10. Dr. G. Sreelatha

Abstract 10: Dr. G Sreelatha

A Study of Koorie Community

Australian Aborigines are believed to be the oldest race in the world. According to Richard Broome the aborigines have been in Australia for more than 50,000 years.

This paper is an attempt to study the life of Koorie community who survived in the regions of Victoria in Australia. It is found that Koorie clans had great diversity in language, social organization and spiritual beliefs. They built houses that were temporary and permanent. They used leaves and stones for the construction of the houses. The remains of over a hundred stone houses seen at Lake Condah indicate the life style of Koorie people.

They lived a hunter-gatherer life style. They knew the land well and gathered certain foods according to the seasons. They depended on roots of certain plants, eggs of certain birds and honey from the wild bees. The Victorian plains were rich in a variety of grasses, herbs, shrubs and trees. The river was an important provider of daily life. The Koorie hunters travelled with nets and boomerangs to hunt animals.

When the Europeans landed on their land they developed mixed feelings. Few developed friendship between some Europeans, but many Koorie warriors fought sustained battles with the Europeans to stop the invasion of their land. The invasion of European people and animals began to transform the landscape and change a way of life that had flourished for thousands of years.