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Tori ZiegerNotes
Boomerangs were of vital importance to Aboriginal groups in Australia. Boomerangs were used for hunting, warfare, digging, and in ceremonies. While some boomerangs were designed to return to the thrower, the vast majority were not. There were about 500 disparate Aboriginal groups in Australia and extensive trade networks existed between these groups, and boomerangs were often a trade material. Different groups created boomerangs in different styles, allowing researchers to identify the creators of different boomerangs and to trace the trade networks of each one. Some boomerangs, like the ones seen here, are simple in design. Others, however, feature extensive carvings, paintings, and other decorations. After European contact in 1788, Europeans became fascinated with the boomerang, particularly the kind that returned to the thrower. Boomerangs were a key part of trades and barters between Europeans and Aboriginal groups. The popularity of the boomerang amongst Europeans prompted Aboriginal groups to begin to mass produce boomerangs for the sole purpose of trading with the Europeans. The boomerang has become so entrenched in Australian cultural identity and history that it has become the national symbol.Person
Tori ZiegerNotes
For more than 60,000 years, the indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples inhabited the island continent of Australia. These Aboriginal Australians established farming communities, fisheries, and lived in permanent houses. Prior to European contact, there were 500 separate Aboriginal groups in Australia, often with extensive trade relationships between the groups. Their still thriving culture is the oldest continuous culture in the world.
The arrival of James Cook in 1770 began the British conquest of the island country. Upon arrival, Cook claimed the land upon which he stood to be New South Wales and the property of King George III, ignoring the inconvenient fact that the land was already inhabited. Cook’s initial arrival was followed by the first permanent European settlers in 1788. The goal of these permanent settlers was to take complete control of the island of Australia and establish a penal colony there. The British government began sending convicted criminals from England and Ireland to Australia, with the goal of not only ridding England and Ireland of criminals but to use the convicts as free labor to develop the newly established colony of Great Britain. In 1850, gold was discovered on Australia and the island saw an influx of people from mainland Europe and China.