HASS · Year 7 · Investigating the Ancient Past · Term 1

Oral Traditions and Indigenous Histories

Students will examine the significance of oral traditions as historical sources, focusing on their role in preserving the histories of Australia's First Peoples.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9H7K02

About This Topic

Periodisation is the process by which historians divide the past into manageable blocks of time, such as 'Ancient', 'Medieval', or 'Modern'. This topic teaches students that these divisions are not natural but are created by humans to help make sense of history. Students explore different ways of measuring time, including BC/AD and BCE/CE, and examine how different cultures (such as Indigenous Australians or the Chinese) might view time differently.

Historical thinking involves more than just dates; it requires understanding continuity and change, as well as cause and effect. By learning to use timelines effectively, students can see the 'big picture' of human development. Students grasp this concept faster through structured discussion and peer explanation, where they have to justify why they would start or end a historical period at a certain event.

Key Questions

1. Analyze how oral traditions transmit knowledge and history across generations.
2. Compare the reliability of oral histories with written accounts.
3. Justify the importance of respecting and preserving diverse forms of historical record-keeping.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze how specific elements within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander oral traditions function as historical records.
• Compare the methods of knowledge transmission in oral traditions with those of written historical accounts.
• Evaluate the reliability and limitations of oral histories as primary sources for understanding the ancient past.
• Justify the cultural significance and necessity of preserving Indigenous Australian oral histories.
• Synthesize information from oral tradition examples to construct a narrative of a specific aspect of Indigenous Australian history.

Before You Start

Introduction to Historical Sources

Why: Students need a basic understanding of what historical sources are and why they are important before analyzing specific types like oral traditions.

Concepts of Time and Chronology

Why: Understanding how time is measured and represented is foundational to discussing how history is recorded and transmitted across generations.

Key Vocabulary

Oral tradition	The passing down of knowledge, history, and cultural beliefs through spoken words, stories, songs, and ceremonies, rather than written records.
Indigenous Australian histories	The historical accounts, experiences, and perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, encompassing tens of thousands of years of continuous culture.
Primary source	An original object or document created at the time under study, which can include oral accounts, artifacts, or eyewitness testimonies.
Historical narrative	An account of past events, often constructed from various sources, that tells a story about what happened and why.
Cultural transmission	The process by which cultural elements, such as knowledge, beliefs, and practices, are passed from one generation to the next.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Historical periods like 'The Middle Ages' happened at the same time everywhere.

What to Teach Instead

Periodisation is often Eurocentric. Active learning tasks that compare timelines from different regions (e.g., Australia vs Europe) help students see that these labels don't always fit global history.

Common Misconception

Time is always a straight line of 'progress'.

What to Teach Instead

History involves cycles and regressions, not just improvements. Peer discussion about 'dark ages' or the loss of ancient technologies helps challenge the idea of constant progress.

Active Learning Ideas

Formal Debate: The BCE/CE vs BC/AD Toss-up

Divide the class into two groups to research the origins and reasons for using different dating systems. They hold a mini-debate on which system is more appropriate for a multicultural Australian classroom, focusing on inclusivity and historical accuracy.

40 min·Whole Class

Inquiry Circle: Personal Periodisation

Students create a timeline of their own lives, dividing it into 3-4 'eras' (e.g., The Early Years, The Primary School Age). They must explain to a partner what 'turning point' event caused the shift from one era to the next, mirroring how historians define periods.

30 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Continuity and Change

Show two images of a city (e.g., Rome) 500 years apart. Students identify three things that stayed the same (continuity) and three things that changed. They share with a partner to discuss whether the city is 'mostly the same' or 'completely different'.

20 min·Pairs

Real-World Connections

• Cultural heritage officers working with Aboriginal Land Councils use oral histories to inform land management plans and protect sacred sites, ensuring that ancient knowledge guides contemporary decisions.
• Indigenous Australian storytellers and Elders continue to share Dreamtime stories and historical accounts at cultural festivals and in educational programs, maintaining living connections to the past for younger generations.
• Museum curators and archivists collaborate with Indigenous communities to document and preserve oral histories, creating digital archives and exhibitions that respect the integrity and ownership of the knowledge.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are a historian trying to understand a significant event from Australia's ancient past. What are the strengths and weaknesses of relying solely on written records versus oral traditions?' Facilitate a class discussion, guiding students to consider accuracy, bias, completeness, and cultural context for each source type.

Quick Check

Provide students with a short, simplified excerpt of an Indigenous Australian oral tradition (e.g., a creation story or a story about a historical event). Ask them to identify two specific pieces of information that could be considered historical evidence and explain why they are significant.

Exit Ticket

Ask students to write down one reason why oral traditions are crucial for understanding Indigenous Australian histories and one question they still have about comparing oral and written historical sources.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do we use BCE and CE instead of BC and AD?

BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era) are used to be more inclusive of different faiths and cultures while keeping the same numerical system. In the Australian Curriculum, it helps students understand that history is studied by people from many different backgrounds.

What is a 'turning point' in history?

A turning point is an event that causes a significant change in the direction of a society, such as the invention of writing or the fall of an empire. We teach students to identify these to understand why historians start new periods.

How can active learning help students understand periodisation?

Active learning allows students to 'build' the periods themselves. When students physically move events around on a timeline or debate where a period should end, they realise that history is a construct. This makes the abstract concept of 'historical eras' much more concrete and debatable.

Is time always linear in history?

While we often use linear timelines, many cultures, including some First Nations perspectives, view time as circular or interconnected. Teaching this helps students appreciate that the Western way of organising history is just one perspective.