Rob: Hello, I'm Rob.
Cath: And I'm Cath.
Rob: And welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. Today we're
talking about bones.
Cath: Yes but not any bones, these are very old bones from past generations of
Aborigines – the native people of Australia.
Rob: And these bones have become artefacts on display in museums around the
world – but not for much longer. More about that soon. But first, I've got a
question for you Cath. Are you ready?
Cath: Yes!
Rob: Where in your body would you find the humerus bone? In your:
a) leg
b) arm
c) head
Cath: I'm very confident about this. I think it's in your arm and sometimes we call it
your funny bone.
Rob: OK, well, we'll see if you're right at the end of the programme. Bones are the
subject of today's programme and particularly ones belonging to the ancestors
of one of the oldest and smallest ethnic groups in the world.
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Cath: Yes the Aborigines of Australia.
Rob: They now only account for approximately 2% of the Australian population and
they've maintained many of their traditions and beliefs.
Cath: Yes, they attach a lot of importance to the bones of their dead.
Rob: That's why The University of Sydney's Museum of Anatomy is returning the
bones it has in its collection to the Aboriginal people following a long
campaign. Let's hear from the BBC's Phil Mercer about why the bones were
collected in the first place. Listen to how he describes what people thought of
Aborigines.
Phil Mercer, BBC
For more than 150 years the bones of indigenous Australians were collected around the world
as part of studies into an ancient and enduring culture. Aborigines were often considered to be
anthropological oddities. Their bone structure and skull size attracted great scientific interest.
Other remains were found during construction work or by farmers and given to institutions for
safekeeping.
Rob: So Phil Mercer was talking about how, for 150 years, people collected the
bones of indigenous Australians.
Cath: Indigenous – that means people who belong to a place. In this case the
Aboriginal people. And scientists considered these people to be
anthropological oddities.
Rob: Anthropology is to do with studying the origins of the human race.
Cath: And oddities here means something unusual. So the Aborigines are called
anthropological oddities because their bone size and skull structure were
different from most other humans. So scientists were fascinated by this and
when bones were found they were given to institutions – museums – for
safekeeping.
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Rob: Yes, they were looked after and put on display. But there's a sad side to this
because Aborigines attach great importance to them. They believe that unless
the dead are totally buried they will remain as souls in torment.
Cath: Torment means extreme suffering. So obviously they were very very keen to
get the bones back.
Rob: And now the remains of six people have been returned and this was marked by
a special event, or ceremony. Community elders from remote towns across
Australia travelled to attend and carry out some of their rituals.
Cath: A ritual is something carried out in the same way every time. We can hear
more about it from the deputy vice-chancellor of Sydney University, Professor
Shane Houston. Hear how he describes the event…
Shane Houston, deputy vice-chancellor of Sydney University
It is a point in culture that says that spirits cannot rest far from country and we engage in a
smoking ceremony to prepare ourselves and to prepare our ancestors for the trip back home.
And it is an incredibly moving event where people embrace remains and embrace each other
as if you would embrace a family member who has been apart for many years.
Rob: That was a very happy Shane Houston describing the ceremony as very
moving – or emotional. He says their ancestors were prepared for the trip back
home.
Cath: I'm sure it was a very emotional time so it's not surprising that people were
embracing – or hugging - each other and embracing the remains like a family
member who they haven't seen for a very long time. A very touching moment.
So Rob, what happens to the bones now, do they pass to the community elders?
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Rob: Well there's an amazing amount of information about these people and the
Aboriginal community have a lot of knowledge about their background so the
museum has returned the bones to the descendants – or relatives – of the dead.
Cath: That's good to hear but there must be a lot more bones still being exhibited
around the world?
Rob: There are, so campaigners are continuing to lobby museums and colleges
overseas to return their collections. But some have been repatriated – or
brought home – in recent years.
Cath: Still a lot of work to do, it sounds like.
Rob: And I set you some work earlier, to work out the answer to this question.
Where in your body would you find the humerus bone? In your:
a) leg
b) arm
c) head
Cath: And I was very confident and I said arm.
Rob: And you're right. We do sometimes call it our funny bone when you knock it, it
doesn't make you laugh though, it hurts!
Cath: No it just hurts actually, it's horrible!
Rob: OK Cath, could you please remind us of some of the vocabulary we've heard
today?
Cath: Sure. We had:
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native
artefacts
ancestors
indigenous
safekeeping
torment
ceremony
rituals
moving
embracing
lobby
Rob: Thanks Cath. We hope you've enjoyed today's programme, and don't forget
you can download it as a podcast. Please join us again for another 6 Minute
English very soon.
Both: Bye!
