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80-714: Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company focused on contemporary dance . It was founded by African American dancer and choreographer Carole Y. Johnson , Gumbaynggirr man Rob Bryant, and South African-born Cheryl Stone. Bangarra (pronounced bungurra ) means "to make fire" in the Wiradjuri language . Stephen Page was artistic director from 1991 to 2021, with Frances Rings taking over in 2022. The company has received many Helpmann Awards as well as other accolades. To date (2024), Bennelong (2017) and Dark Emu (2018) have been Bangarra's most successful works, playing to huge audiences around

160-480: A German migrant to Australia , struggled financially to provide for his family due to the aftermath of World War II . The main source of sustenance that he could provide for his family included what he grew in his own vegetable patch and orchard . Rings also recalls how on the way to school in the morning, she would climb over other people's fences to pick figs , nuts and grapes . She believes that because of her father, Rings developed her " connection to country ". It

240-573: A Kokatha woman, was choreographer and artistic director for the company's new work, Yuldea . It tells the story of the South Australian town of Ooldea , which was settled in the early 20th century as it was close to the water source known as "Yooldil Kapi" by the Aboriginal groups who lived in the area, including the Kokatha, Mirning , and Wirangu peoples . Rings' father, a German migrant , worked on

320-405: A humpy , gunyah, or wurley. Clothing included the possum-skin cloak in the southeast, buka cloak in the southwest and riji (pearl shells) in the northeast. There is evidence that some Aboriginal populations in northern Australia regularly traded with Makassan fishermen from Indonesia before the arrival of Europeans. At the time of first European contact, it is generally estimated that

400-459: A cubby house and decorated with curtains , as well as dressing up her siblings in costumes which she made out of bits of materials that were available to her. She would often stage mini productions with her siblings in her makeshift theatre. At the age of 16, Rings was living in Ipswich, Queensland , where she attended a boarding school. In year 11, when pursuing her Higher School Certificate , dance

480-500: A land bridge between the island and the rest of mainland Australia during the last glacial period . Estimates of the population of the Aboriginal people of Tasmania, before European arrival, are in the range of 3,000 to 15,000 people. However, genetic studies have suggested significantly higher figures, which are supported by Indigenous oral traditions that indicate a decline in population from diseases introduced by British and American sealers before settlement. The original population

560-661: A live performance of Cats the musical at the Theatre Royal . Rings remembers being fascinated by the way dancers were able to move their bodies and stated she did not know dancers could use their bodies to create such movements. Her first dance hero was Michael Jackson , before discovering NAISDA and then Alvin Ailey , whose work greatly influenced her dancing and choreography after her time spent in his studios. Rings' choreographic works are often influenced by her childhood experiences with nature. During her childhood, her father,

640-431: A path for the dancers to other dance-related areas, including choreography , tour management, and all front and back of house skills. The other key aim was to maintain authentic cultural continuity, friendships, and close ties to traditional communities. Johnson mentored Stone, who studied alongside the dancers. She planned the formation of Bangarra Dance Theatre and, in 1989, became its founding artistic director. Bangarra

720-503: A piece that illustrates how geographical features influences people's mood and spirit . She wanted to incorporate imagery of Lake Eyre that she had witnessed during her visit. She states how on the first day of her trip to the lake, it was filled with water, but the next day it was empty and shiny. She also took a tour with an Arabana elder, who showed her around waterholes and sacred sites. She had access to stone tools and ancient paintings that mapped secret waterways . Rings

800-668: A single founding Sahul group with subsequent isolation between regional populations which were relatively unaffected by later migrations from the Asian mainland, which may have introduced the dingo 4–5,000 years ago. The research also suggests a divergence from the Papuan people of New Guinea and the Mamanwa people of the Philippines about 32,000 years ago, with a rapid population expansion about 5,000 years ago. A 2011 genetic study found evidence that

880-617: A time when changes in tool technology and food processing appear in the Australian archaeological record, suggesting that these may be related. Mallick et al. 2016 and Mark Lipson et al. 2017 study found that the bifurcation of Eastern Eurasian and Western Eurasian dates back to least 45,000 years ago, with Australasians nested inside the Eastern Eurasian clade. Aboriginal Australian men have Haplogroup C-M347 in high frequencies with peak estimates ranging from 60.2% to 68.7%. In addition,

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960-513: Is a Wiradjuri word meaning "to make fire". Stephen Page has been the artistic director since 1991. Bangarra's first full-length show, Praying Mantis Dreaming , was produced in 1992. In 1994, Page, with Bernadette Walong as associate director, created Ochres and productions have followed annually since 2000. All have been successful within Australia and some have toured the United States and

1040-649: Is complex and multi-layered, but a few examples are Anangu in northern South Australia , and neighbouring parts of Western Australia and Northern Territory ; Arrernte in central Australia; Koori (or Koorie) in New South Wales and Victoria ( Aboriginal Victorians ); Goorie (variant pronunciation and spelling of Koori) in South East Queensland and some parts of northern New South Wales; Murri , used in parts of Queensland and northern New South Wales where specific collective names are not used; Tiwi people of

1120-533: Is estimated that people migrated from the Indonesian archipelago and New Guinea to mainland Australia about 70,000 years ago, as of 2020 evidence of human settlement in the Torres Strait has only been uncovered by archaeologists dating back to about 2500 years ago. Aboriginal people in some regions lived as foragers and hunter-gatherers , hunting and foraging for food from the land. Although Aboriginal society

1200-464: Is now estimated that all but 13 remaining Indigenous languages are considered endangered. Aboriginal people today mostly speak English, with Aboriginal phrases and words being added to create Australian Aboriginal English (which also has a tangible influence of Indigenous languages in the phonology and grammatical structure). Around three quarters of Australian place names are of Aboriginal origin. The Indigenous population prior to European settlement

1280-470: Is required. Genetic studies have revealed that Aboriginal Australians largely descended from an Eastern Eurasian population wave during the Initial Upper Paleolithic , and are most closely related to other Oceanians , such as Melanesians . The Aboriginal Australians also show affinity to other Australasian populations, such as Negritos or Ancient Ancestral South Indians groups, such as

1360-621: Is sometimes used as part of a wider social movement (seen in terms such as " Blaktivism " and "Blak History Month" ). The term was coined in 1991 by photographer and multimedia artist Destiny Deacon , in an exhibition entitled Blak lik mi . For Deacon's 2004 exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art , blak was defined in a museum guide as: "a term used by some Aboriginal people to reclaim historical, representational, symbolical, stereotypical and romanticised notions of Black or Blackness. Often used as ammunition or inspiration." Deacon said that removing

1440-510: Is unlikely as the Indigenous custodians are not expected to allow further invasive investigations. It is generally believed that Aboriginal people are the descendants of a single migration into the continent, a people that split from the ancestors of East Asians. Recent work with mitochondrial DNA suggests a founder population of between 1,000 and 3,000 women to produce the genetic diversity observed, which suggests that "initial colonisation of

1520-399: Is used by people to provide medicine, shelter and food amongst other purposes. Through symbolism, Through the choreography, Rings wanted to create a connection between the sheoak trees and Indigenous stories, focusing on how like sheoak trees, Indigenous languages , customs and knowledge are endangered. Rings has starred in the drama film The Widower (2004). As of 2005 Rings was

1600-693: The Andamanese people , as well as to East Asian peoples . Phylogenetic data suggests that an early initial eastern non-African (ENA) or East-Eurasian meta-population trifurcated, and gave rise to Australasians (Oceanians), the Ancient Ancestral South Indians, Andamanese and the East/Southeast Asian lineage including the ancestors of Native Americans , although Papuans may have also received some geneflow from an earlier group (xOOA) as well, around 2%, next to additional archaic admixture in

1680-656: The Australian Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag have been official flags of Australia . The time of arrival of the first human beings in Australia is a matter of debate and ongoing investigation. The earliest conclusively human remains found in Australia are those of Mungo Man LM3 and Mungo Lady , which have been dated to around 40,000 years ago, although Indigenous Australians have most likely been living in Australia for upwards of 65,000 years. Isolated for millennia by rising sea water after

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1760-496: The Latin ab (from) and origo (origin, beginning). The term was used in Australia as early as 1789 to describe its Aboriginal peoples . It became capitalised and was used as the common term to refer to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Today the latter peoples are not included in this term. The term "Aborigine" (as opposed to "Aboriginal") is often disfavoured, as it is regarded as having colonialist connotations. While

1840-610: The Pila Nguru of Western Australia ). Several settlements of humans in Australia have been dated around 49,000 years ago. Luminescence dating of sediments surrounding stone artefacts at Madjedbebe , a rock shelter in northern Australia, indicates human activity at 65,000 years BP. Genetic studies appear to support an arrival date of 50–70,000 years ago. The earliest anatomically modern human remains found in Australia (and outside of Africa) are those of Mungo Man ; they have been dated at 42,000 years old. The initial comparison of

1920-535: The Sahul region. Rasmussen et al. 2011 shows that Aboriginal Australian have a lower proportion of European alleles compared to Asians, which they believe is indicative of a multiple dispersal model. Genetically, while Aboriginal Australians are most closely related to Melanesian and Papuan people, McEvoy et al. 2010 believed there is also another component that could indicate Ancient Ancestral South Indian admixture or more recent European influence. Research indicates

2000-469: The Tasmanian catastrophe genocide". A woman named Trugernanner (often rendered as Truganini ), who died in 1876, was, and still is, widely believed to be the last of the "full-blooded" Tasmanian Aboriginal people. However, in 1889 Parliament recognised Fanny Cochrane Smith (d. 1905) as the last surviving "full-blooded" Tasmanian Aboriginal person. The 2016 census reported 23,572 Indigenous Australians in

2080-891: The Tiwi Islands off Northern Territory; and Palawah in Tasmania . The largest Aboriginal communities – the Pitjantjatjara , the Arrernte, the Luritja , and the Warlpiri – are all from Central Australia . Throughout the history of the continent, there have been many different Aboriginal groups, each with its own individual language , culture, and belief structure. At the time of British settlement, there were over 200 distinct languages. The Tasmanian Aboriginal population are thought to have first crossed into Tasmania approximately 40,000 years ago via

2160-569: The c from black to "de-weaponise the term 'black cunt ' " was "taking on the 'colonisers' language and flipping it on its head". Contemporary Aboriginal arts in the 21st century are sometimes referred to as a "Blak" arts movement, expressed in names such as BlakDance, BlakLash Collective, and the title of Thelma Plum 's song and album, Better in Blak . Melbourne has an annual Blak & Bright literary festival, Blak Dot Gallery, Blak Markets, and Blak Cabaret. Aboriginal peoples of Australia are

2240-435: The didgeridoo . Although there are a number of cultural commonalities among Indigenous Australians, there is also a great diversity among different communities. The 2022 Australian census recorded 167 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages used at home by some 76,978 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. At the time of European colonisation, it is estimated that there were over 250 Aboriginal languages . It

2320-519: The language group (such as Arrernte ), or demonym relating to geographic area (such as Nunga ), is considered best practice and most respectful. European colonials from their early settlement used the term "Black" to refer to Aboriginal Australians. While the term originally related to skin colour and was often used pejoratively, today the term is used to indicate Aboriginal heritage or culture in general. It refers to any people of such heritage regardless of their level of skin pigmentation. In

2400-409: The message stick . Weapons included boomerangs , spears (sometimes thrown with a woomera ) with stone or fishbone tips, clubs, and (less commonly) axes. The Stone Age tools available included knives with ground edges, grinding devices, and eating containers. Fibrecraft was well-developed, and fibre nets, baskets, and bags were used for fishing, hunting, and carrying liquids. Trade networks spanned

2480-403: The mitochondrial DNA from the skeleton known as Lake Mungo 3 (LM3) with that of ancient and modern Aboriginal peoples indicated that Mungo Man is not related to Australian Aboriginal peoples. However, these findings have been met with a general lack of acceptance in scientific communities. The sequence has been criticised as there has been no independent testing, and it has been suggested that

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2560-439: The "final 2021 Census-based estimated resident population". Of these, 91.7% identified as Aboriginal; 4.0% identified as Torres Strait Islander; 4.3% identified with both groups. The term Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples or the person's specific cultural group, is often preferred, though the terms First Nations of Australia, First Peoples of Australia and First Australians are also increasingly common. Since 1995,

2640-625: The 1970s, with a rise in Aboriginal activism, leaders such as Gary Foley proudly embraced the term "Black". For example, writer Kevin Gilbert 's book of that time was entitled Living Black . The book included interviews with several members of the Aboriginal community, including Robert Jabanungga , who reflected on contemporary Aboriginal culture. Use of this term varies depending on context, and its use needs care as it may be deemed inappropriate. The term "Black" has sometimes caused confusion as being applied to contemporary African immigrants rather than

2720-468: The 2021 Australian Census, representing 3.2% of the total population of Australia. Of these Indigenous Australians, 91.4% identified as Aboriginal; 4.2% identified as Torres Strait Islander; while 4.4% identified with both groups. However, the Government has stated that as of 30 June 2021, there are 983,700 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, representing 3.8% of the total population of Australia, as

2800-455: The 21st century there is consensus that it is important to respect the "preferences of individuals, families, or communities, and allow them to define what they are most comfortable with" when referring to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The word ' aboriginal ' has been in the English language since at least the 16th century to mean "first or earliest known, indigenous". It comes from

2880-507: The Aboriginal population. Nevertheless, a population collapse, principally from new infectious diseases, followed European colonisation. A smallpox epidemic spread for three years after the arrival of Europeans. Massacres , frontier armed conflicts and competition over resources with European settlers also contributed to the decline of the Aboriginal peoples. From the 19th to the mid-20th century, government policy removed many mixed heritage children from Aboriginal communities, with

2960-597: The Aboriginal, Papuan and Mamanwa peoples carry some of the alleles associated with the Denisovan peoples of Asia, (not found amongst populations in mainland Asia) suggesting that modern and archaic humans interbred in Asia approximately 44,000 years ago, before Australia separated from New Guinea and the migration to Australia. A 2012 paper reports that there is also evidence of a substantial genetic flow from India to northern Australia estimated at slightly over four thousand years ago,

3040-800: The Bangarra Dance Theatre, saw her, and invited her to join Bangarra. In 1993, Rings joined Bangarra to develop her skills as a choreographer. She also performed in Page's production of Praying Mantis Dreaming , Ninni , and Ochres . She became the first choreographic Artist in Residence for Bangarra. In 1995, Rings went to New York on an Australia Council grant, to study at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for three months. In 2002, Rings made her mainstage choreographic debut with

3120-575: The Murray. There is some evidence that, before outside contact, some groups of Aboriginal Australians had a complex subsistence system with elements of agriculture, that was only recorded by the first European explorers. One early settler took notes on the life styles of the Wathaurung people whom he lived near in Victoria. He saw women harvesting Murnong tubers, a native yam that is now almost extinct. However,

3200-546: The United Kingdom. The group also made significant contributions to the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The opening ceremony was co-directed by Stephen Page along with Rhoda Roberts , and Page co-choreographed a segment called Awakening , which was narrated by Ernie Dingo . Bennelong (2017) and Dark Emu (2018), were Bangarra's biggest ever works, playing to around 70,000 people across

3280-652: The Wirangu and Mirning Tribes from the West Coast of South Australia. She has a younger sister Gina, who is a dancer and choreographer. Rings’ parents divorced when she was three years old, and Rings went to live with her father, while her mother continued living on the west coast of South Australia. Her father was a railway worker in Port Augusta , where she partially grew up. From that time Rings’ and her father started to move around Australia frequently. For his work, her father

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3360-438: The area that they were harvesting from was already cleared of other plants, making it easier to harvest Murnong (also known as yam daisy) exclusively. Along the northern coast of Australia, parsnip yams were harvested by leaving the bottom part of the yam still stuck in the ground so that it would grow again in the same spot. Similar to many other farmers in the world, Aboriginal peoples used slash and burn techniques to enrich

3440-418: The associate artistic director in 2019. On 2 December 2021 it was announced that Rings would take over the role of artistic director from Stephen Page in Bangarra in 2023. Rings' earliest memory of dance is watching Young Talent Time (1971-1988), an Australian variety show on television which inspired her to become a dancer. During high school, Rings' dance class was taken on a trip to Sydney to watch

3520-653: The basal form K2* (K-M526) of the extremely ancient Haplogroup K2 – whose subclades Haplogroup R , haplogroup Q , haplogroup M and haplogroup S can be found in the majority of Europeans, Northern South Asians, Native Americans and the Indigenous peoples of Oceania – has only been found in living humans today amongst Aboriginal Australians. 27% of them may carry K2* and approximately 29% of Aboriginal Australian males belong to subclades of K2b1 , a.k.a. M and S . Aboriginal Australians possess deep rooted clades of both mtDNA Haplogroup M and Haplogroup N . Although it

3600-913: The choreographic production, Rations . She went on to create six more works for Bangarra, including Bush (2003), Unaipon (2004), X300 (2007), Artefact (2010), Terrain (2012), and Sheoak (2015). Within Australia, Rings has choreographed works for leading dance companies, including the West Australian Ballet , Tasdance and performed for Legs on the Wall theatre company in Sydney. She has also danced in works by leading Australian choreographers like Meryl Tankard and Leigh Warren . Internationally, she has worked with companies like Kahawi Dance Theatre in Six Nations, Turtle Islands (Canada), as well as Atamira Dance Company in Auckland , New Zealand, where she

3680-669: The continent would have required deliberate organised sea travel, involving hundreds of people". Aboriginal people seem to have lived a long time in the same environment as the now extinct Australian megafauna . Some evidence from the analysis of charcoal and artefacts revealing human use suggests a date as early as 65,000 BP. Luminescence dating has suggested habitation in Arnhem Land as far back as 60,000 years BP. Evidence of fires in South-West Victoria suggest "human presence in Australia 120,000 years ago", although more research

3760-521: The continent, and transportation included canoes . Shelters varied regionally, and included wiltjas in the Atherton Tablelands , paperbark and stringybark sheets and raised platforms in Arnhem Land , whalebone huts in what is now South Australia, stone shelters in what is now western Victoria, and a multi-room pole and bark structure found in Corranderrk . A bark tent or lean-to is known as

3840-432: The convergence of the spirits of culture, Country and people. Unaipon (2004) was Rings' third work for Bangarra. It was a celebration of the life of Ngarrindjeri author and inventor David Unaipon (1872–1967), with the work comprising three sections: "Ngarrindjeri", "Science", and "Religion". Each section related to different aspects of Unaipon’s life and work, with the whole work bringing an interconnected story to

3920-617: The country. Bangarra Dance Theatre was founded in October 1989 by Carole Y. Johnson , an African-American modern dancer and founder of the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA), Rob Bryant, a Gumbaynggirr man and graduate of NAISDA, and Cheryl Stone , a South African -born student at NAISDA. Clive Joseph Robin "Rob" Bryant (later known as Uncle Rob Bryant), born in Bellingen, New South Wales in 1947,

4000-485: The country. Dark Emu was co-created by Stephen Page with former Bangarra dancers Daniel Riley and Yolande Brown, inspired by Bruce Pascoe 's book of the same name . It became the most successful production in Bangarra's history, and was highly critically acclaimed. In 2019, the company marked its thirtieth anniversary with the launch of a digital archive and exhibition called Knowledge Ground . In early December 2021, Page announced that he would be stepping down from

4080-620: The distinctiveness and importance of Torres Strait Islanders in Australia's Indigenous population. Eddie Mabo was from "Mer" or Murray Island in the Torres Strait. He was a party in the Mabo decision of 1992. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people also sometimes refer to themselves by descriptions that relate to their ecological environment, such as saltwater people for coast-dwellers (including Torres Strait Islander people ), freshwater people , rainforest people , desert people , or spinifex people , (the latter referring to

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4160-569: The founding director of the Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Scheme, now known as the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA). Johnson had a three-part plan for Aboriginal dance in Australia. It was to establish a school to give academic qualifications, and train dancers as members of a student and graduate performing company that would also teach. It would further provide

4240-504: The generations after colonisation. The word "community" is often used to describe groups identifying by kinship , language , or belonging to a particular place or "country". A community may draw on separate cultural values and individuals can conceivably belong to a number of communities within Australia; identification within them may be adopted or rejected. An individual community may identify itself by many names, each of which can have alternative English spellings. The naming of peoples

4320-425: The indigenous peoples. Living Black is an Australian TV news and current affairs program covering "issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians". It is presented and produced by Karla Grant , an Arrernte woman. A significant number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people use the term " Blackfella " and its associated forms to refer to Aboriginal Australians. The term blak

4400-508: The intent to assimilate them to what had become the majority white culture. Such policy was judged " genocidal " in the Bringing Them Home report (1997) published by the government in the late 20th century, as it reviewed human rights abuses during colonisation. There are a number of contemporary appropriate terms to use when referring to Indigenous peoples of Australia. In contrast to when settlers referred to them by various terms, in

4480-453: The last 500 years. The population was split into 250 individual nations, many of which were in alliance with one another, and within each nation there existed separate, often related clans , from as few as 5 or 6 to as many as 30 or 40. Each nation had its own language, and a few had several. Frances Rings Frances Rings was born in Adelaide , South Australia . She is a descendant of

4560-449: The last Ice Age, Australian Aboriginal peoples developed a variety of regional cultures and languages, invented distinct artistic and religious traditions, and affected the environment of the continent in a number of ways through hunting, fire-stick farming , and possibly the introduction of the dog . Technologies for warfare and hunting like the boomerang and spear were constructed of natural materials, as were musical instruments like

4640-451: The more inclusive term "Indigenous Australians". Six percent of Indigenous Australians identify fully as Torres Strait Islanders. A further 4% of Indigenous Australians identify as having both Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal heritage. The Torres Strait Islands comprise over 100 islands, which were annexed by Queensland in 1879. Many Indigenous organisations incorporate the phrase "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander" to highlight

4720-433: The nutrients of their soil. However, sheep and cattle later brought over by Europeans would ruin this soil by trampling on it. To add on the complexity of Aboriginal farming techniques, farmers deliberately exchanged seeds to begin growing plants where they did not naturally occur. In fact there were so many examples of Aboriginal Australians managing farm land in a complex manner that Australian anthropologist Norman Tindale

4800-441: The pre-1788 population was 314,000, while recent archaeological finds suggest that a population of 500,000 to 750,000 could have been sustained, with some ecologists estimating that a population of up to a million or even two million people was possible. More recent work suggests that Aboriginal populations exceeded 1.2 million 500 years ago, but may have fallen somewhat with the introduction of disease pathogens from Eurasia in

4880-556: The railway, and her mother was born nearby. Yuldea has four acts – Supernova, Kapi (Water), Empire, and Ooldea Spirit. The creative team included Gamilaroi astronomer Karlie Noon , and musical duo Electric Fields , and Bangarra's chief composer, Leon Rodgers. The voices of people from Yalata were recorded for the last track. Waru – journey of the small turtle , directed by Stephen Page and written by his son Hunter Page-Lochard , premiered in Sydney in 2023, and ran for two seasons before going on tour from 26 June to 9 November 2024. It

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4960-600: The results may be due to posthumous modification and thermal degradation of the DNA. Although the contested results seem to indicate that Mungo Man may have been an extinct subspecies that diverged before the most recent common ancestor of contemporary humans, the administrative body for the Mungo National Park believes that present-day local Aboriginal peoples are descended from the Lake Mungo remains. Independent DNA testing

5040-668: The role of artistic director in 2022, handing over to Frances Rings , former dancer and choreographer with Bangarra and later associate artistic director. Bangarra's last performance with Page as director was Wudjang: Not the Past , which premiered at the Sydney Festival in January 2022 before touring to Hobart and then Adelaide as part of the Adelaide Festival in March 2022. In 2023, Rings,

5120-432: The stage. Rings saw this as a way of bringing Indigenous stories, which had often been ignored in school curricula, to a wider audience, of bringing them into the mainstream. Stephen Page asked Rings to choreograph a work depicting Aboriginal views on landscape . She cites her trips to Flinders Ranges , which she used to visit every weekend as a child, and also Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre as her main influence to choreograph

5200-411: The state of Tasmania. The Torres Strait Islander people possess a heritage and cultural history distinct from Aboriginal traditions. The eastern Torres Strait Islanders in particular are related to the Papuan peoples of New Guinea , and speak a Papuan language . Accordingly, they are not generally included under the designation "Aboriginal Australians". This has been another factor in the promotion of

5280-498: The term "Indigenous Australians" has grown in popularity since the 1980s, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples dislike it. They feel that it is too generic and removes their distinct clan and people identity. However, many people think that the term is useful and convenient, and can be used where appropriate. In recent years, terms such as "First Nations", "First Peoples" and "First Australians" have become more common. Being as specific as possible, for example naming

5360-665: The various ethnic groups living within the territory of present day Australia prior to British colonisation . They consist of two distinct groups, which include many ethnic groups: the Aboriginal Australians of the mainland and many islands, including Tasmania , and the Torres Strait Islanders of the seas between Queensland and Papua New Guinea , located in Melanesia . 812,728 people self-identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin in

5440-488: The various peoples indigenous to mainland Australia and associated islands, excluding the Torres Strait Islands. The broad term Aboriginal Australians includes many regional groups that may be identified under names based on local language, locality, or what they are called by neighbouring groups. Some communities, cultures or groups may be inclusive of others and alter or overlap; significant changes have occurred in

5520-463: Was a guest collaborator and performer for their production of MITIMITI . In 2018, she choreographed a new piece for Atamira called Kotahi . In 2016, Rings returned to NAISDA as head of creative studies until 2019. Within this period, she directed five end-of-year productions, including Your Skin, My Skin (2014), Kamu (2015), From Sand to Stage (2016), Restoration (2017), and Story Place (2018). After leaving NAISDA, she returned to Bangarra as

5600-641: Was a retired leading aircraftman of the RAAF and a Vietnam veteran . Stone had been born in South Africa, growing up in Cape Town and moving to Australia as a teenager in 1969. She participated in the six-week Black Theatre workshop established by Johnson in Redfern , Sydney, in 1975 Johnson toured Australia in 1972 with American choreographer Eleo Pomare and his company, and remained in Australia. In 1975, Johnson became

5680-605: Was able to draw an Aboriginal grain belt, detailing the specific areas where crops were once produced. In terms of aquaculture, explorer Thomas Mitchell noted large stone fish traps on the Darling River at Brewarrina. Each trap covers a pool, herding fish through a small entrance that would later be shut. Traps were created at different heights to accommodate different water levels during floods and droughts. Technology used by Indigenous Australian societies before European contact included weapons, tools, shelters, watercraft, and

5760-767: Was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. They ran from 1996 to 2013. The Helpmann Awards is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia since 2001. Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards commenced in 1984 and recognise outstanding achievements in dance, drama, comedy, music, opera, circus and puppetry. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, and/or recognised membership of,

5840-452: Was further reduced to around 300 between 1803 and 1833 due to disease, warfare, and other actions of British settlers. Despite more than 170 years of debate over who or what was responsible for this near-extinction, no consensus exists on its origins, process, or whether or not it was genocide. However, according to Benjamin Madley, using the "UN definition, sufficient evidence exists to designate

5920-527: Was generally mobile, or semi-nomadic , moving according to the changing food availability found across different areas as seasons changed, the mode of life and material cultures varied greatly from region to region, and there were permanent settlements and agriculture in some areas. The greatest population density was to be found in the southern and eastern regions of the continent, the River Murray valley in particular. Canoes were made out of bark for use on

6000-415: Was influenced by literal ideas of elements that make up the physical landscape of the lake, and explored figurative ideas of human connections to land and nature which she incorporated into her work, Terrain in 2012. Rings re-staged Terrain in 2022, with the show touring Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane from June to August. When choreographing Sheoak , Rings was influenced by sheoak trees and how it

6080-438: Was not because of her Aboriginal background, or from a cultural perspective. Rings mentions being influenced by the way her aunts and sisters told stories, specifically their body language , such as gestures and expressions, and how she is able to see them reflected within the shape of trees. She said in 2022 that she likes choreography that shows "clean shapes and distinctive physical architecture of body", that also embodies

6160-727: Was offered as a HSC course. Rings decided to sign up for HSC dance as one of her electives. She said that she had an encouraging dance teacher who pushed her to do her best. When Rings was 17, her speech and drama teacher at school told her about the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) in Sydney , where Indigenous students are given the opportunity to learn about dance and culture. Her teacher encouraged her to apply to NAISDA. After completing Year 12, Rings left Ipswich to attend NAISDA in Sydney. In 1992, Rings graduated from NAISDA. she performed in her graduation performance where Stephen Page , artistic director of

6240-458: Was small, with estimates ranging widely from 318,000 to more than 3,000,000 in total. Given geographic and habitat conditions, they were distributed in a pattern similar to that of the current Australian population. The majority were living in the south-east, centred along the Murray River . The First Fleet of British settlers arrived with instructions to "live in amity and kindness" with

6320-754: Was the first children's work performed by Bangarra, and won Best Production for Children in the Sydney Theatre Awards in 2023. The company has received the Helpmann Award for Best Ballet or Dance Work a number of times. The Australian Dance Awards recognise excellence and promote dance in Australia. They are awarded under the auspices of the Australian Dance Council (Ausdance) for performance, choreography , design, dance writing, teaching and related professions. they commenced in 1997. The Deadly Awards , (commonly known simply as The Deadlys),

6400-575: Was transferred to Kalgoorlie , and then they eventually went on to move to Albany in Western Australia, and then to Queensland because of the climate there. Growing up in Port Augusta during her early childhood, Rings had voiced an interest in dance, but her family was unable to afford to pay for ballet lessons. She continued to show her passion for dance as she created a theatre in her backyard out of water tanks , which she turned into

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