The term “aboriginal” most often refers to the indigenous people of Australia, who were therefore on the continent before the arrival of English settlers. But this name comes from the Latin expression ab origin, which means “from the origin”. Therefore, it is by no means the name given to this population, since certain groups, especially in the center and west of the country, are called “Anangu”, which means “humans”. In the southwest, there are also the Noongar. In total, there are now almost 700,000, for a total Australian population of almost 27 million.
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They have been living in Australia for at least 40,000 years (the age of the first human fossil discovered there) and come from the Indonesian archipelago. Their culture is very varied and differs greatly between the many ethnic groups. But as a whole, they all have an animist culture in which the land, fauna and flora are the basis of their spirituality. The Anangu explain their origin by the concept of “dreamtime”, a mythical time during which giant animals forged Australia. One of the most famous traces of this period would be, according to them, Mount Uluru. The latter used to be called Ayers Rock, but today it benefits from both toponyms. Aboriginal people were granted citizenship in 1967, and since the 1990s the Australian government has pursued a policy of reconciliation and forgiveness for the many wrongs committed against them.
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Source : Le JDD
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