Australian History

One of the most exciting aspects of this semester abroad to me was the prospect of seeing how aboriginal culture impacted modern Australia, the history of Australia's development, and the similarities between the colonization of the United States and Australia, mostly due to the common British ancestry. Even though our group has only been here for a week at this point, I have already learned so much about aboriginal history.

My favorite experience of the program so far happened on the second day, right after we had arrived in Sydney. The aboriginal boat tour of Clark Island was such an interesting experience for me, not only because it was a historical tour of an island that had been occupied by aboriginal clans, but because it was, in fact, led by two aboriginal Australians.

While I loved learning about the history of the island, such as how the aboriginal peoples utilized plants for water, learned how to trap fish in between the rocks, etc., by far the most exciting part of the tour was the very end when the two aboriginal tour guides performed a traditional aboriginal dance and demonstrated how to use a didgeridoo.

Seeing the tour guides perform what they called the "Kangaroo Dance," or at least something similar to that, was sort of an existential experience. It was so hard and interesting to think about groups of aboriginal people performing this dance on Clark Island, possibly in that exact same spot, hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago, long before British settlement.

As a musician, it was also so educational and eye-opening to observe one of the tour guides play the didgeridoo and receive an explanation of how the musical process works. Before coming to Australia, I had heard of the didgeridoo as an instrument before but, to be completely honest, I really had no idea what it looked like, what it sounded like, or even if it was a wind instrument or a drum.

I was absolutely fascinated with the didgeridoo - the way it was played sort of like a brass instrument but involved more vocal cues and potentially the addition of percussive rhythms on the side of the wood if wanted. It was by far a way more complicated instrument than I had expected, and it sure was funny watching members from the audience attempt to play it for the first time.

Overall, I learned so much about what it took aboriginal people to survive in Australia, as well as what their many ritual dances and music might have looked like hundreds of years ago. As we spend more time in Sydney, especially in our classes, I am so excited to learn more about these people and their history, particularly the interactions between the indigenous peoples and the British upon the arrival of the settlers because so far, it seems to mimic American history in a very similar way. I can't wait to explore these relationships more in our Australian history class at the University of Sydney, as well as through just experiencing the city and the history it has to offer on its own.