The laws that governed aboriginal life were based on unwritten rules and lessons garnered from the "Dreamtime", kinship ties, relationships, ritual traditions, sacred and secular laws and clan consensus. ... Sacred law taught what was acceptable behavior, enforced customary laws, governed the land, and oversaw the performance of rituals - this oversight was entrusted to the elders of each tribe. ... The Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Protection Act (Cth) is the corner stone of more than twenty Commonwealth, State and Territory enactments that protect Aboriginal heritage sites and othe...

• Word Count: 1027
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

-Fifth, the land is sacred. ... Mining and mass development has quite often undermined the cultural belief that land is sacred and equal among all. Many sacred areas have been mined and developed or have been earmarked for future mining and/or development projects. ...

• Word Count: 2069
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Their homes were made of different plant materials and tools could even be made out of sticks and stones. ... Even traditional parts of life such as basket weaving and food preparation were taught to the younger members of the tribe so sacred practices such as those would not be forgotten. ...

• Word Count: 1404
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate