STUDENT (British, Male):Good morning, thank you for attending this brief presentation about Australian indigenous architecture. I’m David, and I’d like to give you a brief overview of different types of indigenous dwelling that can be found around our country. Now, this isn’t going to be comprehensive, but I’d like you all to leave here with a better understanding of what types of structures indigenous people have used over time. Yes, do you have a question?
WOMAN (Australian, Female): Are these structures still being used?
SPEAKER: Well, no, not anymore. In fact, most of them are gone now and we only have records of their existence. I’m talking more about houses that were used in the 1800’s and before. . .
WOMAN: I see. So this is more about the history of indigenous architecture?
SPEAKER: Yes, exactly. The first thing I’d like to talk about is construction . . . I mean, the types of materials that were used. What people used to build with was different depending on the region. Across the Western Desert, for example, limbs of trees were used to build frames for houses and spinifex . . .
WOMAN: What is spinifex?
SPEAKER: That’s a good question. It’s a type of grass and it was used to cover the frame of the house. Stone huts were made in cooler areas, like southeastern Australia. My personal favourite are the houses made of whale bones in South Australia, but cane was also used in some areas. Indigenous people would often use mud mixed with grass to waterproof their houses as well, packing the mixture to the exterior walls and roof.
WOMAN: Sorry to interrupt again… but I have another question. Were the houses all built the same way? I mean, they must have looked different since they were using different materials, right?
SPEAKER: That’s right. There was actually a lot of variety in shape. As you can see on the screen behind me, there were dome-shaped frameworks, triangular structures, egg-shaped houses made of wood and, of course, pole and platform construction, which includes a living space, elevated high above the ground on several poles. These varying shapes of housing were used in base camp communities, which were designed to be used over many years by the same people.
EXAMINEE GETS A 30 SECOND BREAK TO REVIEW THE QUESTIONS FOR THE SECOND PART OF DIALOGUE A
Next I’d like to talk a little bit about location of the structures. The rain forest townships in northeast Queensland were located near a river or creek. The area where the houses were built was cleared and maintained to allow sunlight to come through, but also to decrease the amount of falling branches or dripping water from excessive rain during the wet season.
In Tasmania, small communities of dome-shaped structures were discovered near the mountains. These shelters were located near food resources, such as figs and bodies of water with good fishing. Some of these domes were as wide as 3.6 meters and 2.4 meters high.
I’d also like to quickly discuss the lava-stone structures located in Western Victoria because they’re so unique. You may have already heard of them because they became part of the Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape back in 2005. Heavy clay was used to fill gaps in the structure and the roofs were made of tree boughs and bark. Each one has a hole in the ceiling to let out smoke, and an animal hide was used to stop rain from coming in. And, uh, they are the only remaining houses that were constructed and used by an Indigenous community.
WOMAN: I’ve seen pictures of those before. Some friends of mine have visited them and said they’re fascinating. I also read that there used to be some stone houses near the Australian Alps.
PRESENTER: Yes, that’s true. We found housing in South Australia and, like you said, some stone structures near the Australian Alps. Now, before I let you go, keep in mind that these structures seem small to us, but many of them could house up to six people. And, of course, they were organised close together because so many activities. . . cooking, eating, washing and playing, was all done as a community and in the outdoors, so people were interacting constantly throughout the day.
Thanks again. Are there any more questions or comments?