Australia. Guide to Australia

The tribe is the main social unit of society Aboriginal. The first European settlers in Australia to describe the indigenous people often use the terms "tribe" and "leader" in the sense, which was adopted in Aboriginal Americas or the Pacific Islands.

However, the concept of "leader", strictly speaking, not apply to Aboriginal community, and even the concept of "tribe" has no meaning here that social, What we usually put into it.

For example, Members of the Australian tribe, if they would all get together, it is very rare. They had no authority control, which led to the affairs of the tribe, including the economic. Much more important were the actual delivery and local groups. Thus, Tribe did not have that vital social unit, which would have forced the natives to realize their common belonging to her.

The tribe of Australian Aborigines – a team, numbering of the 100 before 1500 person, living in a certain area, having a common language, customs and beliefs. All members of the tribe considered themselves bound by ties of kinship. Differences between individual tribes were so small, sometimes several tribes united under a common name (how, For example, narinueri in South Australia). However, the strong ties between the tribes, apparently, there was no. In critical situations, these relationships could break down and the people fell into divisions or new tribes, how, For example, Aranda tribe of Central Australia.

Importantly, that every family owned its own territory, within which its members to earn their living, engaged in economic affairs small. The most important thing is, Aborigines believed that the land of his tribe habitat of spirits of their ancestors and heroes.

Hence, a strong attachment to their land, which the natives had never left. Speaking of "my country", they had in mind not only their areas of habitat and hunting, but also the habitat of the spirits of his tribe.