Life among the Aborigines

This week's column is by Online Editor Mike Pilewski.

Our January cover story invites you to explore the culture of one of the most secretive societies on Earth — that of the Aborigines. Tourists need special permission to visit Arnhem Land, an Aboriginal territory at the northern tip of Australia, and the Torres Strait, which separates Queensland from Papua New Guinea. This month, correspondent Graham Simmons takes us on a tour of the art and rituals of these magical regions.

In 2008, I was also lucky enough to spend time on Aboriginal land, learning about traditions that have survived since the Stone Age. Local people told of their fondness for bush tucker — wild animals they catch near their homes with their bare hands. Mandy Muir, a cultural interpreter, explained how to prepare the dinner she'd found in the swamp behind her house. "You put the snake's head in your mouth, then you pull on its body, and that breaks its neck. Then you wrap the snake in a circle and lay it on the fire. Mmm!"

For 40,000 years, Aboriginal people have lived in perfect harmony with their natural surroundings — surroundings they say their ancestors dreamed into existence while sleepwalking across the featureless landscape. Most Aboriginal art tells the story of these ancestors, represented by animals, and landmarks important to them, represented by wavy lines and dots.

When did these ancestors live? That's not a question that can be answered. Time is not linear in Aboriginal culture. Past, present and future exist simultaneously. The ancestors are still around and are still dreaming into existence everything our world contains — even man-made things like baskets, locomotives and didgeridoos.

The January Spotlight is just waiting for you to discover much more about these exotic traditions on the other side of the Earth.

Spotlight Premium users can read the full text of my 2008 article, "Meet the Aborigines". The special online report I wrote to go with it is available to everyone.