Australian Aboriginal Culture

The Northern Territory is one of the world's most exciting frontiers. Here, there are aboriginal legends and flying doctors, huge cattle stations, and a massive river diversion scheme. Here are awesome gorges and camel farms, crocodile infested rivers, vast deserts, casinos and world class tourist resorts. Territorians are vibrant, outgoing and extra friendly. The Territory is vast and dynamic - some say, "There's no place more Australian". Come outback to Goway's Northern Territory. You'll be amazed...!

THE ABORIGINES:

Forty thousand years ago, long before the Pharaonic age of Egypt, the Aboriginal people lived in Australia. Their culture has given this country of treasure, art, and folklore a period known as the "Dreamtime". According to the "Dreamtime" legends, the country was once a vast feature-less land inhabited by giant spirit creatures. Over time, the spirits made epic journeys across the land, creating mountains, rivers, rocks, animals and plants.
The easiest place to see Aboriginal culture is the Northern Territory, which has by far the greater number of sacred sites and ancient art. The most famous sacred site is Ayers Rock, known by the Aborigines as "Uluru". At the nearby Yulara resort, guides and displays explain features of the region. From Alice Springs you can take tours which show how the local landmarks relate to the "Dreamtime" legends and the skills used by the Aborigines for thousands of years to live in the Outback.

Traditional paintings, carvings, weaving, boomerangs and shields are on display at museums and galleries in every capital city.

 

 

Australian Aboriginal Culture

Australia's indigenous people, the Aborigines, can trace back their culture 50,000 years. Aborigines have survived harsh desert conditions and have a detailed knowledge of the plants, animals and water sources available in the country.
For the traveller who wishes to gain an insight into their culture there are a number of tours hosted by or arranged in conjunction with Aboriginal communities. Many tours feature Aboriginal folklore, the Dreamtime, an epic tale of the land and how it was formed. To keep their folklore alive, the Aborigines re-tell their stories in songs, fables, dances and cave paintings. On many tours cave paintings and stone carvings can be visited.
Bark paintings, fabrics, ceramics, jewellery, clothing and musical instruments can be purchased at gift and souvenir outlets in major cities and some outback areas.
Major Aboriginal areas rich in cultural heritage are Arnhem Land and Uluru in the Northern Territory, Quinkan Reserves and Kuranda in Queensland, Bibbulmun Trek and the Kimberley in Western Australia, Ku-ring-gai Chase and Mootwingee National Parks in New South Wales, Tandanya in Adelaide, South Australia, The Grampians (Gariwerd), Lake Condah Aboriginal Mission in Victoria and Namadgi National Park in the Australian Capital Territory.
It is generally thought that Aborigines have been living on the continent for the last 50,000 years, originally migrating from Indonesia. The oldest skeleton found in Australia was discovered at Lake Mungo in south-west New South Wales, is believed to be 38,000 years old, and bears traces of ceremonial ochre. This is thought to be the oldest sign of ochre use ever discovered.
Unlike most other races, Aboriginals were not cultivators, relying instead on a form of controlled burning of vegetation known as 'fire-stick farming'. They did not develop a sense of land ownership, although Aboriginal children were taught from an early age that they belonged to the land and must respect tribal boundaries. Tribes returned to particular sites to bury their dead. Some areas were designated sacred sites because of their association with the Dreamtime, the time when the earth was formed and cycles of life and nature were initiated.
Aboriginal legends, songs and dances tell of powerful spirits who created the land and people during the Dreamtime. There is no written Aboriginal language and most of the 600 tribes spoke different dialects and languages. They rarely met except on ceremonial occasions. The tradition of the Dreamtime, however, was a unifying force and rock paintings depicting this creation period can be found dotted throughout the country. Some of the most striking and best preserved of these can be viewed at rock galleries in Kakadu National Park and other parts of northern Australia.
The arrival of white people gradually brought an end to the traditional Aboriginal way of life, when settlement began to encroach on tribal lands. Today, most Aborigines live in cities and towns or in isolated settlements near tribal lands. Few continue their nomadic ways. In recent years, white Australians have become more sensitive to the plight of Aborigines, resulting in increased health and educational services, greater recognition of Aboriginal land rights and a growing appreciation of Aboriginal culture. Specialised galleries display Aboriginal art, tools, musical instruments and artefacts. These are highly valued and avidly sought by collectors all over the world.

ABORIGINAL WORDS AND CONCEPTS

Around 250 separate languages have been recorded throughout Australia. The following is a handful of commonly used Aboriginal words, as well as concepts which briefly describe the Aboriginal experience.

BARRAMUNDI - a large river fish found in the warm, northern waters of Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland. It is highly valued for its wonderful flavour by both Aborigines and Europeans.
BILLABONG - a small pool or lagoon.
BOOMERANG- used as both a weapon and a clapping instrument to accompany songs and dances.
BORA- initiation ceremony at which boys are admitted into the responsibilities of manhood. Bora Rings, or initiation grounds, occurred in pairs, with a larger ring and a smaller ring joined by an external pathway. The boys were brought to the larger ring by a female relative and handed over to the older men who took them to the smaller ring for the secret parts of the ceremony.
COOEE - a long, shrill call originally used by an Aborigine to communicate with someone at a distance. It has been widely adopted as a signal, especially in the bush.
COOLAMON - wooden vessel for holding water, seeds or a baby, often made from a hollowed knot of a tree. Also called a pitchi.
CORROBOREE - a dance ceremony which may be sacred or informal. In corroborees of ritual significance the dancers act out ancestral scenes.
DIDGERIDOO - long cylindrical wind instrument - usually 90-150 cm in length - originally from Arnhem Land - known as the Yidaki. Made of wood and often painted with the owner's own totem, it produces a low-pitched, resonant sound.
DREAMING - the spiritual identification of an individual or an object with a place, or with a species of plant or animal. A Dreaming Path is a place or route of Dreamtime significance along which Dreamtime ancestors travelled.
DREAMTIME - the time of creation; a set of events beyond living memory which shaped the physical, spiritual and moral world. The Dreamtime stories tell of the time when the Ancestral Beings rose from the earth in animal and human forms and created the landscape as we now see it. Dreaming is an English word, and each Aboriginal language has its own word with the same or similar meaning.
GUNYAH - a temporary bark shelter built by traditional Aborigines.
KOORI - the name Aborigines from the regions that now encompass most of New South Wales and Victoria use to refer to themselves.

MIMI - the spirit people depicted in rock and bark paintings from western Arnhem Land. Believed to be trickster spirits, the Mimi disappear into the rock walls of caves and shelters and sometimes leave their shadows behind, which appear as paintings. Paintings of the Mimi are characterised by their graceful, elongated shape.
NULLA NULLA - a hardwood club used in fighting and hunting.
PUKAMANI - ceremonial burial poles from the Tiwi communities on Bathurst and Melville Islands, north of Darwin.
RAINBOW SERPENT - a widely venerated spirit of Aboriginal mythology.
WALKABOUT - a journey on foot, as undertaken by an Aborigine in order to live in the traditional way. It originally referred to a hunting and gathering trip that would last from a few hours to a few days.
WOOMERA - wooden spear thrower.

Watch Alice In Wonderland On A 3D and wow yourself

Director Tim Burton takes us further down the rabbit hole than we have ever been with his new adventure of Alice in Wonderland based on characters from the books by Lewis Carroll.
It was well worth the wait. The combination of 3D, animation and live action is a tasty treat for your eyes to behold. You will be filled with wonderment at the Red Queen’s bulbous head, her devout tin soldier army, terrified bullfrog servants and live monkey furniture. This is a familiar world we have been to full of old friends and new surprises.
“They gave me a script and they said 3D,” says Tim Burton. “And even before I read it I thought that’s intriguing, and what I liked about Linda Woolverton’s script was she made it a story, gave it a shape for a movie that’s not necessarily the book.”

Alice, played by Mia Wasikowska, is older now and although plagued with the same dream over and over again she doesn’t remember ever being to a place called Wonderland. She is nineteen years old and overwhelmed with the pressures of what society expects of her. She has started to rebel in her own way by refusing to dress in a corset and stockings that a lady should wear or act according to the manners of how a lady should. When confronted with a embarrassingly public wedding proposal by a man she doesn’t want to be with she chooses to run away from the situation to follow a strangely familiar looking white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and carrying a wristwatch which seems to be telling her it is Her time. She follows the rabbit through a hedge and down the rabbit hole and the tale begins as the original story did with her drinking potions that make her small and cake that makes her big. Secret admirers watching from behind the door of what is now known as Underland are quickly confused at why she doesn’t remember any of this from the last time. The movie quickly moves through a whirlwind of re-introductions as we meet Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Blue Caterpillar, the mystifying and always purring Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit and some new creatures we have never seen before.
“What I liked about this take on the story is Alice is at an age where you’re between a kid and an adult, when you’re crossing over as a person. A lot of young people with old souls aren’t so popular in their own culture and their own time. Alice is somebody who doesn’t quite fit into that Victorian structure and society. She’s more internal,” says Burton.
Alice is quickly questioned by everyone if she could possibly be the same Alice as before. The Underland creatures and the White Queen have been waiting for her to return to be their champion. She is suppose to be their hero that fights the dreaded Jabberwocky whose death will annihilate the reign of the dreaded Red Queen who is more interested in beheading her patrons rather than ruling them. This was a very refreshing version of Alice that when later dressed in a suit of gleaming silver armour becomes a character likened to Joan of Arc who leads the people to justice and saves them against all odds. She is a girl who wants to be different. She is strong and although confused by her surroundings in the beginning she quickly becomes the adventurer that knows no bounds near the end. It is an exhilarating to be with her on her journey of discovery and this movie provides a fantastic role model for all ages in finding the strength from deep within when faced with the impossible. Mia Wasikowska does a fabulous job playing the strong willed Alice that will inspire and warm the hearts of many for years to come.
Johnny Depp’s portrayal of the Mad Hatter is impeccable. This character has been done so many times in movies and theatre that it is always a difficult role to take on because it has been so typecast. The scene of the tea party alone is incredibly done as it is a roller coaster ride of happiness, madness, fear and optimism. The Mad Hatter used to work for the White Queen and is waiting for the rule of the Red Queen to be over. In the interim he has gone from being a kind of court jester to someone that has gone round the bend. He alone shows us his great sorrow, joy, confusion, regret and hope for a better day. He has been waiting for years at the same tea party for Alice to return and save them. Alice becomes his sanity anchor that keeps him grounded and gives him a purpose in life from that of making grand hats. Their friendship is incredibly touching and the way they become bound to one another to find their strengths is incredibly endearing. The Mad Hatter is not a one sided portrayal in this tale, he is a hero that provides capricious comic relief and tugs at your heart strings with his loss of reality. Depp has done a brilliant job of this character and made him the most lovable, believably mad Mad Hatter I have ever seen. I tip my hat to him. This is an Oscar winning performance that you don’t want to miss.
“The combination of being able to play the Mad Hatter and take what Lewis Carroll has done and what Tim’s vision is, and then throw your own stuff in there… it’s a dream come true. It was a real challenge to find something different, to define the Mad Hatter in terms of cinema of the things Tim and I talked about early on, is the idea that he would be so pure, in the sense that you see, instantly, what he’s feeling — so much so that his clothes, his skin, his hair, everything, reflects his emotion. So when he’s beaming, you get this kind of bright effect and everything comes to life, like a flower blooming, very, very quickly. He’s like a mood ring. His emotions are very close to the surface,” says Depp.
Other notable mentions go to Helena Bonham Carter who is the Red Queen for playing a character who’s confused on what is better, to be feared or to be loved. A character that can be easily hated that you can still have sympathy for is a hard role to play. She seems to be very hurt that her parents always gave their attention to her younger sister. She lashes out because she always felt unloved and it becomes painfully clear that her only way to get back at them is to take it out on everyone around her for having what is considered a normal sized head instead of her larger one. This has led to her obsession with beheadings as she hopes it will be her sister’s soon or possibly the symbolism of getting rid of her own that has caused her such emotional turmoil. Either way, she plays her part incredibly well as an arrogant, royal pain in the kingdom.
She doesn’t really rule through any kind of justice or fairness, but through terror,” says Bonham Carter. “I chop off people’s heads. That’s my solution to everything.”
The White Queen played by Anne Hathaway whose portrayal of almost every Disney character princess you have ever seen is amusing but possibly a little too stereotyped as it’s hard to take her completely seriously. I know they are all suppose to be a bit over the top but I think she should have been a bit more grounding like the Elvin Queen, Lady Galadriel, played by Cate Blanchett from Lord of the Rings rather than a queen who refused to become strong like Alice and has been waiting for someone else to come and fight her own battles. Even a slight change of her hand gestures and mannerisms would have made her a character more captivating and commendable.
The voice of the Blue Caterpillar by Alan Rickman was the perfect choice. His deep, baritone voice commanded your attention to his sage advice. Ever since I saw him play Col. Christopher Brandon in Sense and Sensibility he has been one of my favourite, character actors as he always steals the scene with his distinct voice and undeniable charm. After years of seeing him play Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies it is very fitting to see him as a captivating Disney character.
The Cheshire Cat was another one of my favourite characters as the animation is so well done that it brings the character to life and makes him delightful to watch. In the original tales he seems menacing and a tad bit scary but in this tale he is beguiling and adorable. You don’t quite know what he’s up to and if you should trust him but you can’t help but like him anyway. Just like a real cat, he does what he wants and still captures your heart.
Tim Burton and Disney are a dynamic duel and the combination of both their unique visions creates a stunning pictorial piece of art you don’t want to miss. Hopefully they will keep up the partnership to bring us some more magic that we can add to our lives as we can never have enough of it. Maybe with Alice off on more adventures and the movie undoubtedly on its way to winning many awards we will see some more movies in the future with Tim Burton and Disney working together again. I know that I personally always think of at least six impossible things before breakfast. Do you?

Ethnicity "Nigeria"

Nigeria Ethnicity

Nigeria is one of the world's most ethnically diverse countries. The Hausa and Yoruba make up around 21 percent of the population; the Igbo/Ibo, 18 percent; the Fulani, around 11 percent; and Ibibio, 5 percent. Various other groups make up the remaining 23 percent. Nigeria has such a variety of people and cultures that it is difficult to pick one national dish. Each area has its own regional favorite that depends on customs, tradition, and religion. The different foods available also depend on the season.