Class Reflection (6)

Indigenous people of Australia, or otherwise known as the Australia Aborigines. They are the world's most ancient living culture, having a continuous history of at least 50, 000 years. Currently, they make up about 2.7% of the Australia's population. The majority of them live in the south-east of Australia, centred along the Murray River.

The Aborigines were mainly hunters or gatherers, having a unique knowledge of the land and its seasons. They moved about in groups as the seasons change. At the start of the European settlement, Aborigines had over 250 languages, but these languages are now in danger of becoming obsolete, with around 15 of the languages still in use. Each tribe had their own specific language.

Also, the early Aborigines are observed to be naked. The men and women of different tribes only worn belts made of animal fur, hair skin or fiber around their middle to enable them to carry weapons and tools efficiently. This, compared to the modern world, where people are fully clothed shows the differences in our way of living.

The diet of the Aborigines are mainly berries, plants, eggs and insects. They go around to hunt for food and lived near resources that include rivers or the seas, building canoes from the barks and trunks to aid them in fishing. This suggest that they rely on the practice of catching and hunting for their food supply instead of cultivating rice field and padi like the society we live in.

The culture of their people is very different from us. They lead simple lives and enjoy simple entertainment compared to us, who cannot live in a world without the use of technology. The various indigenous Australian communities developed unique musical instruments and folk styles. The didgeridoo. which is widely known to be a stereotypical instrument of Aboriginal People, was traditionally played by only the people of the earstern Kimberley region and Arnhem Land, and then only by the men. They used clapping sticks to maintain rhythm for songs. The melodies, tunes, harmonies and rhythms of Aboriginal music included traditional ceremonial songs that were handed down from generation to generation, which is very meaningful to them. Another form of culture was dancing with the music and movement that imitated the animal movements, hunting prowess, battles or ceremonies of initiation that had

been conducted for thousands of years.

In conclusion, the Aborigines were highly traditional people. Aboriginal Australia is a living legacy of spiritual knowledge, understanding of land, culture, people and the connectedness of all things shared through rituals, art, dance, music, secret stories and journeys into the mysteries known as Dreamtime, the time when ancestral spirits came to Earth and created the landforms and all life. The landscape today is a map of the spirits, journeys and stories created thousands of years ago to describe these journeys are the same that you will hear today.

According to Aboriginal belief, the spirit ancestors of the land and its people descended from the sky, emerged from the earth or sprang from waterways. These ancestral spirits possessed supernatural powers, enabling them during the Dreamtime of the worlds creation to change into human, animal or other forms. Thus , they do not want to have a switch of lifestyle as they respect their religion very much. They lead simple lives with a tight family kinship which is not has commonly known in the society today. I really respect the Aborigines for their determination to survive and the means that they took to ensure that their culture is alive :)

Class Reflection (5)

Sorry for very late post .

On thursday March 3 2011, we had our Geography lesson and it was on the topic about the functions and uses of the Forests. I cannot imagine that just a typical forest has actually so many hidden resources behind it. It was very interesting ! They can help maintain the water supply, nutrients in the soil and even replenish oxygen and remove carbon dioxide. Forests are also known as a habitat for flora and fauna , protecting the coast and provide useful materials for people. It even allows for recreation activities and research and education purposes.

There are so many functions and uses that i learnt of only today ! In the past, when teachers were talking about the subject of protecting the forests to maintain human survival, i did not truly cared about it. But now, i finally realised the importance of the forests around us.

Next, we also learnt about the forests playing an important role in the water cycle. The leaves and branches of the trees helps reduce the impact of falling water to prevent the decrease of surface runoff. I also just learnt that quality of water is affected by the area which it is found. Compared to an urban area, the water in forested area is much cleaner and purer as the soil found in forested areas help in filtering the impurities found in rainwater by trapping them in their pore spaces. I can actually support this fact as i have tried the water found in a small river in the forest during KOREF ! It was really tasty and refreshing !

This cannot happen in places where we are living in as the concrete surfaces found in urban ares does not help to fliter the impurities. One more interesting fact is that mangrove forests can help in reducing the impact of natural disasters ! They absorb most of the wave impact and thus can help in saving the lives of many people who are living in areas when tsunamis often take place.

I'm looking forward to the next geography lesson to learnt more about the cool advantages of Forests ! :):)