Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Map of Indigenous Australia

20 minutes

Find Out: What are songlines?

25 minutes

Take Action: Trade cards

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

understand the concept of songlines and trade
explore how archaeological evidence provides insight into cultural practices and traditions.

Success criteria

Students can:

describe the interconnections between First Nations peoples in Australia
participate in a trade simulation.

Tune In: Map of Indigenous Australia

Step 1

Through a digital display, present the map of Indigenous Australia through the AIATSIS website. Give students time to reflect quietly as they view the map.

Step 2

Next, guide students to locate the Country they are residing on. If you know the Traditional Custodians of the Country you are on, you can support students in finding the correct group and location on the map. As you identify this, outline to students that each First Nations group on the map represents a different language, dialect, cultural traditions, practices and customs.

Step 3

Use this as an opportunity to facilitate a class discussion about the interconnections between First Nations peoples across the continent by using the following discussion prompts:

What could be different about the life First Nations peoples in different areas experience?
What do we know about British colonisation?
How did colonisation impact different communities and areas?
What experiences and practices did First Nations people share across the continent? What does the archaeological evidence tell us?

To guide students through the discussion, you can refer to the content and knowledge covered in previous lessons of this unit.

Find Out: What are songlines?

Step 1

On the whiteboard, write the term ‘songlines’. Survey students by asking if they have heard or know what this word means.

Step 2

Outline to students that songlines were first used by First Nations peoples as a form of communication across the continent and a way of mapping Country. Songlines often link significant sites, locations, and Dreaming stories passed down from Elder to Elder over thousands of generations.

Watch the following video with students that explores the concept of songlines.

Songlines | SBS VR | Available Online (youtube.com/watch?v=_vxsgyHru90)

Step 3

After viewing the video, invite students to write a short description of songlines and how they connect Aboriginal people across Australia on the Student Worksheet.

Learning support: Provide students with a list of key phrases to support them in their writing, such as:

Pathways of knowledge
Connection to Country
Oral traditions passed down through generations
Mapping the land’s features (landmarks, water sources)
Creation stories and Dreaming
Travel routes for navigation and trade
Cultural knowledge, customs, and laws
Connection to ancestral spirits
Sacred sites of cultural and spiritual importance
Custodians of knowledge
Identity and belonging for First Nations people
Interconnectedness across different groups and regions
Oral maps for navigation without written systems
Sustainability through traditional environmental management
Cultural survival and preserving language and tradition

Learning extension: Students write a newsletter article focusing on one of the following questions:

How do the artworks mentioned in the transcript reflect the relationship between First Nations culture and the land?
What significance do the stars and constellations hold in First Nations culture as described in the transcript?

Take Action: Trade simulation

Step 1

Explain to students that our shared understanding of songlines also teaches us about trade between First Nations groups and the routes they traverse across the continent.

Outline to students that the cultural artefacts discussed in the following case study are culturally significant to First Nations groups and historically proved valuable trade items. Explain to students that these artefacts often demonstrate complex networks of exchange systems that interconnected First Nations clans and stone tools, which were popular items to be traded.

As a class, view the following video that shares the Creation of the Bay story. After viewing, read the accompanying Factsheet to learn about two cultural artefacts significant to the Quandamooka people.

In the video, Uncle Josh mentions lore, which refers to the customs, traditions, and stories that Aboriginal peoples learned from the Dreaming. Lore is passed on through generations through songlines, dance and storytelling.

Step 2

After reading, outline that different cultural artefacts from First Nations groups across Australia were popular trade items across the continent. Highlight to students that trade was often conducted between groups or communities, emphasising the value of relationships and fairness. Remind students to think about what makes an item valuable. Invite students to share their responses and encourage them to think strategically when making trades.

Step 3

Your students’ task is to participate in a simulation of traditional trading practices. You must print multiple copies of the Trade Cards. Provide students with the rules for the simulation, which are as follows:

Each student will start with a random selection of trading cards
The goal is to collect various items through negotiation and trade with their peers
Some items are more valuable due to their rarity or utility in different regions or contexts.

Distribute a minimum of three trade cards randomly to each student and direct them to begin mingling and trading with each other. Note that some students will have duplicate cards. They must negotiate their trades to exchange cards, agreeing on the item's value.

Please note that due to permissions, the images of cultural artefacts are generic and do not specifically connect to a singular First Nations group.

Step 4

After the trades have been made, gather students and discuss the following questions:

How did you determine what was a fair trade?
Were some items harder to trade for than others? Why?
Did you notice any patterns in who traded what items?

Learning extension: Assign students to research one of the items from the trading cards and write a detailed report focusing on its historical significance and trade value.

Learning opportunity: Watch this video with students focusing on theories of migration routes and trade.

Reflection

Write the following questions on the whiteboard. Ask students to share their answers to one question before exiting the class.

What is the connection between songlines and trade?
What can we learn about these cultural practices from artefacts?
What items were commonly traded by First Nations peoples before colonisation that you could purchase from a shop or business today?

Songlines and Trade

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