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The Aborigines of Australia are the original inhabitants of the land before the settlement of the Europeans. About 450000 of the population of Australians are believed to Aborigines. A rich culture with distinctive mythology, beliefs, rituals, languages and lifestyle marks the Australian Aboriginal Culture. It is estimated that about 500 tribes or clans of Aborigines inhabit the land and speak in hundreds of different tongues (excluding dialects). Most of these are now extinct. The Australian Aboriginal Culture is estimated to date back 40000 to 60000 years and is held among the oldest surviving cultures of the world. New South Wales and Queensland are the provinces most inhabited by the Aborigines of Australia. Though possessing distinctive cultural traits, the Aborigines share some common values and partake in a common heritage. The Aboriginal Culture of Australia places high value on ceremonies and rituals. These ceremonial practices vitiate every aspect of the Aborigine's life. Important guests, for example, are entertained by performing the Corroboree. It is also performed when the important members of the tribe meet. Juju, Junba, Kobbakobba, Balga, Lirrga, Ilma, Yanda, Wangga, and Jalarra are all types of corroboree performed by different clans in Australia. Firestick farming was generally practiced which involves changing the eco habitat of the environment by burning out specific plants and vegetation, thus helping in hunting and gaming. Farming and gaming were the main occupations of the Aborigines. Current day records show that about 72 percent Aborigines have embraced Christianity and about 16 percent do not follow any organized religion. Myths and folklores of the Aborigines however explain the metaphysics of these tribes using Dreamtime. Dreamtime explains the origins of the world, the spiritual implications of life and death and the influence of spirits and ancestors on the living. The ceremonies and rituals of the Aborigines are based on the principle of parallel existence of past, present and future worlds. The Aborigines hold the objects of religious or spiritual significance, known as the Tjurunga or Churinga very dear. Specific rituals and ceremonies are practiced to pass on the possession of these objects such as stone, wooden or bone objects, knowledge of ceremonies and chants or bullroarers and other musical instruments. Art and music formed part of the Australian Aboriginal culture and lifestyle. Sacred sites were decorated with emblems of spiritual significance and religious motifs. Musical chants and instrumental renditions such as didgeridoo notes lent support to these rituals. The mistrust of non-Indigenous folk towards the rituals and culture of the Aborigines forced the members of these clans to keep their rituals and sacraments secret and go on periodic holidays to fulfill their religious obligations. These periods of seeming idleness are generally referred to as a walkabout.
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