Three Immigration Waves: The first wave: Until now people thought that all Aboriginal people stem from one big migration wave away from Africa direction Europe, Asia and Australia. New research shows that the ancestors of the Australian Aboriginals split earlier from these African emigrants and that they hardly mingled with the early Asians. Modern man arrived possibly far into Asia some 125.000 years ago. Professor and researcher Eske Willerslev of the University of Copenhagen explains: Australian Aboriginals descended from the first human explorers. Whilst the European and Asian ancestors stayed in Africa, the ancestors of the Aboriginals spread out rapidly. They were the first modern people to cross unknown territory towards Asia and to cross the sea to Australia. It must have been an astonishing journey which required exceptional survival techniques and courage. Aboriginal tribes in the north-west of Australia had little contact with the inhabitants of the islands which now belong to Indonesia. Via the Torres Strait Islands there were progressively contacts with New Guinea. But the Aboriginals have taken over hardly any techniques or customs from other peoples. The Aboriginals did not know the bow and arrow. They used the boomerang and the so-called woomera, an attachment for throwing spears as a weapon. They did not practise agriculture. However, they did have an influence on the environment by burning down the bush in a controlled way. In this manner a new generation of plants repeatedly had a chance to grow. The first inhabitants of Australia were nomads: hunters and gatherers of what they could find. They lived in groups of about forty people having their own territory. In barren areas the groups consisted of about twenty people. The different groups did have contacts with one another. Once a year they would gather in New-South-Wales when the moths would appear. These moths were caught and eaten as delicacies. That would be the time for celebrations, rituals and marriages. The Aboriginals used to be called the Moth Hunters. Aboriginal culture is holistic, defined by its connection to family, community and country. In Australia, the idea of “being on country” is central to the Aboriginal worldview. Apparently, people were happy enough with fish and shellfish and did not aspire to cultivate crops. The men were professional hunters. The women gathered berries and other plants. The women handed down their knowledge and experiences to their daughters. The men had the task to prepare the food. The second wave: Researchers from Leipzig and Rotterdam found in the DNA of the Aboriginals of Northern Australia traces of another migration. This was published in the magazine PNAS. A part of the DNA of the aboriginals from the Northern Territories appeared to be the same as that from the Dravidic peoples of Southern India, who are regarded as the eldest peoples of Southern India. On account of the speed of change in the DNA the Indian migration wave must have taken place 141 generations ago. If one counts 30 years for a generation, this migration must have taken place 4230 years
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