Sometimes one can get the impression that the Europeans were the first outsiders to have contact with the Aboriginals since they arrived in Australia tens of thousands of years ago, but Australia is close to Indonesia (and New Guinea) and one would assume that both Indians and Chinese would be aware of the existence of the continent. They were both present at Bali, and when the Aboriginals could find Australia, most definitely the Indians and Chinese, with more advanced technology, could find it. So, how much contact can there have been with the Aboriginals?
How isolated was Australia before the European arrival?
- Thread starter Eivind
- Start date
Can there have been or have there been?
The Chinese and Indians and Indonesians etc could easily have reached Australia. We have no evidence they did. That said, if they did, they probably would have ignored it, just like the Dutch did when they found it, since Australia is mostly desert and the people who live there have little of interest to trade. So even if the Chinese, Indians, etc found it, they would leave it quickly and move on to some more interesting places. And there are plenty nearby.
The Chinese and Indians and Indonesians etc could easily have reached Australia. We have no evidence they did. That said, if they did, they probably would have ignored it, just like the Dutch did when they found it, since Australia is mostly desert and the people who live there have little of interest to trade. So even if the Chinese, Indians, etc found it, they would leave it quickly and move on to some more interesting places. And there are plenty nearby.
There is some evidence that Indonesians reached Australia, but it is unclear if they did before the Dutch.
This comes from something I read long ago, so take it with a grain of salt.
Apparantly a genetic study of aboriginal peoples in Australia showed a certain percentage of recent south Indian DNA, roughly coinciding with the time at which dingos arrived on the continent, so that could be a marker that Australia received at least one wave of migration. Then we have trade and contacts with peoples from the Malay Archipelago and Papua, with the Torres Strait islanders trading with those on Papua, while tribes in northwest Australia, around modern Darwin, were visited sometimes by fishermen from Makassar and adopted some technologies such as bows and arrows. Scattered coins have also been found around that area. Otherwise, the rest of Australia, specially the south, has been completely isolated.
Apparantly a genetic study of aboriginal peoples in Australia showed a certain percentage of recent south Indian DNA, roughly coinciding with the time at which dingos arrived on the continent, so that could be a marker that Australia received at least one wave of migration. Then we have trade and contacts with peoples from the Malay Archipelago and Papua, with the Torres Strait islanders trading with those on Papua, while tribes in northwest Australia, around modern Darwin, were visited sometimes by fishermen from Makassar and adopted some technologies such as bows and arrows. Scattered coins have also been found around that area. Otherwise, the rest of Australia, specially the south, has been completely isolated.
kholieken
Banned
Makassan contact with Australia - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javanese_contact_with_Australia
But all contact is with Northern Australia, for purpose of Trepanging, there are limited contact with natives, and Great Australian Desert cut contact between North and South.
We know that dingos arrived Australia around 8000 years ago and it’s closely related to New Guinean dog breeds. So there have likely been at least sporadic contact between North Australia and Indonesia/New Guinea.