Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the First Peoples of Australia, with the oldest continuous living cultures in the world — going back tens of thousands of years. Storytelling sits at the very heart of these cultures. For thousands of years, stories have been passed down out loud — through spoken word, song, dance and art — carrying knowledge about the land, history, law, and how to care for Country. There is no single "Aboriginal culture": there are hundreds of distinct nations, each with its own languages, stories and traditions. Many stories are deeply significant, and some are sacred — meant only for certain people to tell — so they are always treated with respect. These are living cultures, still strong and practised today.
Example
An Elder passing on a story about how a river or landform came to be is not simply telling a tale. The story teaches younger generations about the land, their responsibility to care for it, and their connection to Country — and it has been carried this way, out loud, for countless generations.
Key terms
Oral tradition:
Passing stories and knowledge down by speaking, song and dance, rather than writing.
Country:
The lands, waters and skies that First Nations peoples are connected to and care for.
First Nations:
The first peoples of a place; in Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Questions
1. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are:
The First Peoples of Australia
Recent arrivals to Australia
A single small group
Not connected to Australia
2. First Nations Australian cultures are among the world's:
Oldest continuous living cultures
Newest cultures
Only written cultures
Smallest ever recorded
3. For thousands of years, First Nations stories have mainly been passed down by:
Speaking, song and dance
Text message
Printed books only
Television
4. "Country" in First Nations cultures refers to:
The lands, waters and skies people are connected to and care for
A music genre
A foreign nation
A type of book
5. Is there just one single Aboriginal culture and language?
No — there are hundreds of distinct nations and languages
Yes, only one
Only two in total
None at all
6. Storytelling in First Nations cultures carries:
Knowledge about land, history and law
Nothing important
Only jokes
Only weather reports
7. First Nations cultures today are:
Living cultures, still practised today
Completely gone
Only found in one town
A thing of the distant past only
8. Oral tradition means:
Passing knowledge down by speaking rather than writing
Writing everything in books
Keeping knowledge secret forever
Using only pictures
9. Some First Nations stories are sacred, which means:
They are treated with respect and only certain people may tell them
Anyone can change them freely
They are unimportant
They must be rewritten
10. Stories that connect people to Country often teach:
How to care for and live with the land
How to ignore the land
Nothing useful
Only maths
11. Why is it more accurate to say "First Nations cultures" rather than "culture"?
There are many distinct nations, each with its own languages and traditions
There is only ever one culture
The word "culture" is banned
They are all identical
12. Besides spoken words, First Nations stories are also shared through:
Song, dance and art
Nothing else
Only spelling tests
Only silent reading
13. That stories have been passed down accurately for tens of thousands of years shows:
An unbroken, continuous oral tradition
That the stories are unimportant
That writing is the only reliable method
That the stories are new
14. Treating a First Nations story with respect might include:
Recognising some stories are not ours to retell
Changing it however we like
Claiming it as our own
Ignoring where it came from
15. Why might it be disrespectful to treat a significant First Nations story like an ordinary made-up fairytale?
These stories hold deep cultural, spiritual and educational meaning, not just entertainment
Fairytales are longer
Stories can never be serious
There is no difference between any stories
16. What does the survival of detailed knowledge through oral storytelling over tens of thousands of years demonstrate?
Oral tradition can reliably preserve complex knowledge across many generations
Speaking is a poor way to remember anything
Knowledge only lasts if written down
The knowledge must be inaccurate
17. A visitor wants to retell a sacred story they once heard. The respectful approach is to:
Recognise some stories are restricted and not theirs to pass on
Share it widely without asking
Change the ending to suit themselves
Claim they invented it
18. Why is connection to Country central to many First Nations stories?
The stories carry knowledge of, and responsibility for, the land
The land is unrelated to the stories
Country only means a foreign nation
Stories avoid mentioning the land
19. The existence of hundreds of First Nations groups across Australia is best described as:
A rich diversity of distinct cultures, each with its own languages and stories
One identical culture repeated
A recent development
Only a handful of people
20. Learning about First Nations storytelling mainly helps readers to:
Appreciate and respect the world's oldest living storytelling traditions
Replace their own culture
Ignore Australian history
Treat all stories as identical
Answer key (parent copy)
1. The First Peoples of Australia
2. Oldest continuous living cultures
3. Speaking, song and dance
4. The lands, waters and skies people are connected to and care for
5. No — there are hundreds of distinct nations and languages
6. Knowledge about land, history and law
7. Living cultures, still practised today
8. Passing knowledge down by speaking rather than writing
9. They are treated with respect and only certain people may tell them
10. How to care for and live with the land
11. There are many distinct nations, each with its own languages and traditions
12. Song, dance and art
13. An unbroken, continuous oral tradition
14. Recognising some stories are not ours to retell
15. These stories hold deep cultural, spiritual and educational meaning, not just entertainment
16. Oral tradition can reliably preserve complex knowledge across many generations
17. Recognise some stories are restricted and not theirs to pass on
18. The stories carry knowledge of, and responsibility for, the land
19. A rich diversity of distinct cultures, each with its own languages and stories
20. Appreciate and respect the world's oldest living storytelling traditions