Palaeontology Department Seminar

Australia Home to the Oldest Continual Culture

Emma Loban and Carole Christopherson

Human Remains Unit, Department of Palaeontology, NHM

Thursday 16th February
Neil Chalmers Seminar Room, DC2, NHM

16:00 - 17:00

For 2000 generations Australia has been home to the oldest continuing human culture in history. For over 40,000 years Indigenous people have explored, discovered, named and lived on the entire land mass and islands of Australia.

There are two distinct Indigenous groups of Australia; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

Aboriginal people of Australia are not all the same and there is not one language or culture. Within Aboriginal Australia are hundreds of distinctly different cultures that continue to exist today.  Who are the Yolgnu, Wararkbi, Tiwi, Walpiri, Warramungu, Arrente, Kamilori?

Torres Strait Islander people are a minority group, within a minority group.  What makes this group of people unique? How many islands make up the gateway to Australia? What are their connections to the Australian mainland?

Although two groups of distinct peoples, what are the similarities between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders? Join us in a presentation about Indigenous Australia and the Diversity of people. Carol and Emma will explore shared history, geography, linguistics, kinship, world views, Indigenous perspectives on repatriation and their work here at The Natural History Museum.

For additional details on attending this or other seminars see http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/seminars-events/index.html