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 explore a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander objects to help them understand how people lived in Australia before European settlement and how Indigenous cultures have evolved and adapted since 1788. This program provides all students with the opportunity to use a digital camera and all photographs will be supplied for follow-up classroom activities.
Details
| Year levels | 5–12, or 6–12 in Qld, WA and SA |
| Group size | 80 students |
| Duration | 2 hours |
| Cost | $6 per student |
| Availability | Tuesday–Friday at 10am, 12pm, 3pm |
| Curriculum links |
Australian History curriculum links to our programs (178kb PDF) |
Aims
- Encourage students to explore objects that show how Indigenous peoples lived before European settlement and how they have continued to evolve and adapt since 1788.
- Facilitate students' discussion of aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture including identity, diversity and spirituality.
Structure
- Introductory activity – students investigate a number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander objects, considering what the objects are and how they are used – past and present.
- Gallery activity – working in groups, students explore the First Australians gallery and photograph objects which illustrate an aspect of Indigenous Australians' living culture.
- 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.