Planning Your Visit

Planning your visit Introduction to the We recommend the following three guidelines in planning your students’ visit to the exhibition: exhibition: Indigenous Australian society today is a product of a  Provide a focus that students should keep in continuing culture dating back over 60,000 years mind as they explore the exhibition and which that reflects a complex spiritual relationship to the you can follow up afterwards natural world and an intimate knowledge of diverse  Do some preparatory work in school to develop environments that were carefully managed. The the focus of the visit and familiarise students impact of European colonialism was profound, with the content of the exhibition leaving a legacy that is still contested.  Allow students some scope to explore to find objects that interest them Using the exhibition In advance Curriculum Links Decide on a focus for the visit and a follow-up The exhibition offers opportunities in the following activity. Go through these with the students. Some curriculum areas and for cross-curricular work: examples of possible overarching questions are given to help you. Art and Design: Decorative objects, patterns, colour, animal and plant motifs, natural materials, Use the cross curricular ideas on the next page and painting and drawing. the exhibition image bank to provide general background to the exhibition and to familiarise PSHE and Citizenship: Other cultures, celebrations, students with some of the content in the exhibition. ceremonies and human rights. If you are using activity sheets, go through them with the students in advance. Our activity sheets Geography: Human and physical geography, time, are available to download and you can adapt them seasons, landscapes, changing features and natural for your needs. resources.

On the day Using this resource Divide the class into small groups, with an adult This resource is designed to support your visit to assigned to each group. the ‘Indigenous Australia: Enduring Civilisation’ Encourage adults to allow students to linger at exhibition. objects which interest them and to discuss what they see sharing things they find out as they go It is aimed to be cross-curricular and gives you the round. Remind students to behave calmly and opportunity to work the exhibition into teaching politely. Photography is not allowed within the within the National Curriculum. To accompany this exhibition, but students may take photographs of resource we also have a downloadable image bank relevant objects in the Museum’s permanent and worksheets that can be adapted to suit your galleries. needs. Afterwards Discuss the students’ thoughts and responses to the exhibition. Use what the students have gathered in the exhibition for the follow-up activity back at school. Exhibition Themes

The ‘Big’ questions The exhibition is divided into four sections. The Introduction, Understanding Country, Encounters It is often a good idea to have an overarching in Country and Out of Country. question for students to keep in mind during their visit to the exhibition. Here are some possible Understanding Country provides an introduction to examples: Indigenous Australia, meaning both Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders. It covers the Which did I think, and why, was the most diversity of languages and culture, relationships to interesting object in the exhibition? land, world views, religion and knowledge. What did I learn about Indigenous Australia that I did not know before? Encounters in Country section tells the history of What sources of evidence does the exhibition Indigenous Australia since British settlement. include? Stories of conflict, collaboration, dispossession and How useful did I find these for learning about resistance are told through objects. Wider themes people in the past? and events in Australian history are explored What have I learned about from objects in the through the personal stories of Indigenous exhibition? Australians and the European explorers and settlers What else would I put in the exhibition to make it that arrived on their land. These stories lead up to interesting/informative? the present, covering 20th century rights movements and the role of contemporary art in demonstrating ownership of land and the joy of returning to country. This section contrasts Understanding Country and explores the deep and long lasting impact of European settlement on Indigenous Australia.

The final section, Out of Country, reflects on the travel, of people and objects, between Australia and the United Kingdom. Out of Country uses British Museum objects to tell the story of Indigenous Australians who made the journey to Britain as well as exploring the role of museums and the contemporary meanings of historic objects.

Citizenship and PSHE There are many different cultures such as Aboriginal people, Torres Strait Islanders and other migrant groups across Australia and the theme in this exhibition looks at how two groups have lived together. Use the exhibition to explore topics within citizenship such as: Human rights and international law, diversity of languages, culture, celebration and ceremony, world views, continents and hemispheres; explore environment, relationships to the land, religion and knowledge. weather, animals and landscapes.

Spotlight Objects: Use the exhibition to explore how Indigenous See page 5, 6, 7 and 8 for Citizenship in the Australians use materials and resources in their powerpoint that accompanies this resource. environment. Ask students to explore how and why Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people lived successfully for a long time and compare the Follow up Activity: civilisation to another country.

Set up a debate in your classroom around topics raised within the exhibition such as land right issues and human rights. Example questions such as: Art and Design Indigenous Australia lends itself well to art and Who has the right to have a voice? Whose voice design. Elements of the exhibition looks at the matters? What do you do with views you don’t development of craft techniques passed down agree with? Is it right to take control of other through generations and how Australian Indigenous countries? Discuss in groups and ask students to peoples used their environment and natural take on various roles and voices. resources as canvases to create objects and art works. Use the exhibition to evaluate and analyse Explore at the idea of celebration and ceremony objects and artworks using the language of art, within the exhibition. Compare an object of craft and design as listed below. Use the theme of celebration such as the ‘Crocodile mask’ with an nature and environment to develop a range of art object that is recognised in your culture as and design techniques such as: colour, pattern, celebratory. texture, line, shape, form and space.

Spotlight Objects: Geography See page 1, 2, 3 and 4 for Art and Design in the The island of Australia is home to some of the powerpoint that accompanies this resource. oldest landscapes and one of the longest continuous cultural traditions on our planet. Its first Follow up Activity: first people, arrived from the north at least 60,000 Use Indigenous Australian paintings in the years ago. Use the exhibition for students to exhibition to create your own inspired art work develop contextual knowledge of Australia, back at school. Use the colours within the understanding key processes that have given rise to exhibition and think about what they represent its changing geological and physical features. such as: yellow (the sun), brown (the soil), red Contrast Australia’s changing environment, (desert sand) and white (the clouds and the sky). resources, landscapes and history to Great Britain, European countries and other islands. Using the themes and techniques passed down through generations, invite students to share art Spotlight Objects: based techniques in a forum. See page 9, 10, 11 and 12 for Geography in the powerpoint that accompanies this resource. Ask students to create an artwork using natural materials as tools. Follow up Activity: Ask students to find Australia on a world map. Compare Australia to other islands in different