History of Australia Before Imperialism
Upon arrival, the British believed the Aborigines to be primitive, but they had developed a complex society in the thousands of years that they had been inhabiting Australia. They had an extensive knowledge of their surroundings and learned to adapt to the environment. They understood how to use the resources that the land offered and forged weapons from natural materials. The Aboriginal religion consisted of believing in multiple deities that created and controlled their land. They also believed in animism, which is the belief that all natural objects have a soul. The Aboriginal economy did not use money or currency, but rather focused around gathering and trading natural resources. There were many Aboriginal tribes across the land, and each tribe consisted of up to 500 people. Tribes are further separated into small bands of about 10 or 20 people, who in turn make up several families. The families come together each day to gather food and hunt together. Their rich spiritual, musical, artistic and linguistic traditions make up one of the oldest surviving cultures in the world today. Despite this, they were far from industrialized and did not have the proper defenses to fight against the British when they arrived on their land.