The term “aborigine” is often used as a broad definition when referring to the indigenous people of Australia. The word encompasses all the original inhabitants of the Australian landmass and surrounding islands, but does not acknowledge any specific group. When the Europeans arrived in Australia, they found over 250 different languages being spoken by almost as many distinct groups of people. Pitjantjatjara is still one of the most widely spoken native languages in Australia. The Pitjantjatjara people had settled in Australia’s central desert, an area stretching from Uluru in the north to Nullarbor Plain in the south. The scientific community is beginning to form a consensus in their evaluation of the pre-colonial history of Australia. Evidence strongly suggests the first inhabitants of the Australian continent arrived from Africa 65,000 to 75,000 years ago and used Southeast Asia as a land bridge.
