Cultural collision
Maps can tell us a lot about how people see their country. Modern maps of Australia show state boundaries and borders, whereas maps drawn by Aboriginal people tell their country's stories, good food sources and water holes.
In Early Contact students handle a range of Indigenous and non-Indigenous objects to explore the two vastly different cultures and discuss the impact of early European settlement upon Indigenous Australians.
Details
| Year levels | 3–6 |
| Group size | 30 students – two groups can run concurrently |
| Duration | 75 minutes |
| Cost | $5 per student |
| Availability | Tuesday–Friday at 10am, 12pm, 3pm |
| Curriculum links |
Australian History curriculum links to our programs (178kb PDF) |
Aims
- Give students an opportunity to handle objects that show how Aboriginal people lived before 1788.
- Facilitate students' exploration of Indigenous and European cultures and help them to understand the impact of early contact between the two cultures.
Structure
- Introductory activity – through discussion, the investigation of maps and objects, students discover how Indigenous people lived before early European settlement and the changes that occurred after contact.
- Gallery activity – students visit specific areas in the First Australians gallery and draw objects that show changes in the ways Indigenous people lived both before and after European colonisation.
- Reflection – students gather to discuss the objects they found and how they have changed since European colonisation.
Exploring the Museum
You may like to allow extra time to visit other exhibitions and to explore other places in the Museum, such as Circa and Kspace. For everything you need to know about visiting, see Plan and book a visit.
Related resources
These classroom activities might be useful in your classroom.
You may also be interested in the following teacher resources:
- How did Aboriginal Australians Resist British Colonisation? – using four case studies this unit of work explores how Aboriginal people reacted to the British colonisation of Australia
- Yiwarra Kuju: The Canning Stock Route – an education kit investigating the impact of the Canning Stock Route on Aboriginal people through paintings.
or these interactives:
- Saibai Island Canoe – catch a fish from your own canoe for a traditional Torres Strait Islander feast
- Mystery Object: Torres Strait Islands – use the clues to discover what the mystery object is.
You can also see the full list of resources related to Indigenous Australia.