The first inhabitants of the Australian continent were the Aborigines. They are also called native Bushmen. The peoples of Australia form an independent Australoid race. They occupy the mainland and nearby islands. Ethnographers distinguish two large groups. Representatives of one occupy continental lands. The descendants of another family live in an archipelago located in the Torres Strait.
Aborigines
The people of Australia have a lot in common. Bushmen have dark skin, large features. With Europeans, they are related by growth. The islanders account for about two percent of the indigenous population. A small part of the inhabitants of the strait consider themselves Melanesians. The rest call themselves Aboriginal.
Historical background
The ancestors of modern aborigines appeared on the mainland about fifty thousand years ago. Scientists believe that the first Australians arrived on the continent by sailing from Asia. Bushmen settled near reservoirs with fresh water. They gathered edible mushrooms, berries and fruits and were skilled fishermen and hunters.
As soon as the tribe grew, it was divided into several families. Young Bushmen moved away from their relatives in search of new places rich in living creatures. So the peoples of Australia spread throughout the continent. Unusual landscape and other climatic conditions awaited them in new lands. The tribes had to adapt to the inevitable changes. Their way of life changed, and after it their appearance.
Some Bushmen got open savannahs. Others have occupied the territory of the mangrove forests. The third went to the swamps. The tribes inhabited deserts and coral shallows, water meadows and lake shores, subalpine foothills and tropical jungles.
Resettlement
At the end of the 17th century, colonies of Europeans began to appear on the continent, which began to push the indigenous peoples of Australia. It is believed that at that time about four hundred thousand natives lived on the mainland. But this figure raises a lot of doubts. According to unofficial data, the number of Bushmen exceeded one million people. The decline in the local population was due to the epidemics that the Europeans brought with them. Unfamiliar diseases have increased the death rate of the natives at times.
According to the descriptions compiled by the colonists, the indigenous inhabitants of Australia occupied territories located in the north and in the region of large rivers. They led a nomadic lifestyle. Basically, they did not leave their territories, but during the days of trade exchange they met on neutral lands. In 1788 there were about five hundred large tribes. Each family spoke their own language.
Current situation
At the moment, the number of natives is rapidly increasing. This is due to the high birth rate. In 1967, the indigenous people of Australia became full citizens, they were assigned all the rights listed in the constitution. Today, the state governments are introducing laws that secure the lands of the reservations to the Bushmen. They are subject to self-government.
A large number of natives speak the Yolngu Matha language. For them, local television broadcasts special channels that are aimed at representatives of national communities. In 2010, cycles of educational television programs were launched. The lessons are devoted to the study of the dialects of the peoples of Australia and Oceania. At the same time, the main broadcast is still conducted in English.
Indigenous celebrities include performer Jessica Mauboy and actor David Gulpilil, writer David Yunaipon and painter Albert Namatjira, professional soccer player David Wirrpanda and TV presenter Ernie Dingo.
Ethnographers distinguish the following types of national groups inhabiting the territory of the continent:
- barrinoid;
- Carpentarian;
- Murray.
Barrinoid group
The tribes of this family live in the tropical thickets of the mainland and occupy the lion's share of the forests of Queensland. This type shares many features with the Melanesian group. Aboriginal height is low, barely reaching 157centimeters. Representatives of the barrinoid type are distinguished by very dark, swarthy skin. They have brown eyes and black curly hair. Beard and mustache grow poorly. The nose of the natives has a concave shape. The teeth of the representatives of this group are small and rare, but some natives suffer from macrodontia.
Natives of these tribes can be found today in major cities of Australia and on reservations. Barrinoids have comparatively large heads with a minimum width of the frontal zone. The eyebrows are poorly developed, and the face itself is narrow and elongated. Cheekbones not pronounced enough.
Carpentarian group
Representatives of this type are common in the northern part of the mainland. Aborigines are distinguished by rich and almost black skin color. They are tall and lean in build. In the large cities of Australia, the descendants of this family are rare. They choose quiet and secluded places in the Arnhem Land area and on the lands of Cape York.
The forehead of the Carpentarians has an average slope. But the eyebrows are strongly pronounced. They are powerful and sometimes merge into a single roller. Aborigines have large teeth. The hair is usually wavy. The hairline on the body and face of the Bushmen is medium. Ethnographers divide the Carpentarian group into two families. The Aboriginal people living in the Arnhem Land area are different from their relatives who have occupied Cape York. The first are tall and stately, the second are more like the Papuans. The blood of the tribes occupying the Cape York Peninsula contains admixtures of families belonging to the Murray and Barrinoid types.
Murray Group
Scientists are still arguing about what peoples inhabit Australia. This question raises many doubts. The life and history of the tribes have not been sufficiently studied. This is due to the disunity of families, many of which are still isolated from civilized society. As for the Murray type, people belonging to this group occupy the lands in the south of the continent.
They have a relatively light skin tone. There are natives with straight hair. Curly curls are observed in those groups that live in the vicinity of the Victoria Desert. This is explained by the admixture of Tasmanian blood. They actively grow mustaches and beards. Their appearance is closest to that of a European.
The Bushmen have a wide forehead and a big head. The bridge of the nose is characterized by a straight profile. Aborigines have very large teeth. All Murrays are carriers of macrodontia. The slope of the forehead is maximum for Australian Aborigines.
The lower jaw is wide, the development of the brow is not as expressive as in the Carpentarians. The face is high and oblong. The height of the average Murray is 160 centimeters. Since there is not enough anthropological information, the description of the ethnic composition of Australia cannot be called exhaustive.
Central Region
Australians of English descent are rare visitors to this part of the continent these days. This is the least explored area. It is still inhabited by Aboriginal tribes, which have not yet been assigned to any type. Bushman skull of medium length. The forehead is narrow and high. The face cannot be called round or wide. But the nose is massive. distinctivethe peculiarity of the representatives of these tribes is the birth of blond children.
Over time, their curls become darker, but among women there are blondes. Men are tall, well-developed chest, strong physique.
West
The appearance of the natives living in the west of the continent is somewhat different from the appearance of their neighbors. They have an elongated skull, a narrow face with a strong superciliary relief. The nose is set low, which visually makes the shape of the face appear wider.
Oceania
The peoples inhabiting the Australian part of the island archipelago are represented by Melanesians and Papuans. The former are distinguished by dark skin color. The tribes use different language dialects and are highly divided. Most Melanesians are engaged in agriculture. But there are those who travel the sea. They plow the ocean, moving away from their native shores for vast distances.
The vast majority of the inhabitants are converted to the Catholic and Protestant faiths. This is the result of the long work of Christian priests who arrived in Oceania along with the colonists.
Papuans sailed to the shores of Australia from Asia. The migration took place about forty-five thousand years ago. This ethnic group consists of several hundred tribes. The Papuans are engaged in gardening, sometimes they are engaged in fishing. Aborigines belong to a certain type by their clothes.
As such, the leaders of the Papuan tribes do not. All issues are decided by adult men who have a high position in the group.
