The origin of Aboriginals in Australia is somewhat unclear and therefore open to dispute. One of the more favoured arguments is that they came from South East Asia during the last great ice age (100,000 - 60,000 years ago). At this time the formation of huge glaciers led to a decrease in the sea level and Australia was also attached to Papua New Guinea.

It is believed that Australia's indigenous people crossed the sea areas in boats of some sort, landing in what was to become their new homeland. This is indeed a plausible explanation, although there is a lack of hard evidence to substantiate these claims.

Certainly the oldest site in the Territory is to be found near Oenpelli. Here there are two sites of interest. 20,000 year old axes were found at Malangangerra, making them amongst the oldest tools in the world. At Malakunanya, evidence of human occupation from as long ago as 50,000 years has been uncovered. Today, the nomadic ways of the Aborigines have disappeared in the modern era.

The Aborigines formed into many different clan groups or communities, becoming hunters and gatherers. They did not develop the use of the written word, instead using dance, song, story telling and rock art to pass on important information from generation to generation. Everything that would have been essential to their survival and way of life would have been passed on in this manner.

Over the many generations of their existence in Australia, they have developed a very unique understanding of the land and how best to acquire necessary food and water sources from it, whilst at the same time preserving it for future generations. Their survival in some of the harshest climates imaginable, like hot and arid Central Australia is excellent evidence of this knowledge.

Prior to the arrival of white Europeans in the area, it is estimated that there were as many as 200 distinct languages spoken by the various Aboriginal communities in Australia, in a total of about 600 dialects. Today about one hundred languages continue to be spoken to some extent.

Obviously the arrival of the Europeans impacted quite severely on the lives of the indigenous people. Despite objectives which officially the British may have started out with, clearly relations with the Aborigines were for the most part not ideal. A pattern of mistrust and misunderstanding developed on both sides.

The early colonists in South Australia had started out with the aim of treating the 'locals' more justly, but this did not last terribly long. By the time the South Australians took charge of the Northern Territory they really had no better idea as to how to handle the Aborigines.

Early European/Aboriginal relations in the Territory were actually quite good, apart from a number of rather unfortunate incidents on Melville Island and at Raffles Bay. This may perhaps be attributed to the fact that these early white visitors did not bring with them pastoralism, mining or other activities initially, which would have disrupted the Aboriginal way of life far more.

Just like in their other colonies around the world, be it Ireland or India, the British failed to learn from various positive or negative experiences how best to deal with the local people of their colonies. They failed to make the connection between the relative peaceful and friendly relations which developed from these early Territory encounters, and how these were initiated.

Thousands of years of living on the land has produced an unequalled knowledge of where and how to get their food and water. They have survived in areas as harsh and unwelcoming as Central Australia with its hot temperatures and aridity. As a last resort during the dry season they learned to use the Cyclorana frog for water by squeezing it. It stores up on water and then burrows itself in the ground until the next rain arrives.

Witchetty Grubs and Perentie are good sources of protein. Amongst the fruit and vegetables that Aborigines have traditionally used in the Centre are Ruby Saltbush, Bush Tomato, and Bush Onions. Aboriginal plant use knowledge has ensured that they have survived from generation to generation.

The Dreamtime has played an absolutely vital role in the lives of Aborigines. Around the area of the Larapinta Trail near Alice Springs it is the Arrernte people who traditionally have lived here. Dreamtime for them incorporates a vision of the world starting out as a featureless place. Powerful spirit beings lived on this earth and travelled around the planet creating all of the natural features which we know of today.

For Aborigines it is their power which puts life into newly born babies, remaining with them all of their life, and returning to the land when they die. The Anangu people of the Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park area derive all of their understanding of the land from what is known as the Tjukurpa. This provides for them an explanation for the origins of life, as well as guiding them in all aspects of life.

Arramurragundji was an ancestor from the Creation Era, relevant for the Aborigines in the Kakadu National Park area. She came out of the sea and carried with her seeds for all sorts of plants including Water Chestnuts, Wild Rice and Water Yams. All of the various floodplains were filled with food and her spirit children were left behind to tell the people which language to speak.

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