Australia's early Aboriginal people would paint murals using natural ingredients -- such as dust of ants' nests and minerals. Their culture is incredibly rich and diverse, with many communities keeping their heritage alive by passing down knowledge, rituals and languages from one generation to another.
In 1770 after James Cook circumnavigated and mapped New Zealand, he discovered and claimed the east coast of Australia for England. The First Fleet then arrived at Sydney Cove in Port Jackson on January 26, 1788 which marked the beginning of British colonization.
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This photo of European settlers surrounded by Aboriginals is believed to be the earliest photograph taken in Australia.
On February 13, 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivered a historic apology in parliament to the Aboriginal people for injustices committed over two centuries of white colonization. The apology was viewed as a watershed moment in Australia, with major television networks airing it live and crowds gathering around huge screens in major cities to witness the event.
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Prime Minister Rudd's apology referred to the "past mistreatment" of all Aboriginals, singling out the "Stolen Generations" -- the tens of thousands of Aboriginal children taken from their families by governments between 1910 and the early 1970s, in a bid to assimilate them into white society.
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Australia has now made it a national commitment to address Aboriginal disadvantage and to close the gap on health, education and employment between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
