[00:01.42]Aboriginal legends,

[00:02.91]songs and dances tell of powerful spirits

[00:06.34]who created the land and people

[00:08.09]during the Dreamtime.

[00:10.22]There was no written Aboriginal language and,

[00:13.06]in fact, most of the 600 tribes

[00:15.11]spoke different dialects

[00:17.02]and rarely met except on ceremonial occasions.

[00:20.56]The tradition of the Dreamtime,

[00:22.10]however, united the people.

[00:24.27]Rock paintings showing this creation period

[00:26.84]can be found all over the country.

[00:29.07]Some of the most spectacular

[00:30.71]and best preserved can be seen

[00:32.43]at rock galleries in Kakadu National Park

[00:35.53]and other parts of Northern Australia.

[00:38.10]The arrival of while people gradually brought

[00:40.72]an end to the traditional Aboriginal

[00:42.56]way of life.

[00:43.97]The "new" Australians began to build

[00:46.62]and settle on the aboriginal tribal lands.

[00:50.31]Today, most Aborigines live in cities

[00:53.05]and towns or in settlements near tribal lands.

[00:57.36]Few continue the old nomadic way of life.

[01:00.45]In recent years,

[01:02.06]white Australians have become more sensitive

[01:04.52]to the Aborigines'situation.

[01:06.70]The result has been an increase

[01:08.41]in health and educational servises,

[01:10.70]greater recognition of Aboriginal land rights

[01:13.67]and a growing appreciation

[01:14.99]of Aboriginal culture.

[01:16.93]Many museums now dispaly Aboriginal art

[01:19.86]and craft as well as musical instruments.

[01:21.76]