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Listed under:  History  >  World history  >  Aboriginal history
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'Arrival of the mail, Myers Flat diggings', probably 1850s

This is a black-and-white print, measuring 17.7 cm x 21.6 cm, created from a wood engraving. It shows two men seated on a horse-drawn, two-wheeled buggy. Nine miners are gathered by the buggy, awaiting the delivery of letters, reading letters or newspapers and exchanging news. Although not visible on this image, the title ...

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'Garak the Universe - larrakitj', 2005

This is a larrakitj (hollow funeral pole) sculpture created and painted by Yolngu artist Gulumbu Yunupingu. It depicts the universe ('Garak'); not only all the stars that can be seen with the naked eye but everything that exists beyond. The larrakitj is shown here in a colour image that can be enlarged and is accompanied ...

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'The dawn of art', 1880s

This is a set of six drawings by the Aboriginal artists Ilontereba, Mindilpilpil and Billiamook. The set is prominently titled 'THE DAWN OF ART' with smaller text stating that it shows 'Original Sketches and Drawings by Aboriginal Natives of the Northern Territory of South Australia executed without the aid of a master. ...

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1967 and a new activism

How did the yes vote in 1967 change the way laws were made for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people? The struggle for land rights became the focus of the next wave of Aboriginal activists, who gained domestic and world attention by erecting a tent embassy on the lawns of  Parliament House in Canberra. Why was the ...

Interactive

A soldier's war: Gallipoli

This Stage 5 resource looks at the Gallipoli campaign through the eyes of soldiers, nurses and the media. Students examine their diaries and letters as well as considering the nature of the warfare and the tactics involved before producing a documentary of the campaign. The resource will support the introduction of the ...

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ABC News: Mungo man goes home

The discovery of Mungo Man in 1974 rewrote history by revealing that Aboriginal people had been in Australia twice as long as previously thought. Named after the location at which it was found, the skeleton is around 42,000 years old. When discovered in 1974, Mungo Man was moved to a university in Canberra for scientific ...

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ABC News: The Freedom Ride: there's a lot of work to be done

In February 2015 a busload of students and former activists left Sydney to retrace the journey of the original Freedom Riders, who, in 1965, visited northern New South Wales to observe and confront discrimination suffered by Aboriginal people. In this News clip, meet some of the original Riders, along with representatives ...

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ABC Open: Aunty Dorrie and the 'dog licence'

Have you ever heard of the 'dog licence'? This was a Certificate of Exemption, issued by the Aboriginal Welfare Board, that allowed Indigenous Australians to live as part of white Australian society. In order to get one of these, Aboriginal people effectively had to renounce their culture and prove that they were 'respectable'. ...

Downloadable

Aboriginal change makers

Aboriginal history, self-determination and identity are examined in this teaching and learning eBook. The book draws on the lived experience of First Nations peoples drawing on historical record, cultural protocols and community connections to explore perspectives on traditional culture and leadership in the face of colonisation. ...

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Aboriginal Cultures, Ch 1: Introduction to culture with Aunty Julie

What does culture mean to you? We all have a culture we identify with, whether it's linked to our nationality, ethnicity, religious beliefs or language. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culture plays an especially significant role. Why do you think this is? Think about what happened to Aboriginal Country, ...

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Aboriginal science tools: the morah stone

This is an article about morah stones, incised grinding stones from the tropical rainforests of northern Queensland, and how they were used by the local Aboriginal peoples to process toxic starchy seeds and kernels. Written by Kudjala/Kalkadoon Elder from Queensland Letitia Murgha and intended mainly for teachers, it describes ...

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Alf Turner remembers his grandfather, William Cooper, 2008

This is an edited sound recording of Alf Turner, grandson of Indigenous activist William Cooper. Turner describes moving to Melbourne to live with his grandparents in about 1936 in the house then used for meetings of the Australian Aborigines' League (AAL). He recalls Cooper's frustration at the lack of results from the ...

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Archaeology unearths a mass-murder site

Discover a historic site that could reveal new evidence of the first recorded mass murder on Australian soil. The site is Beacon Island, a small island off the coast of Western Australia near present-day Geraldton. In this clip, reporter Mark Bennett visits the island with two members of a 1963 expedition that first investigated ...

Online

Attitudes towards Chinese migrants

Students explore in depth what life was like for Chinese immigrants who travelled to Australia in search of gold through comparison and analysis of images, identification of goldfield locations and examining their local community connections with Chinese people. This learning sequence focuses on Australian attitudes toward ...

Online

Australia as a nation - race, rights and immigration

This is a unit of work about race, rights and immigration in Australia since 1900. It has four teaching and learning sequences that explore: human rights and freedoms; Australian democracy and citizenship and those who advocated for rights through the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; migration to ...

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Australia's first Aboriginal member of parliament

Neville Bonner became Australia's first Aboriginal parliamentarian when he was appointed to represent Queensland in the Senate in 1971. In this clip, Senator Bonner outlines some of his priorities and his response to public expectations as he prepared to take office.

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Australia's heritage, 2009: Wattie Creek

'Wattie Creek' is an episode from the series 'Australia's heritage - national treasures with Chris Taylor', produced in 2009. In the clip, Taylor talks about the Wave Hill walk-off. He asks the viewer to imagine being asked to work for little or no money while being given only flour, sugar and tea for food, and only a tin ...

Online

Australia's Trade through Time

Using an interactive timeline created by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, this Teacher guide provides 12 series of learning experiences that engage students in the analysis and interpretation of data about Australian trade from 1900 to the present day. Students study videos, tables, images and texts in order ...

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Australian Agricultural Company

This is a resource about the Australian Agriculture Company, Australia's oldest company, from its establishment in 1824 to the 20th century. It includes details about the initial purpose of the company, the key figures and families involved, the important decisions and the development of Australia's agriculture industry. ...

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Australian gold diggings, c1855

This is an oil painting measuring 70.5 cm x 90.3 cm, painted about 1855 by Edwin Stocqueler (1829-1895), showing men working on the Bendigo gold field in Victoria. The men are panning, puddling and cradling for gold on both sides of a stream in a tent-dotted valley. The valley is stark, with only a few trees remaining. ...