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Indigenous life before and after 1788

How many years have Indigenous peoples been living in Australia? What was it like for Aboriginal people before European settlement?

In A Living Culture students handle and explore a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander objects to help them understand how peoples lived in Australia before European settlement and the ways in which Indigenous cultures have evolved and adapted since 1788. This program provides students with the opportunity to use a digital camera to photograph objects that illustrate an aspect of Indigenous Australians' living culture. All photographs will be available on our website for follow-up classroom activities.

Details

Aims

• Consider how Indigenous cultures have adapted and evolved since 1788.
• Discuss aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture including identity, diversity and spirituality.

Structure

1. Introductory activity – students investigate a number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander objects, considering what the objects are and their use – both in the past and present.
2. Gallery activity – working in groups, students explore the First Australians gallery and photograph objects that represent an aspect of Indigenous Australians' living culture.
3. Reflection – students gather to discuss their selected images and how they might be used for further research and reflect on the continuing cultures of Australia's Indigenous peoples.

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 activity ideas might be useful in your classroom.

You may also be interested in the following teacher resources:

• Extremes: Survival in the Great Deserts of the Southern Hemisphere – an education kit investigating how people, plants and animals have adapted to Australia's central deserts
• 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.