GETTING TO KNOW ABORIGINAL CULTURE; PART ONE

The task below is as an alternative to the textbook for familiarizing pupils with different sides of Aboriginal culture. For the sake of ease in finding source material, I said pupils didn´t need to take into consideration the different climatic and geographical areas of Australia. However, this is a definite weakness to this task in its current form.

A list of links that pupils can use is included after the task. Currently not all the links here are made by Indigenous people.

Part two of this task (can be found in the menu) contains the cards to be used in parts B and C. Part two also suggests a way of presenting this task, and a number of questions for reflection after the pupils have completely finished the task.

TASK

GETTING TO KNOW ABORIGINAL CULTURE

kangaroo

You and three friends have been stranded in the middle of the Australian outback. Fortunately for you, one of your friends comes from an Aboriginal family and has learnt Aboriginal knowledge that will enable you to survive in the outback and meet a number of different crises.

It takes you five days to reach a settlement. In the mean time you need to find your way across the outback, find food and survive different challenges. Makes notes on how you resolve each part of the task. Afterwards you will have to explain to others what you chose to do and why.

Use the links provided to find information about this aboriginal knowledge.

PART A

What happened that you ended up stranded? Give brief information, but don’t spend too long on this – this is not the focus!
Describe the area where you have ended up.
The first things you need are food and somewhere to sleep. Use the links to find out what you can eat and where you can sleep.

PART B

You wake up the next morning and one of your group is worried… Choose one of the cards from your teacher to find out what he/she is worried about and find out what you can do about it, using aboriginal knowledge

PART C

You have spent three days now in your area and you are getting bored and have started to argue with each other. You decide to learn an aboriginal cultural form to pass the time. Your aboriginal friend is an expert and decides to teach you. Choose one of the cards from your teacher to find out what your friend teaches you.

PART D

After four days, you realise that rescue is not on its way and you will have to find your own way out of the outback. Your aboriginal friend uses traditional techniques to guide you across the land –tracking and songlines. Use the links to find out about these.

Exactly five days after you were stranded, you enter a small settlement and are flown back to Sydney for a medical check-up by the flying doctor service.

LINKS

PART A LINKS

Aboriginal bush foods

http://www.mbantua.com.au/bush-tucker/

Making a humpy (an aboriginal shelter)

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/23130901

PART B LINKS

Aboriginal meteorology (there is lots of information in the sites below, but you will have to click around on it to find it)

http://www.bom.gov.au/iwk/climate_culture/prec-heritage.shtml

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthnews/3301595/Australia-taps-Aboriginal-weather-knowledge.html

Medicine from the Bush

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/history-culture/2011/02/top-10-aboriginal-bush-medicines/