The Aborigines Were The First Inhabitants Of Australia

The Aborigines were the first inhabitants of Australia. No one knows were they have come from or if they have always been there. Scientists found out that the oldest aboriginal remains are more than 60. 000 years old. The Aborigines themselves say that they have lived in Australia ever since it existed. Visitors may find it surprising how few people live in such a big place as Australia is. Most of the Australian inhabitants live in one of the seven main cities on the coast. These cities are Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, Darwin and Melbourne. Most of the country in between is desert and hardly populated. In the big cities you can find hardly any Aborigines.

They tend to live in the suburbs or in outback-communities. This is because many Non-Aborigines did not like their presence. And the Aborigines prefer living in the nature anyway. In 1788 the first European settlers arrived at Botany Bay at the coast of Australia. As the Aborigines believe, the land belongs to everyone, so they would not have minded if the Europeans had settled there. But the settlers did not even ask them - they simply shot them down. In the 19th and 20th century many aboriginal groups were destroyed. Before 1788 there may have been more than three million Aborigines.

Today there are only about 250. 000 left. 200 years ago there were approximately 250 aboriginal languages, while today there are only traces of fewer than half that number. In the big cities Aborigines live in communities. Redfern, which is located in the middle of Sydney, is the biggest and most important community. In the 1930s it was the cheapest and most run down area of the city. It was the home of poor aboriginal workers and their families. Later more and more middle class and intellectual Aborigines came there because it was one of the few communities in Australia. In the 1970s many poets, artists and politicians joined the community. Soon Redfern became the centre of aboriginal cultural life. A lot of changes started at that time. The old houses were knocked down and rebuilt in aboriginal style and painted in typical colours and patterns. Nowadays the Redfern-Aborigines run their own authorities and schools there. You can also find many art-studios, galleries and even theatres there. The former slums have changed into an exciting and interesting place. In Australia many different people from all over the world live together peacefully but discriminating against Aborigines.

It is very strange that the original inhabitants became victims of racism in their own country. Especially the police has often treated the Aborigines unfairly. In Redfern, for example, a man was shot in his bed by the police when they broke in looking for someone else. The children had to watch their father being shot innocently. No one was ever charged for that murder, and the police did not even apologize. Another shocking case is the death of 20-year. old Eddie Murray. He was arrested because of ...