This was not the standard map of Australia that I knew. I recognised the shape but not the way that it had been broken up.
“There are more than 500 different Aboriginal peoples across this country, with over 150 languages spoken,” explained Maria, my guide, as she pointed to the puzzle-like fragments of First Nations communities covering the continent. “While we share commonalities, we are many nations, all with distinct cultures, languages and traditions.”
It was dizzying to take them all in at once. As Maria highlighted the names of the different Aboriginal peoples represented in today's Northern Territory alone, I realised there were myriad little-known histories running alongside the larger narrative of a country that I thought I knew.
“Right here, in Darwin, the Traditional Owners are the Larrakia people. They've been around for thousands of years – long before today's city was built,” smiled Maria as we walked in front of the territorial capital's colonial-styled, 19th-century Government House.
While people who identify as Aboriginal Australians make up only about 3% of the country's modern population, that figure rises to 30% in the Northern Territory, which has long been a stronghold of Indigenous culture. Evidence uncovered by archaeologists has revealed that human habitation here goes back as far as 65,000 years.
“Evidence uncovered north of Darwin reveals human habitation here goes back 65,000 years”
“You'll be witnessing what is perhaps the planet's oldest continuously active civilisation,” foreshadowed Maria, an unexpected gravitas suddenly creeping into her voice.
Even having visited Australia twice before, I still knew little about its Indigenous peoples. Some cultural references were familiar, such as the ‘Dreaming’, the sounds of the didgeridoo, the vibrancy of dot-art paintings, but I had 65 millennia to catch up on. Over the two weeks I travelled across the Northern Territory, I looked to gain a deeper understanding of the Aboriginal worldview, their animistic connection to nature and the meaning behind their artistic expressions. Little did I expect that I would encounter such a wildly diverse land.
I began in Darwin, a well-manicured and easy-going tropical town home to over half of the territory's 250,000 inhabitants. There is a lot of natural beauty to admire here: palmfringed beaches line its bay-like coast and you're never far from the water. The most eye-catching strip, Mindil Beach, also plays host to one of the city's most vibrant markets, lined with stores selling Aboriginal artworks and souvenirs. I browsed awhile but Maria had other plans.
“The best Aboriginal art is found on the city's walls,” she said as we made our way back to the Central Business District. The city centre looked thoroughly modern and nondescript, a legacy of heavy bombing during the Second
