Student Worksheet

Thought-starter: What is the biggest river in Tasmania?

In this lesson, you will complete a study about some ancient practices of Aboriginal peoples who lived around the rivers of Tasmania and other states and territories of Australia.

Using Historical Sources

Historians can examine primary and secondary sources of information to help them understand the lifestyles and practices of people of past times. There are many historical sources available to us that demonstrate the intimate connections that Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples have had with river ecosystems for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence suggests that many groups of Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples living along rivers in times past were settled in a kind of village life. This challenges the idea that they were all semi-nomadic. By looking at historical sources, we can gain useful information that sometimes contradicts our previously held ideas about people of the past and their lifestyles.

Primary Source Material

Primary sources are things that come directly from the historical period being investigated. They include natural items such as bone fragments or rocks, constructed objects like carved tools and shelters, artworks like cave paintings and jewellery and many other items from the past.

Secondary Source Material

Secondary sources are created from the direct observations of people and things from the past. They include written documents, orally transmitted stories and accounts, photographs and many other forms of evidence.

Task 1

Classify the following historical sources as primary or secondary sources:

Task 2

Identify which sources could be used to determine the following facts about the presence of Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples at a site:

Task 3

Which of these pieces of evidence can be put together to build a picture of how these people gathered food? What other facts are evident from these sources?

Task 4

Look at the activities of Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples listed here that require access to the river and its tributaries. Think about how important each activity is for survival and add these activities to the table below, categorising them according to how important you think they are. Explain your answers in the table below: