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An Introduction to Indigenous Australia

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Part of the World Archaeological Congress Cultural Heritage Manual Series book series (WACCHMS)

Abstract

The invasion of Australia by the British in 1788 is often portrayed as the beginning of the end of Indigenous cultures, but such colonial misconceptions should be seriously rethought. Today, it is clear that these cultures have survived. While they have undergone radical change in many parts of the country. Indigenous Australians have drawn upon the flexibility and strengths inherent in their cultures to ensure their on-going survival. The outcome has taken different shapes in different parts of the country, in the same way that Indigenous cultures had different shapes prior to contact with Europeans. The result is a diversity of Aboriginal Australian cultures in the present, as there was a diversity of these cultures in the past.

Keywords

  • Aboriginal People
  • Torres Strait Islander
  • Language Group
  • Aboriginal Study
  • Australian Institute

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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(2007). An Introduction to Indigenous Australia. In: Digging It Up Down Under. World Archaeological Congress Cultural Heritage Manual Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-35263-3_2

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