The Aboriginal Incursion

On Monday, most of the Aboriginal students in ‘Koori Club’ went on an incursion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait study. This incursion taught us a lot of things about culture. From learning a dance about throwing spears left, right and centre, the incursion, I can say at least, was a success at educating us, and giving us a fun time.

Whilst we learnt about throwing spears and looking at weapons, we also learnt how to make clay body paints (That wash off in water), learnt our origins and received didgeridoos. The person guiding the incursion, Chris, also told us a more in depth story of the history of the original owners of the land, akin to the year 7 curriculum. About how Aborigines were treating the British with hospitality, about a man defending the land and getting shot, but still standing.

Apparently, for the first 10 years of a boy’s life in Australia, they grew up in a woman’s camp, where they learnt the taboo’s, the good food from the poisonous ones and how to cook. Then, they would spend 10 years in a man’s camp, where they would learn how to hunt and how to defend themselves. All while seeing their family, then, after they graduate from the man’s camp, they would get their first axe, made of a soft bark, string made of the bark and kangaroo poo mixed with other ingredients for glue. After that everything else was made by themselves. If that doesn’t show capability, then there just isn’t capability in this world.

The quirky side of the culture is its beliefs. Apparently, a tree has two spirits residing inside it, and they still live inside it even if the tree itself is killed. The natural way to bury someone in the times of the 1700’s for Aboriginal people was cremating, and then they would bury them. Well, when the British settled in the country and found aborigines, the Aborigines thought that the British were ghosts, so when they came they would put their defence up, but then ignore them. A common way of dealing with the ghosts back then was just ignoring them. Now that’s something to take home.

Overall, from the collective of Koori Club, we can say, from learning about Aboriginal culture, we had an excellent time! Thank you Chris, Ms. Camden and everyone else who was involved. And thank you for reading!

DJ Nagle