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Lesson Plans


cool word: Aborigine

From: Teri Mason (terily)
Date: Tue Feb 08 2000 - 08:04:20 PST

  • Next message: Ann Heineman: "Re:video favorites"

    This came on one of my lists today. For those of you who do Australian
    art (like me), this is pretty helpful...
    teri

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     aborigine [n. ab-uh-RIJ-uh-nee]

    An aborigine is someone who belongs to a tribe or race that was the
    earliest known to inhabit a certain area. Those most often thought
    of as aborigines are Australians, but there are also American,
    African, and Japanese aborigines, and many others all around the
    world.

    This word's origin involved "folk etymology," in which a word evolves
    to match an incorrect understanding of its origin. In this case,
    there was a tribe that inhabited some areas of Italy before the Roman
    civilization appeared. The tribe's name sounded similar to a Latin
    phrase, "ab origines" (from the beginning).

    Since the tribe had been there "from the beginning," or at least
    since before the Romans arrived, they became known by the Romans as
    the Aborigine. Today, aborigines in general are any people who have
    been present in an area since prehistoric times.

    A good place to learn more about aboriginal cultures:
    http://www.nativeweb.org/ 

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