A powerpoint on the culture of Australia!!

1. By: Karen Ober, Brittany Cusick, Andrea
Brightwell, and Chakeya Hutchins

2. I. Background Culture
Andrea Noel Brightwell

3. Aboriginal Australia
● The Indigenous people of Australia
● In, “Australian Geograpic” a new genetic study has found that
“Australian Aboriginals are the oldest continuous culture on Earth’
(Australian Geographic, 2011)
● Discovered to be the first humans to leave Africa.
● Before colonists Australia was divided into different
territories/countries each with their own unique name
● There were around 700 dialects in the Aboriginal culture
● To the Aboriginals the Earth was considered a “spiritual
phenomenon” (Bourke)
● They are polytheistic, and all of Earth, people, and its landscape
are believed to have been created by different deities during a
creation time
● It is believed that certain landscapes represent certain deities
● Each tribe had their beliefs and deities, but tribes for the same
areas usually overlapped in their beliefs. (Religion and Ceremony)
Andrea Noel Brightwell

4. torres strait islanders
Considered to be the second group of Aboriginals, these people are
considered to be original inhabitants of the close country of Papua
New Guinea. Even though this group of people are considered to be
Aboriginals that are completely separate in tradition and culture from
the mainland Aboriginals. (Shnukal 2001)
● From James Cook and Britain’s claim of the islands the Torres strait islands were legally a part of
Queensland, Australia.
● Each island is completely different in culture, economy, and tradition.
○ Just like in the mainland the different islands speak different languages and have different ways of life,
such as, fishing or farming.
■ This is due to the geographical differences between each island.
● Knowledge about Torres strait traditions have been preserved by oral traditions and different European
seamen journals
○ Due to the strong culture and nature of the islanders, Europeans believed the islanders “to be superior
to mainland Aboriginal people” (Shnukal 2001)
● A huge part of the island economy was the pearling industry which also attracted other maritime men from
different countries
○ This led to the islanders being able to obtain cultural adaptation, yet be suspicious of all outsiders.

5. Colonization
Many different European explorers landed on
Australia, however, Great Britain was the only
European sovereignty that colonized the land.
● The Joseph Banks and the British first landed in Botany bay in 1788 (Convicts and the
British Colonies in Australia)
● A majority of the new settlers were convicts, soldiers, and their families
○ Australia was used as a penal colony until 1868 (Convicts and the British Colonies in
Australia)
● There were many different colonies within Australia, but all of the colonies made a huge
impact on the aboriginal population.
○ By law aboriginals were considered citizens, however, they were not treated as such
■ Even though a majority of the British settlers were treating the Aboriginals
badly, some settlers believed that the other “settlers were unjustly treating the
original inhabitants and exterminating them when they resisted” (Moses 7)
● In 1901 when these colonies became the Commonwealth of Australia the Aboriginal’s
were given “protection” from the frontiersman
○ Aboriginal act of 1869
Andrea Noel Brightwell

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Holidays:
● Australian’s celebrate both holidays that we do and one’s that we do not. These are
their annual ones:
“-New Year’s Day, which is on 1 January every year. The most common time for people
in Australia to take their annual leave is between mid-December and the end of January.
-Christmas and Easter, two of the most important dates in the Christian calendar. Christmas Day is
on 25 December every year, while Easter is observed at some point between late March and late
April each year.
-Boxing day, the day after Christmas Day, is also a public holiday.
-Australia Day, on 26 January, is the day Australians celebrate the founding of the first European .
settlement in Australia in 1788.
. -Anzac Day, on 25 April, is the day the Australian and New Zealand Army
. Corps (Anzac) landed at Gallipoli in Turkey in 1915 during World War I.
This . day is set aside in memory of those who fought for Australia and those who
. lost their lives in war. The day is a national public holiday and is .
commemorated with ceremonies, the laying of wreaths and military .
parades.”

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16. slides done by Karen Ober
Intercultural Interaction
Karen Ober

17. III. Intercultural Interaction
● English is the primary language
Even though the majority of the population
speaks english, it can be difficult to understand and
their lingos because of their accent
Their accent is derived from a British accent
Karen Ober

18. ● Australians are very welcoming, but they
tend to be soft spoken.
● They are very polite, but their
communication style is not as proper as the
British
Face to Face
Karen Ober

19. When my family friend visited America from Australia, it was sometimes
difficult to understand her sayings. Even though the language is english,
sometimes I had to concentrate and use context clues to decipher the
meanings of words.
Australian Lingo
Karen Ober

20. Lemonade =
Tomato paste =
Rubbish Bin =
Chemist Shop =
Mum =
Hot Chips =
Primary School =
Afternoon tea =
Australian vs American Lingo
Karen
Ober
Sprite
Ketchup
Trash Can
Drug Store
Mom
French Fries
Elementary School
Snack

21. Describing Food
In Australia if their food is tasteful, they describe their
meal as being “Nice” or “ Beautiful”

22. Non-verbal communication
Afternoon teas are common between Australians, since Australians
are very polite, they will invite guest to have an Afternoon tea with them!
Karen O

23. How are Aussies perceived by Americans?
Adventurous.the media is to blame for this, due to the popularity
of Steve Irwin and his show, Americans often associates Australians with
the Adventurous crocodile hunter.
Karen Ober

24. How are Aussies perceived by
Americans continued
Nice. Besides of natural causes that can kill you (dingos, sharks,
spiders, kangaroos, box jellyfish) the violence rate is really low. For
example, you can only own a gun if you are a farmer, and it is only a
shotgun
Favors savory food. They grow up eating savory food, so their
taste buds end up preferring them. Since most food in the country is more
savory than sweet.Vegemite is an extremely popular spread throughout all
ages in the country
Cautious. They are very hesitant when it comes to their
citizens. For example, they just past a P.plate(drivers license) law. It
states that you can only have one person in your car at a time until
you are 25. And no driving between 12am and 5am. Karen O

25. VI. Improving Intercultural
Communication
Karen Ober

26. Problems
Being soft spoken. Australians view our American accents
as being very loud and bold. We are known to them as being very
opinionated.
Knowing what they want to do for a career. Australians
choose the career they want to go into in the middle of high school. After choosing it, you
take classes that will help you get into the right Uni ( university) for it. And when you are
in Uni, you only take classes that will help you with your future career. You do not need to
take classes that wont be applied in your field of study. Like how colleges in America
work.
If an Australian moves to America after high school, a strong culture shock will hit them
because they will have to take pre requisite classes in order to attain their degree.
Karen Ober

27. Problems Continued
Portion Sizes.American sized meals are HUGE
compared to Australian meals. Even the plate sizes differ. Americans also
go out to eat more often, and Australians tend to cook healthier foods from
scratch. And using home grown vegetables is more common
Karen Ober

28. More problems
Driving . Cars in Australia are different. So when
Aussies come over to America, it is difficult for them to
get used to driving on a different side of the road. Also
the steering wheel is on their passengers side.
Karen Ober

29. How can intercultural communication be
improved?
● Being open minded about Australian culture.
● Traveling. The more time one spends traveling and lives in another
country, the more knowledgeable they will be about their culture.
● Accepting. Accepting Australians taste of food(vegemite). And
accepting their accent, and learning what their sayings are. The more
knowing both cultures are about the lingos used, the better communication
will be. Because they are able to understand one another.
Karen Ober

30. Chakeya Hutchins

31. Chakeya Hutchins
Group Membership

32. Chakeya Hutchins
Group Membership

33. Chakeya Hutchins
Group Membership

34. Chakeya Hutchins
Group Membership

35. Chakeya Hutchins
Group Membership

36. Group Membership
● Family Statistics:
-Since 1976 to 2006 a lot has changed in the household and family
types.
-For example: ”In 1976, 48% of households were couple families living
with dependent children and 28% couples living with no children. By
2006, there were equal numbers of households that were couple
families with dependent children and couple families living with no
children (dependent or otherwise). (37%)” Within the 30 years, thats a
10% difference either way.
-Chart (on next slide) shows the statistics.
Andrea Noel Brightwell

37. Trends in
Household
and Family
Types
Andrea Noel Brightwell and Chakeya Hutchins

38. Works Cited
Australia - Culture, Customs and Etiquette." The Translation Agency For A Complete Professional Translation Service. Kwintessential, 2013. Web. 24 July 2014.
Craik, J. (2009). Is Australian Fashion and Dress Distinctively Australian?. Fashion Theory: The Journal Of Dress, Body & Culture, 13(4), 409-441.
Hayes, Alan, Ruth Weston, Lixia Qu, and Matthew Gray. "Families Then and Now: 1980-2010." Families Then and Now: 1980–2010. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 July
2014. http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/factssheets/fs2010conf/fs2010conf.html
McCornack, Steven. Reflect & Relate: An Introduction to Interpersonal Communication. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007. Print.
"Our Natural Environment." Australian Government. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2014. http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/our-country/our-natural-environment
"People, Culture and Lifestyle - About Australia - Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade." People, Culture and Lifestyle - About
Australia - Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. N.p., Feb. 2012. Web. 18 July 2014. http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/people_culture.
html
Penney, Barry. Australia Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture. London: Kuperard, 2010. Print
Translations — Australian into American & Other Versions of the English Language." Translations of Australian English Words into American English. N.p., n.
d. Web. 22 July 2014
Karen Ober, Brittany Cusick, Andrea Brightwell, & Chakeya Hutchins