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2 Australia Before 1788

Living with the land

A boriginal people have lived all over Australia. This chapter tells some of the stories of Aboriginal groups throughout Australia. Living off the Land The Aborigines moved through their lands as the climate and seasons changed. This way of life is called semi- nomadic. They usually traveled in families or clans. Everyone hunted or gathered food. Children were taught how to find food by the adults. The Aborigines knew which plants and animals could be eaten, how to find and catch them, and how to prepare them for eating. Medicines, clothing, shelters, weapons and tools were all made from plants and animals.

Sometimes the search for food only took two or three hours a day, but in dry countryside it could take much longer. The Aborigines carefully farmed their plants. They scattered seeds and introduced new plants from similar landscapes elsewhere in Australia. They harvested some plants and replanted others to make sure that they would survive the harsh climate. They also prepared food so that it could be stored for the winter or when there was no rain to grow new plants. T his is a nineteenth-century photograph of a group of Aborigines in southern Australia. These people have probably painted themselves especially for the photographer. It is also likely that the photographer made the women wear European dresses.

T his is a witchetty grub. Aborigines eat these grubs both raw and cooked. Raw witchetty grubs taste like butter and cooked witchetty grubs taste like pork.

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