Читать книгу Australian History For Dummies - Alex McDermott - Страница 36

Above all, the prehistoric Aboriginals were masters of language. Historians estimate that up to 750 distinct languages existed on the Australian continent when the European settlers arrived (refer to Figure 2-1), which implies that the average person would probably have had to be fluent in quite a few different languages just to get along with his or her neighbours.

In Aboriginal society, age meant authority — in large part because of the copious survival knowledge acquired with the years. A culture with no written records had to preserve and pass on all ideas, arguments, technology and traditions from one generation to the next through the spoken word. It’s therefore no surprise that Aboriginal society was heavy on song, gesture, story and elaborate ceremony. Learning responsibility and the rules that govern stable society went hand in hand with acquiring the skills of food gathering and resource management.