The document summarizes a school visit to an exhibition at the Australian Museum about Aboriginal sea country. It describes how the exhibition allowed students to learn about the deep connections Indigenous Australians have with the sea and different sea countries. It also explains how the exhibition linked to areas of the school curriculum, including history, English, and sustainability. Students could interact with the exhibition through question boxes and interactive screens. It discusses the cultural significance of totems for Aboriginal groups and how they represent spiritual connections between people and animals, plants, natural features, and more.

1. AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM SITE VISIT
OUR EXPERIENCE
Exhibition: Garrigarrang Sea Country
Year level/ Stage: 2
 Kim, Amanda, Yesmina & Peter

2. WELCOME TO THE SEA COUNTRY…
'Garrigarrang sea’ and 'garrigarrang nura' encompasses the
• Ocean
• Plants
• Animals
• Beaches
• Land
• The seasons
• Weather and sky
People belong to their Sea Countries and their Sea Countries belong to them.
In Garrigarrang, freshwater and saltwater are essentials of life.
The aim of this exhibition is to allow students to explore Indigenous Australians' deep connections with the
sea.

3. The Gadigal people are one of the 29
clans that make up the Eora Nation in
Sydney.
The Hawkesbury River to the North
The Nepean River in the West
The Georges River in the South

4. LINKS TO HISTORY
STAGE 2 CONTENT
 First contacts
This topic introduces world history and the movements of peoples.
Beginning with the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, students examine
European exploration and colonisation in Australia.
Students examine the impact of exploration on other societies, how these societies
interacted with newcomers, and how these experiences contributed to their cultural
diversity.
Using the exhibition students will learn about the different sea countries present in aboriginal
and Torres straight islander cultures and their ever-changing nature.

5. INTERACTING WITH THE EXHIBITION
 Scattered all around the exhibition was small round boxes with questions which
prompted children to attempt to answer the question before opening the lid which
contained the answers…

6.  Interactive screens were also a vital part of the exhibition children have the option of
choosing which song/story they would like to hear/see

7. LINKS TO ENGLISH
CROSS-CURRICULUM STAGE 2
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures:
 The exhibition allows children to gain a vast understanding of the Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures cross-curriculum area encompasses the
concepts of Country and Place, People, Culture and Identity.
 Also, by incorporating texts in English studies, students are given the opportunity
to increase their understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s
beliefs and value systems. Recommended text : The rainbow serpent

8. Sustainability was an integral part of the exhibition and it was at the forefront of each section
“Indigenous people invented sustainable, renewable, biodegradable technologies and tools
that were flexible and adaptable. We aim to show, through this exhibition, the extensive
knowledge and depth of Indigenous culture”
(Laura McBride, Creative Producer)

11. LINK TO SUSTAINABILITY –
CROSS-CURRICULUM STAGE 2
 Through the understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander’s history students are able
to develop world views, particularly in relation to actions that require judgement about past
societies and their access to and use of the Earth's resources.
 Throughout the exhibition Students are provided with opportunities to develop an historical
perspective on sustainability by understanding, for example, the positive impact on the
environment and natural resources, the clans held within the Aboriginal and Torres Straight
Islander cultures.
 Students should be able to recognize the positive decisions made by Aboriginal and Torres
Straight Islander’s in the past in relation to the land, it’s environment and all it’s creatures.
 In order for student’s to make positive decisions about sustainability and to help shape a
better future they must understand how the past relates to the present, and needs to be
informed by historical trends and experiences.

12. TOTEMS AND THEIR SIGNIFICANCE
A Totem is an object or animal believed by a particular society to have spiritual significance.
Each mob has a collection of totems that represent special areas or animals to their community.
It’s a way of preserving the ecology. Mobs won’t eat those particular totems, because if they ate
everything they found their would be nothing left for the other mobs to eat.
As an extra protection, each person within the mob has their own personal totem as well.

13. THE RANGE OF TOTEMS INCLUDES:
 Animals
 Insects
 plants
 weather elements
 geographical features
or
 even human traits like ‘coughing’
 some people have cultural artefacts as totems for example, fish trap or stone axe

14. Spiritually they believe that:
“Humans are not superior to other species or other things – we are connected like
close relatives. Totems create connections between humans and all other things and
remind us of our responsibility -
You live with respect and protect our totems”

15. Critical and creative thinking
 The process of critical and creative thinking is central to historical inquiry.
 Students explore viewpoints and perspectives in the context of studying history. When investigating
the past, sources are incomplete and in this context, both critical and creative modes of thinking
are engaged in the construction of an historical explanation using limited evidence.
 Using totems to critically evaluate the most important aspect of their lives and create/ re-create an
object or thing that represents their family home.
Difference and diversity
 History is well placed to develop students' knowledge and understanding about the difference and
diversity amongst peoples of the past and within Australian society.
 Students learn to identify and empathise with the varying perspectives of individuals and groups
over time and attempt to understand the actions, values, attitudes and motives of people from the
past.
 Creating individual totems to represent themselves and their family homes will help them focus on
difference and diversity and provide the opportunity to explore similarities and differences between
today and the past.
TOTEMS – LINK TO SYLLABUS & LEARNING OBJECT

16. THE END
Thanks for watching!
Hope you enjoyed as well as
benefited from our learning
experience at the exhibition.