There are three areas that I looked forward to learning most about in Australia: the unique animal life: the Aboriginal peoples and their culture; and the world under the sea. So I identified several places to learn about the "first people " here in Melbourne and that is where we started...well almost.
While I had done a fair amount of research in preparation for the trip, I continued to inquire about what to do once we arrived. I learned that Melbourne has a great visitors center. So we headed there to see what they had to say. We could see and hear a great crowd gathered on the steps near the info center.
Once we got near we saw that it was thousands of people gathered to watch OUR Super Bowl on a mega-screen! Here I thought that by going to Australia I might miss some football, but oh no! It followed me! We got there just as the national anthem was beginning...I lost Jack for a little while...at least while I did my research. 
As in the Americas, there were many more than one nation of indigenous people on this continent. In fact there were hundreds and 270 languages were spoken. 
In 1788 the Brits set foot on what is now Australia and felt entitled to lay claim to the land as colonies, they met resistance from many of the nations that already lived there. But many native groups were decimated by small pox and invaders who authored false agreements and stole their property. Later, they enslaved the natives, stole thei children (even as late as the 1970s!) and required them to abandon their language, customs and homes. Being of aboriginal ancestry became something of shame or even danger so most hid their kinship and told any children nothing of their active ancestry. (Incidentally, I read a book by Sally Morgan called ' My Place' that shared many of these stories from her life.)
So many Aboriginals lost their identity because they were removed from their familiies, their communities and essentially brain washed, that much of the focus of this exhibit was on identity. Language, it was noted, is an important part of identity and if you are forced to abandon it (just as was done with Native American children who were taken to the Indian Schools and forced to abandon their language, religion and heritage), one begins to wonder "Who am I, any way." It remiinds me of adopted kids who feel something is missing because they don't know their biological families.
They also showed the adaptation of other artistic traditions, like the patterns below that have historic antecedents and are adapted to modern materials. 
The wall of sticks and shields also showed the use of materials by these peoples. In very beautiful ways..
The contemporary art tells stories from their heritage as well:
We made our way back to the hotel to crash
We discovered to good ways to get around the city: by tram and by $5/person tourist bus. Depending upon the driver, the bus could be not only informative, but amusing. We headed by bus to the Melbourne Museum to the Bunjilaka Cultural center that is part of it. What an amazing experience.
This was the beginning of our appreciation for what the native peoples endured here and the progress to reconcilation that has taken place.
As in the Americas, there were many more than one nation of indigenous people on this continent. In fact there were hundreds and 270 languages were spoken. In 1788 the Brits set foot on what is now Australia and felt entitled to lay claim to the land as colonies, they met resistance from many of the nations that already lived there. But many native groups were decimated by small pox and invaders who authored false agreements and stole their property. Later, they enslaved the natives, stole thei children (even as late as the 1970s!) and required them to abandon their language, customs and homes. Being of aboriginal ancestry became something of shame or even danger so most hid their kinship and told any children nothing of their active ancestry. (Incidentally, I read a book by Sally Morgan called ' My Place' that shared many of these stories from her life.)So many Aboriginals lost their identity because they were removed from their familiies, their communities and essentially brain washed, that much of the focus of this exhibit was on identity. Language, it was noted, is an important part of identity and if you are forced to abandon it (just as was done with Native American children who were taken to the Indian Schools and forced to abandon their language, religion and heritage), one begins to wonder "Who am I, any way." It remiinds me of adopted kids who feel something is missing because they don't know their biological families.A very moving part of the exhibit was a series of videos (see above photo) where individuals told their stories and how they claimed their identity, their sense of family and country and reclaimed their rights to have ownership of themselves and their patrimony.
As in many other museums, the collection of artitfacts was beautiful. But it also represented pieces of a jigsaw puzzle for many Koori people who wanted to learn about their own ancestors and ancestral practices. the feather work here is traiditional. Later we saw contemporary feather work that has adapted this tradition for 21st centruy lives.
They also showed the adaptation of other artistic traditions, like the patterns below that have historic antecedents and are adapted to modern materials. The wall of sticks and shields also showed the use of materials by these peoples. In very beautiful ways..
One of the most amazing exhibits was about the creation story.
After entering a dark, circular room, you notice an object suspended in the center. it begins to move and to be animated with color as voices tell you of the Koori creation story: eagle created earth (and the object looks like an eagle) crow protects it, etc. You lose all sense that this is one object...it seems to evolve. Incredible!
I could go on further about the other exhibits (e.g. the two systems of law that were in conflict during the 18th and 19th centuries (treaty vs. "visa") but perhaps I'll do that later.
We got on to the tram and traveled to the rest end of the city, near the dockyard and found our way to the Koori Cultural Heritage Centre. Oh, I haven't mentioned weather--Sunday was close to 100 degrees F and a bit humid. Monday was a bit cooler and then windy and we had some drizzle.
The Koori people had been on the land of the state of Victoria for thousands of years. Their small, dedicated cultural center has been in existence for a handful of years and captures contemporary art as well as thousands of artifacts from their history. It also captures their history pre-white man and then documents the painful interaction that followed the invasion. two rounds of smallpox in 1789 and 1831 caused great losses to their population. They also had exhibits with photos and quotes of the experience of white people taking their children. One indicated that the practice of taking kids to assimilate them into white life (in institutions) at age 7 or 8 was replaced by taking them as infants because they remembered too much about their former lives if they waited till 7 years of age.
The contemporary art tells stories from their heritage as well:We bought some fabric that was designed by Koori people and an umbrella just in case and went to find some of the famous alleys where we saw street art:
and had a drink at a cafe nearby.
Then, we walked over to Crown Center where we had dinner and played a small amount of black jack.
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