Chapter 33

An Aborigines man

Section 1
1. The major indigenous groups living in New Zealand ans Australia are the Maori and the Aborigines, respectively.

2. People living in the more urban areas of New Zealand and Australia have easier access to schools and medical care, while the people in the more rural areas, such as the Outback, must use two-way radios to talk to teachers or doctors, or travel long distances to reach hospitals.

creative writing: There are two main groups of people who came to settle the region of New Zealand and Australia: the indigenous peoples, and the European settlers.
   Firstly, the indigenous groups, also called the Aborigines and the Maori, came to Australia and New Zealand somewhere between 20,000 and 60,000 years ago. It is believed that during that time period, due to the ice age, ocean levels were lower, and there was possibly a land bridge connecting Australia, Oceania, New Zealand, and the mainland of Asia, allowing migrants to reach New Zealand and Australia without having to cross vast seas.
   Second of all, the first people from Europe, particularly Great Britain, to settle in Australia and New Zealand were actually prisoners who could not be afforded to keep in overcrowded jails in England. 77 years after the first prisoners where taken to Australia, non-criminals finally settled on Australia's coast. They fought with the Aborigines and the Maori for land, power and resources, and forcefully relocated them to reserves. After about 200 years, the Aborigines and Maori finally gained rights for themselves, and together with their British neighbors declared Australia and New Zealand independent nations.

Section 2
1. Isolation had affected the indigenous cultures among the islands of Oceania: 1,200 out of the world's 3,000 languages come from Oceania; surfing and outrigger canoes came from Oceania.



The outrigger canoe was the easiest way of transportation for
Oceania's people before the European explorers brought their trade ships.


2. With the European settlers came their ideas, religions, and cultures, along with migrant workers from South Asia (and their ideas, religions and cultures). All of this combined with social structures and power weakened the indigenous people's lifestyles, cultures and religions, making them less and less common.

creative writing: If I were a tourist traveling among the islands of any part of Oceania in an outrigger canoe, and were to write what I saw in a journal entry, I would write:

   "We pushed off in the outrigger today, and immediately saw a sea turtle. it swam with us for some way, but eventually went out to sea. The guide took us along the shore of the islands, and we passed many fishermen casting nets and lines. they waved to us as we rowed by. There were also locals and tourists surfing in the break, closer to shore. Rowing was very tiring: it takes a lot of energy from you. We stopped and pulled ashore to rest and to but some breadfruit and coconuts from a small market. when we left again, we went farther out so that we wouldn't have to worry about being struck by incoming waves. The water was so blue and clear, you could see every little fish - and the big ones too. after a while, the small islands that we passed seemed to look exactly the same - I asked if we were going in circles, but the guide said no. As we rowed between two close islands, we were caught up in an outrigger race! There were teams on much longer, narrower boats than ours, going so fast, that we couldn't help but stop and watch them. Thankfully, we weren't hit, but next time, I'd rather be on the shore watching."


A sunset view of one of Micronesia's many islands.