Uncovering the Ancient Scientific and Technological Innovations of Australia's Indigenous Peoples

“Indigenous Australia has some of the world’s earliest scientists and inventors, who have witnessed major astronomical and catastrophic events like tsunamis, meteorites, floods, and entire ice ages, and fortunately have survived to tell the story. Long before the Greeks were studying the stars Indigenous Australians were developing highly sophisticated sciences…”[i]

Luke Briscoe, Aboriginal scientist

As Australians, we pride ourselves on being natural discoverers with an inherent scepticism towards dogma, an openness, collaborative spirit, and problem-solvers who like to get things done. This is why it is so important to acknowledge the technological, scientific, and environmental developments by the traditional owners of the land and the contribution made by them as the world's oldest continuous living culture.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have employed scientific and technological methods of data collection, such as observation and experimentation, for tens of thousands of years. They understand the intricate and inextricable interconnection between the physical, chemical, and biological sciences and the social sciences more widely. This is particularly so because of the deep and timeless relationship between Country and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identities, languages, cultures, and spiritualties.

For centuries, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sciences have incorporated sophisticated knowledges and practices pertaining to a wide range of fields, including seasons and meteorology, astrology and astronomy, bush food, medicine and healing, natural resource management, and the physics and chemistries behind the design, production or use of tools, instruments, and inventions.

One of the most well-known inventions is the Boomerang, which is used to hunt animals and return to the sender. Another is the Woomera, which uses leverage to allow a spear to be thrown up to three times further. In addition, the use of thermoplastic resins, which are strong enough to bond rock to wood, has been known for a long time.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people also have a sophisticated understanding of engineering, physics, and aquaculture. This is demonstrated in their use of weirs and fish traps, which are designed and used in a highly advanced manner. Similarly, their use of firestick farming, which involves the precise controlled burning of land, shows a deep understanding of land management.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people also have a wide range of tools and instruments that were shaped from natural materials such as stone and natural glass. These include chisels, saws, knives, axes and spearheads. They also have a wide range of bushfoods and medicine that are used for hunting and treatments for inflammation, antiseptics and to cure infections.

Overall, it is clear that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have made significant contributions to the field of science and technology in Australia, and their knowledge and expertise continue to inform and influence the way we understand and interact with the world around us. With this rich heritage and our modern history of ingenuity and innovativeness, we have the permission and confidence to play a significant role in the world's future development of the 4th Industrial Revolution.

[i] L. Briscoe, (2016) ‘Indigenous science is at the core of social, economic and political change’