AUSTRALIATHE CULTURE

Mark Eppinga Julie Lewis

Stephanie Kitt Paul Mathenge

Samantha Joseph Ekaterina Maydanskaya

History of Australia

The First Australians-The first known people of Australia were the Aborigines. Australian Aboriginal culture is the oldest living culture in the world. It dates as far back as 40,000 years.

-Europeans started exploring Australia in the 16th Century.

-In 1770, Captain James Cook claimed the continent for the British and named it New South Wales.

htttp://www.australianhistory.org/first-australians-2011/

AustralianHistory.org

The British are Coming

-In 1779, Joseph Banks suggested that Britain use the newly claimed continent to solve its overcrowded prisons problem.

-In 1787, the First Fleet set sail, comprising 11 ships, 1500 people-half of which were convicts.

-The fleet arrived in Sydney Harbor on January 26, 1788.

-This day is celebrated as Australian Day.

http://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/en/Living-in-Australia/AustralianHistory -2011

A Country is Born-Approximately 160,000 men and women were brought to Australia as convicts from 1788 until 1868.

-The discovery of gold in the 1850’s permanently changed the colony with an influx of free settlers.

-The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 through the federation of six states under one constitution.

http:/ /www.dfat.gov.au/aib/history/ - June 2008

Australian Holidays

Australia has both native and European holidays. Examples of national Australian holidays:

– Australian Day – January 26– ANZAC Day – April 25– Queens Birthday – June 8– Boxing Day – December 26– New Years Day – January 1– Good Friday – Friday after Easter– Easter Monday – Day After Easter Sunday– Christmas Day – December 25

Lets focus on the holiday Australian Day.

What is Australia Day?• It is the biggest celebration in the country. It’s the anniversary of the

arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain, and the raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove by its commander Captain Arthur Phillip, in 1788.

• Today Australia Day celebrations reflect contemporary Australia. It also is an opportunity to reflect on the nation's history, and to consider how to make Australia a better place in future. It has become a community day.

How Is It Celebrated?

• Formal ceremonies - flag raising, citizenship ceremonies and the presentation of important community awards

• Theatrical performances, music, sporting events, speech days, multicultural and native performances

• The modern population should incorporate the culture of the indeginous people in their ceremonies. Doing so allows the wider community to share in the native culture, and promote a stronger sense of shared nationhood. This is an example of the communication concept ‘Adapting to others’.

Gender roles in Australia

• Aboriginal people have specific roles for women and men but have interdependent relationships as well.

• Men were the hunters of large animals the families main protein.

• Women were the principle food gathers of vegetables, fruits, small insects.

• “The interdependent roles Aboriginal men and women shared are: healers, law makers, performers, painters and making sure that their traditions are maintained and passed on to future generations” (Aboriginal Culture, p.1).

Aboriginal Gender roles in Australia

Gender Roles Today

• Men are in a higher economic status and play a bigger role in politics then women.

• “Women were seen as caregivers, homemakers and held jobs as teachers and in nursing. But affirmative action policies since the late 1970’s has been directed toward promoting gender equality in all spheres” (Culture of Australia, p.1).

Gender Roles Today cont..

• Women only earned the right to vote in 1901.• “In 1955, 20% of women were represented in

local, state, and federal government” (Culture of Australia, p.1).

• Women are known to participate more in religious activities but the majority religious leaders are male.

Marriage and Family

• Marriage is only allowed between heterosexuals and occurs by a civil service or religious ceremony. The ceremony is conducted by a registered official.

• Divorce had been available since 1975, it requires a one year separation period and has a 40% rate in first marriages (Culture of Australia p.1).

• “Family is decided upon the domestic unit, primarily the couple, then couples with children, then one-parent families.” The extended family is important support for most families. Blended families are becoming more common (Culture of Australia, p.1).

Australian Rituals

Christmas Holiday rituals

• During the christmas holidays families celebrate with relays in swimming pools, water gun fights, or backyard cricket. Father Christmas/Santa Claus is usually pictured in a swimming costume and a cool drink is left out for him by children at night. School is let out a week prior to Christmas for summer break and resumes after Australia Day on January 26

• Homes are not decorated as heavily as in some cultures but there are two traditional native plants used for the occasion: The NSW Christmas bush and Christmas bells.

• Meals include hot turkey, Christmas pudding, seafood, cold turkey and ham for salads, Panforte and panettone (Christmas cake), mince pies, ice cream .(www.geocities.com/athens/olympus/8559/austxmas.htm)

("Australian traditions," )

("Paul eckersley illustration:," )

Rituals in sports• Australia has a rich sporting culture . They are

renowned world wide for their cricket.• In cricket , in the first session of each test, it is a

ritual for the Australian players to wear their baggy green caps; this is a gesture of solidarity and a salute of their heritage.

• At the end of a victorious series, players gather (in the middle of the field) to sing their theme song Underneath the Southern Cross.

• This rituals are important for their sports because are an important ingredient in developing the public image of a sport, and providing the participants at all the various levels with a common bond.

• For cricket it is very important that many of the great traditions of the game are maintained. It provides a sense of order, and when difficult times are encountered by any sport there is a tangible support element for the players and the game itself to look up to.

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Funeral Rituals performed by Aborigines

• Funeral ceremonies. Another important time for ceremonies is on the death of a person, when people often paint themselves white, cut their own bodies to show their remorse for the loss of their loved one, and conduct a series of rituals, songs and dances to ensure the person’s spirit leaves the area and returns to its birth place, from where it can later be reborn.

• Burial practices vary throughout Australia, people being buried in parts of southern and central Australia, but having quite a different burial in the north. Across much of northern Australia, a person’s burial has two stages, each accompanied by ritual and ceremony.

Australian

TraditionsAustralians have many traditions and rituals however I am going to focus on:

ClothingFolklore Food

Folklore Prior to European invasion,

Aboriginal people lived all through out Australia during a period of time called the Dreamtime. The dreamtime is full of various myths and stories that are widely spread all through out the Australian culture. These stories a re mainly about how the Earth, Sun and all creation came to be.

Examples are Dinewan the Emu,

and Goomblegubbon the Bustard

The Galah, and Oolah the Lizard

Bahloo the Moon and the Daens

Clothing In the workforce Australians

tend to dress light because of the constant heat. Long socks, tailored shorts, and a light shirts. In the city and workplace areas people tend to dress formal and casual in their spare time as well as on weekends.

Children wear uniforms and sunscreen year round. Sun tans are looked upon as foolishness since Australia has the highest rate for skin cancer.

The famous UGG made initially for the Australian deserts and hot beaches

Food Australia is

abundant in seafood, meats, as well as fruits and vegetables. However the most famous meals are:

Vegemite A yeast extract and

salt spread

Meat Pie Made from beef

pork, or lamb.

Pavlova Made of soft

meringue, cream

filling and fruit

Lamington Sponge cake coated

with chocolate and coconut

Australian Media

George Bernard Shaw once wrote: “England and America are two countries separated by a common language” and the same can certainly be said of America and Australia. Australia has its own distinct accent that while similar to the British accent is very unique.

Press PLAY for a quick primer on the Australian accent

Language

TV

Although originally a British colony, the most of the highest rated programs in the metropolitan centers do not come from the BBC but mostly from the US along with a few Australian produced programs.“60 minutes” and “7 news” are consistently among the top 15 highest rated programs in the nation with rugby and football games topping the ratings whenever they are played.

MusicThe popular Australian music charts mirror the American music charts with many of the same songs and artists.You can see in the music chart below from the week ending 11/14/11 that almost all of the top perfomers are from the US.

ReferencesPublic holidays and school terms. (n.d) retrieved November 10,2011, from Australian Government Web Site: http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/our-country/public-holidays-and-school-terms#NationalPublicHolidays Australia day. (n.d) retrieved November 8, 2011, from http://www.australiaday.org.au/experience/page31.asp

Indigenous Australia. (n.d) retrieved November 9, 2011, from Australia Day Web Site: http://www.australiaday.org.au/experience/page103.asp

"Culture of Australia - History, People, Clothing, Traditions, Women, Beliefs, Food, Customs, Family." Countries and Their Cultures. Web. 29 Oct. 2011. http://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Australia.html

"Aboriginal Culture." Emergency Medicine - Medical Students - Resources. Web. 29 Oct. 2011. http://emedsa.org.au/PsychoSocial/EthnicIssues/Culture/Aboriginal.html

Australian traditions. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://fits.depauw.edu/mkfinney/culturaleresumes/australia/trads.htm

Flaherty, C. (n.d.). First blood to the poms as fans hijack ashes tickets - cricket - sport. Retrieved from http://www.theage.com.au/news/cricket/english-fans-hijack-ashes-tickets/2006/06/01/1148956482844.html

The importance of rituals. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.hindu.com/tss/tss2445/24450340.htm

Paul eckersley illustration: Father christmas. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.pauleckersley.co.uk/fatherchristmas.html

McFinney. (2001, 26 January). Australian Traditions.fits.depauw.edu. Retrieved November 13, 2011, from http://fits.depauw.edu/mkfinney/culturaleresumes/australia/trads.htm.

Langloh Parker, K. (n.d.). Australian Legendary Tales. Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved on November 13, 2011, from http://www.sacred-texts.com/aus/alt/index.htm.

All images are from google Images

htttp://www.australianhistory.org/first-australians-2011/AustralianHistory.org

http://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/en/Living-in-Australia/AustralianHistory -2011

http://www.dfat.gov.au/aib - June 2008

http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display_singles.asp?chart=1U50

http://www.oztam.com.au/Archives.aspx?Year=2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RuoXH2fBDA