes the Japanese from the Chinese, the Americans from the British, the Ukrainians from the Russians. Every nation has its own rich story, which is rooted in the depths of time and forms the appearance modern man. Who were the indigenous people of Australia and who lives in the country now? More about this.
The first mention of the Australian continent dates back to the 17th century, but it was explored only a hundred years later - in 1770, James Cook landed on the shore with an expedition. It is from this moment that the European history of the state begins. 18 years later, on January 26, 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip set foot on the shores of the continent, who founded the first settlement, Sydney Cove. This date is still great holiday in the country and is celebrated as Australia Day.
The history of the settlement of the continent cannot be called romantic: the first settlers were English prisoners, for whom there was simply no place in prisons. They, led by Captain Arthur Phillip, began the development of Australia in late XVIII century.
Already after 100 years, the group of prisoners has grown to a fully mature society. Immigration was in full swing, wishing to live on the "new continent" flocked from all over the world. Australia became a full-fledged participant in the economic life of Great Britain, and meat and wool were even exported from there.
The authorities tried to impose restrictions on those entering on a racial basis: at one time, Asians were forbidden to immigrate here. But the restrictions did not bring results, so the audience crept up motley. Most visitors are of Asian, New Zealand, English origin.
Of course, it is impossible to fit the history of the formation of an entire nation into one small article. If you are interested in how the British colonized the continent, we advise you to watch this documentary film made by Australians about Australians.
From the moment the British settled, the problems of the indigenous inhabitants of Australia began. Initially, the number was, according to various sources, from 300 thousand to 4 million people, but with the appearance on the mainland of not the most intelligent Englishmen with a criminal record, the number of aborigines began to decline sharply.
Indigenous people of Australia: how did the most ancient civilization fall?
So who were the masters of the continent before Arthur Phillip appeared on it? The indigenous people of Australia are also called Bushmen. There is a theory according to which the Bushmen are the oldest people on Earth. Civilization has more than 70 thousand years! The indigenous inhabitants of Australia are divided into three separate types; at the time of the landing of Europeans, more than 500 languages were spoken on the continent. The main occupations of the Australians were hunting, gathering, construction.
The indigenous people of Australia belong to the race of the same name - Australoids, their facial features are appropriate: dark skin (but lighter than that of Negroids), wide nose, lush hair, very dark and curly
The natives also had a religion, according to which God is nature and all the phenomena that surround a person. Mountains, trees, water are sacred things in which the spirit of mighty gods is hidden.
How does the indigenous population of Australia live today?
The paradox is that Aboriginal descendants could not be Australian citizens until 1967. Until that time, they lived in special reservations - villages, where access to outsiders was closed. They were not taken into account even in the census. Only half a century ago, the indigenous people of Australia received the right to choose their place of residence and move around the country. Not all, however, left the reservation. Moreover, some of them never came to civilization. About ten thousand descendants of the ancient Australoids still live without knowing the written language, of English language, modern technology.
Most of the natives have dispersed throughout the country, you can meet them in any city. Some work in the field of tourism: they entertain tourists with excursions to fake tribes or real reservations, in which the way of life and way of historical times has been preserved.
As souvenirs, you can buy a variety of gizmos, allegedly made by the hands of the natives. In fact, truly authentic things rarely come across; usually, under their guise, an ordinary village “mass market” is sold. We wrote an article about what souvenirs to buy in the country. Some of them may be no less interesting. Check out the list of the best souvenirs from Australia.
Not far from Australia, in New Zealand there are also aborigines. They are called Maori, which translates as "natural, real." These tribes are remembered as brave people, defending their rights like no other.
Unfortunately, among the natives who moved to large cities, there are many representatives of the marginal segments of the population. A large percentage of the crimes committed in the country are accounted for by them; among the descendants of ancient people, alas, there are often drug addicts and drinkers.
Modern inhabitants of Australia: who are they?
The locals of Australia are full of various types, colors of skin and eyes. This picture is completely unusual for a tourist from Russia, because in our country we see only people who look like us. Everything is mixed up here, therefore, no matter how you look, you will never catch a single sidelong glance on yourself. For the same reason, representatives of different faiths peacefully coexist in the country. Religions distributed in the following way: 26% of the local population of Australia - Protestants, 19% - Catholics, the rest - less than 5%.
In the country, by local standards, very cheap food. This played a cruel joke on the inhabitants: obesity is very common on the sunny continent.
The number of local residents of Australia is just over 24 million people. This data is for 2016. By 2030, an increase of up to 28 million is expected. The birth rate here is the highest in the world: for every woman, on average, there are 1.9 children. Average life expectancy is also one of the highest - more than 80 years. The majority of Australians are, of course, immigrants from England. Followed by visitors from New Zealand and Italy. There are very few indigenous people in Australia, less than 5%.
The largest city in Australia in terms of the number of inhabitants is Sydney, but there are many Asians among them, which is why the city cannot be called prosperous and comfortable for life.
Nevertheless, there is something to see in Sydney, you just need to know where to go. To find out what sights to see in the largest city on the continent, so as not to constantly run into guest workers, read. In it, we have collected the most interesting sights of Sydney.
What do the people of Australia do?
The country has a high standard of living: the purchasing power of an average citizen is $3,000 per month. This means that life is not aimed at making money all the time. Local residents of Australia devote a lot of time to self-development, hobbies, active and passive recreation.
There is no excessive desire to look good. They dress “immaculately” only for work and on important occasions. The rest of the time, because of the hot weather, it is impossible to constantly induce chic.
It's not just about the weather, but also about the mentality: the locals of Australia are about equally well off, so they don't try to prove something to anyone, but just live in pleasure. Accordingly, no one tries to dress pretentiously and expensively. Distinguishing an employee from a millionaire is not easy.
The hobby of the inhabitants of Australia is directly related to environment. Are there many rocks around? Alright, let's get on them! Around the ocean? Just great, grab a surfboard! No snow at all, but tons of sand in the desert? What's the problem, let's invent a snowboard on the sand!
This sport is called "sneedboarding". He proves that the absence of snow is not a hindrance to real extreme sportsmen. The rules are the same as in snowboarding: slide on the board. The only difference is that instead of snow - dunes, and instead of a warm suit - a T-shirt and shorts.
Another Australian hobby gambling and jumps. It is understandable: when people do not feel a constant lack of money, it is easy to waste them.
The natives of Australia are called the word "ozzy". Or rather, they call themselves that. Being Ozzy means getting lost in the words of the National Anthem, being proud of your beer belly, and giving a damn about what's going on in the rest of the world.
In general, Australians have quite a lot of strange character traits. It is these features that form the rules of conduct in Australia for tourists. So that you know how to behave in this distant country - we have collected all the rules
Roughly speaking, the Universe for Ozzy is limited by the ocean. Where the continent ends, everything that can excite the locals ends. If suddenly you would inform a resident of Australia that many interesting and interesting things are happening outside the continent. important events- most likely, he would have grinned, and bluntly stated that he was not interested. Here, in general, as a rule, they do not stand on ceremony and speak directly, as they are. But the charming simple-hearted Ozzy, nevertheless, does not want to be offended at all for this.
Australia and Oceania are one of the smallest parts of the world, their area is about 9 million km 2, with 7.7 million km 2 falling on the Australian continent, the rest on the island states of Oceania. The population also does not differ in large numbers: about 25 million people, most of them are the population of Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. The composition of the historical and cultural region of Australia and Oceania - the state of Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Caribati, Micronesia, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Fiji.
Australia and the Pacific Islands were explored by European navigators much later than other continents. The name of the mainland Australia is the fruit of the erroneous theory of scientists of the 16th century, who believed that New Guinea, discovered by the Spaniards, and the archipelago of the islands of Tierra del Fuego, discovered by Magellan, are actually the northern spurs of the new mainland, as they called it "the unknown southern land" or in Latin "terra australius incognita".
Conventionally, Oceania is divided into several parts, which are radically different both in culture and in ethnic composition.
The so-called "Black Islands" - Melanesia, islands in the western Pacific Ocean, formerly the mainland of Australia, the largest of them is New Guinea.
The second part, Polynesia or “Many Islands”, includes the southernmost part of the western islands, which is composed of New Zealand, also with a large number of large and small islands randomly scattered in the ocean, resembling a triangle in shape. Its peak in the north is Hawaii, in the east is Easter Island, in the south is New Zealand.
A part called Micronesia or "Small Islands" lies to the north of Melanesia, these are the Marshall Islands, the Gilbert Islands, the Caroline and Mariana Islands.
Indigenous tribes
When European navigators came to this part of the world, they found here tribes of indigenous people who belonged to the Australo-Negroid group of peoples at various stages of development.
(Papuan from New Guinea)
The settlement of the Australian continent and the nearby islands was mainly due to the tribes that came here in search of happiness from Indonesia, as well as from the west of the Pacific Ocean, and lasted for many centuries.
New Guinea settled by settlers South-East Asia belonging to the Australoid race, then this region was overtaken by a wave of migrations several times, as a result, all the descendants of various “waves” of migrations to New Guinea are called Papuans.
(Papuans at present)
Another group of settlers who settled in some part of Oceania, probably belonging to the race of the southern Mongoloids, first came to the island of Fiji, then Samoa and Tonga. Millennium isolation this region formed here a unique and inimitable Polynesian culture, which spread throughout the Polynesian part of Oceania. The population has a motley ethnic composition: the inhabitants of the Hawaiian Islands are Hawaiians, in Samoa - Samoans, in Tahiti - Tahitians, in New Zealand - Maori, etc.
The level of development of the tribes
(European colonization of Australia)
By the time Europeans penetrated the Australian lands, local tribes lived at the level of the Stone Age, which is explained by the remoteness of the continent from the ancient centers of world civilizations. The aborigines hunted kangaroos and other marsupials, gathered fruits and roots, their weapons were made of wood and stone. The most famous device of the Australian Aborigines for hunting game is the boomerang, a sickle-shaped wooden club that flies along a curved path and returns to its owner. The tribes of Australians lived in a tribal communal system, there were no tribal unions, each tribe lived separately, sometimes military conflicts arose over land or for other reasons (for example, because of accusations of insidious witchcraft).
(Modern Papuans in terms of development no longer differ from Europeans, skillfully reincarnated as actors of national traditions)
The population of the island of Tasmania differed in appearance from the Australian Aborigines, they had a darker skin color, curly hair, puffy lips, which made them similar to the Negroid race living in Melanesia. They were at the lowest level of development (Stone Age), worked with stone hoes, hunted with wooden spears. They spent time gathering fruits, berries and roots, hunting. In the 19th century, the last representatives of the Tasmanian tribes were exterminated by Europeans.
The level of technical development of all the tribes that inhabited Oceania was approximately at the same level: they used stone tools, wooden weapons with cut stone tips, bone knives, and seashell scrapers were in use. The inhabitants of Melanesia used bows and arrows, grew agricultural crops, and bred domestic animals. Highly good development received a fishing trade, the inhabitants of Oceania moved well across the sea over long distances, were able to build strong twin boats with floats and wicker sails. Successes were achieved in pottery, in the weaving of clothes and in the construction of household items from plant materials.
(By the middle of the 20th century, the native Polynesians had already merged with the European way of life and modern life societies)
The Polynesians were tall, dark skin with a yellowish tint, curly locks of hair. They were mainly engaged in the cultivation of agricultural crops, the cultivation of various root crops, one of the main sources of food and an excellent material for the manufacture of clothing, household items and a wide variety of devices was the coconut palm. Weapons - clubs made of wood, stone and bone. High level of development of shipbuilding and navigation. In the social system there was a division of labor, division into castes (artisans, warriors, priests), there was a concept of property;
(Also, current Micronesians)
The population of Micronesia was a mixed ethnic group, whose appearance was a mixture of features of the inhabitants of Melanesia, Indonesia and Polynesia. The level of development of the social system is intermediate between the system of the inhabitants of Melanesia and Polynesia: the division of labor, a group of artisans stood out, an exchange was carried out in the form of natural (shells and beads), the famous money of Yap Island - huge stone disks. Formally, the land was common, but in fact it belonged to the tribal nobility, wealth and power were in the hands of the elders, they were called yuroshi. It turns out that the inhabitants of Micronesia did not yet have their own state by the time the Europeans appeared, but they were very close to creating it.
Traditions and customs of local people
(Traditional musical instruments aborigines)
In Australia, each tribe belonged to a certain totem group, that is, each tribe had patrons among representatives of flora and fauna, who were strictly forbidden to kill or eat. The ancient Australians believed in mythical ancestors, who were half people, half animals, in connection with this it was very common to perform various magical rituals, for example, when young men, having passed the test of courage and endurance, became men and received the title of warrior or hunter. The main public entertainment in the life of the Australian Aborigines were ritual holidays with chants and dances. Corroboree is a traditional ceremonial dance of Australian aboriginal men, during which its participants are painted in a certain way and decorated with feathers and animal skins, showing various scenes of hunting and everyday life, mythological and legendary stories from the history of their tribe, thus communicating with the gods and spirits of their ancestors .
In Polynesia, various legends, myths and legends about the creation of the world, various deities and spirits of ancestors are widely developed. Their whole world was divided into a divine or sacred “moa” and a simple “noa”, the moa world belonged to persons of royal blood, rich nobility and priests, for an ordinary person the sacred world was a taboo, which means “specially marked”. Cult temples of the Polynesians under open sky"marae" has survived to this day.
(Geometric patterns and aboriginal ornament)
The bodies of the Polynesians (Maori tribes, residents of Tahiti, Hawaii, Easter Island, etc.) were densely covered with a special geometric ornament, which was special and sacred for them. The very word "tatau", which means drawing, has Polynesian roots. Previously, only priests and respected people of the Polynesian people (only men) could wear tattoos, drawings and ornaments on the body told about its owner, what kind of tribe he was, his social status, occupation, his main achievements in life.
In the culture of the Polynesians, ritual chants and dances were developed, the popular Tahitian dance "tamure" is known all over the world, which is performed by a group of men and women dressed in puffy skirts made from durable fiber of the hibiscus plant. Another famous Polynesian dance "otea", which is recognizable by the luxurious movements of the shaking hips of the dancers.
(Typical housing of local tribes)
The Polynesians believed that people communicate not only on the physical level, but also on the spiritual level, i.e. when meeting people, their souls are still touching, so all the rituals and customs are built in accordance with this statement. Families are very respectful of community foundations, for Polynesians, the concept of a family called “fetia”, which includes a large number of relatives on both sides, can extend to an entire village or village. In such family formations, traditions of mutual assistance and mutual assistance are strong, a joint household is maintained, common financial problems are solved. Polynesian women have a special place in society, they dominate men and are the head of the family.
Most of the Papuan tribes of New Guinea still live, observing the customs of the traditions of their ancestors in large families of up to 30-40 people, the head of the family is a man, he can have many wives. The traditions and customs of the Papuan tribes vary greatly, because there are a very large number of them (about 700).
Modernity
(Coast of modern Australia)
Today, Australia and Oceania are one of the least populated parts of the world. The population density of the Australian continent is 2.2 people / km 2. Australia and New Zealand are states with a resettlement type of population formation. Here, descendants of immigrants from Great Britain mainly predominate, in New Zealand they represent 4-5 of the entire population of the state, it is even called "Britain of the South Seas".
Australian Aborigines live in the central part of Australia on marginal lands. The indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand, the Maori tribes, make up about 12% of all inhabitants of the country. On the skeletons of Polynesia, there is a predominance of the indigenous population: the Papuans and other Polynesian peoples, and the descendants of European settlers, immigrants from India and Malaysia, also live here.
(The current natives do not mind hospitality and are happy to pose for the guests of the mainland)
The modern culture of the peoples of Australia and Oceania, to varying degrees, has retained its originality and uniqueness. On remote islands and territories, where the influence of Europeans was minimal (in the depths of Australia or in New Guinea), the folk customs and traditions of the local population remained practically unchanged, and in those states where the influence European culture was stronger (New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii), folk culture has undergone a significant transformation, and now we can observe only the remnants of the once original traditions and rites.
The ancestors of the people who live in Australia today are mostly immigrants from the UK. The lion's share of them is precisely of Irish or Scottish origin. The main period of settlement was given in the colonization period. The main stream went after the expeditionary activities of J. Cook. The first to want to stay in the farthest corner of the world, in addition to people sent into exile, were officers and soldiers of the British army.
The ancestors of the people who live in Australia today are mostly emigrants from the UK // Photo: world-card.ru
A few years later, colonists arrived in Australia and took up farming. But the largest flow of people was observed in the second half of the nineteenth century. Separate groups of colonists consolidated only in 1901 after the creation of the Commonwealth of Australia. Until now, some differences can be traced between immigrants from different territories of England and Ireland. Religions are also different. Thus, the children of emigrants from England (in its narrow sense) profess predominantly the Anglican faith. The Irish, more precisely the Irish-Australians, are Catholics. The descendants of the Scots are supporters of Presbyterianism. Most of them formed the United Church of Australia at the end of the 18th century.
Emigrants from the UK
In addition to the British, people from Germany and Holland were also sent to Australia. Mass settlement of the once wild lands began in 1788. Around the same period, England began to plant exiled criminals here. They, as a result, founded the port, which was called Jackson. It is known to our compatriot as the city of Sydney.
Settlers founded a port called Jackson // Photo: mp-studio.ru
In the 19th century, sheep breeding reached a fairly large scale in Australia. This factor contributed to people coming here absolutely voluntarily. Since the 1950s, the population of the mainland by the British has been very high. People started coming here after someone found a rich gold deposit. In addition, this was facilitated by the rather unstable situation in the island state. In the decades that have passed since then, the population has almost tripled. Today, the Anglo-Australians number over 1 million people.
European colonialists behaved quite aggressively with the natives. They killed them or turned them into slaves. The rest were pushed back to areas that were unfavorable for existence.
In the 19th century, Australia began to develop, not only agriculture, but also industry. The construction of railways and stations was actively carried out. The paths penetrated absolutely all corners of the mainland. Industrialization proceeded at a rapid pace. All these changes led to this. That the Anglo-Australians have become real natives. The process moved even faster when Australia received dominion status in 1901.
European colonialists behaved quite aggressively with the natives // Photo: infomaniya.com
The next peaks of emigration were observed only during the Second World War, because the UK was one of those countries that was most bombarded. After 1960, when Malaysia and Singapore were granted independence, there was another influx of the British. A little later, immigrants from Africa and Hong Kong began to arrive to the Austro-Australians.