What Makes Australian Folk Different from Australian Aboriginal Music?

Australian folk music is ‘the music of the people’ describing life in the arid Australian countryside of the 17th century penal colony when hard work was a way of life. Known as the “Outback” in the east coast of Australia, prisoners delivered by British fleets sheared sheeps, cleared lands and tilled the soil as lifetime punishments for their crimes.

Clearly, Australian folk music originated from the poetical sentiments of many transported prisoners, whose songs were about their struggles in a place that later came to be known as “white Australia.”

Australian Folk vs. Australian Aboriginal Music

Australia is actually an old nation with one of the oldest surviving indigenous cultures that has been traced as far back as 45,000 years ago . White Australia on the other hand, had emerged 220 years after the British Empire turned the east coast into a penal colony. However, it was the “gold rush” that transpired in the 19th century that led to the development of early white Australia. The poorer classes lived mostly in the mountains and countryside, sharing and handing down stories of struggles by way of folk music.

Throughout centuries the arriving fleets of Great Britain had brought many new musical instruments and styles to Australia. Over time, folk melodies and songs developed and took on variations in style, lyrics and tempo.

During those times nomadic tribes also arrived and adapted to Australia’s diverse landscape. Until eventually, they became dependent on the land for their survival. After which, indigenous communities emerged, using songs and dances for teaching history, spirituality and tribal lore.

Yet unlike Australian folk music, aboriginal music can have restrictions on who can sing and listen to the songs. Many of the surviving aboriginal songs are used for ceremonies and initiations and tell of animist beliefs. Still, Australia is a vast country with numerous indigenous tribes using varying songs and dances to describe their beliefs and systems.

Many folk and aboriginal songs describe details of the vast Australian landscape, its harsh and arid interior ànd the difficulties in navigating immeasurable distances. Actually, Australia’s landscape is dominated by semi-arid lands and deserts, being part of a region that is constantly exposed to cold but dry, southerly winds.

Why Australian Landscape Can be Problematic

The Australian landscape is a popular theme of both folk and aboriginal music because it can be problematic. Even today, in construction projects, soil stabilisation perth companies offer as services include underpinning techniques to repair or strengthen the foundations of a building. Being the base on which a structure is constructed, the ground has to be conditioned and kept stable to be used as foundation. It is absolutely critical if soil conditions have changed or when original foundations are not stable to support the weight of the building.