History and Cultures
of Australia,
Oceania, and
Antarctica
Regions Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica are grouped
together more because of their nearness to one another
than because of any similarities among their peoples.
Even though their cultures are different, many of the
people share a similar history of colonization. Today, after
achieving independence, this region’s people are creating
a new identity for themselves that blends traditional
beliefs with modern ideas. How does a people’s past
influence its present and future?
790 • Chapter 29
David Wall/Lonely Planet Images
Section 1: History and Governments
Carving showing
Maori canoe,
New Zealand
BIG IDEA Geographic factors influence where
people settle. Asian and Pacific peoples settled
Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania thousands
of years ago. Europeans later migrated to the
region because of its rich resources.
Section 2: Cultures and Lifestyles
BIG IDEA Culture groups shape human systems.
Peoples from different parts of the world have
helped shape the cultures of Australia, New
Zealand, and Oceania. For example, people of
European descent make up the primary ethnic
groups in Australia and New Zealand. However,
the populations of native groups are growing.
As a result of this population mix, cultures are
changing.
Organizing Information Make this Foldable to help you organize information about the history, people, and daily life of Australia, Oceania, and
Antarctica.
Step 1 Fold the bottom
edge of a piece of paper
up 2 inches to create a flap.
Step 2 Fold into
thirds.
Step 3 Glue to form pockets and
label as shown. Use pockets to
hold notes taken on slips of paper.
Glue
Australia
Oceania Antarctica
Reading and Writing As you read the chapter, take notes on slips of paper. Place each
note in the correct pocket of your Foldable. Use your notes to write a short summary of the
history and culture of either Australia or Oceania.
Social Studies
ONLINE
To preview Chapter 29, go to glencoe.com.
Chapter 29 • 791
David Wall/Lonely Planet Images
Geographic factors influence where
people settle.
Content Vocabulary
• boomerang (p. 793)
• trust territory (p. 797)
Academic Vocabulary
• acquire (p. 794)
• prime (p. 795)
Reading Strategy
Summarizing Use a chart like the
one below to organize key facts about
the first peoples to settle each area.
First Settlers
Australia
New Zealand
History and
Governments
Future rodeo cowboys in
Australia practice their skills using an empty
steel drum suspended on a rope. A rodeo rider
must ride an angry bull or a bucking horse for
at least eight seconds. Falling off before the
eight seconds is up results in a score of zero.
During outback rodeos, Aborigines and Australians of European descent gather to compete in a variety of events. Read this section to
learn more about the history of the people of
Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania.
Oceania
Rodeo practice in
western Australia
792 • Chapter 29
Richard I’Anson/Lonely Planet Images
First Settlers
Main Idea
The region’s first settlers
came from Asia and islands in the
Pacific Ocean.
Geography and You Which groups first settled
the area where you live? Read to find out about the
Aborigines, the descendants of the first people who lived
in Australia.
Some 40,000 years ago, the Earth was
undergoing a period known as an Ice Age.
During this period, temperatures were
lower and much more of Earth’s water was
frozen in ice caps. Ocean levels were not as
high as they are today. At this time, people
from Southeast Asia traveled to the islands
of Oceania and to Australia either by land
or by canoe. Several thousand years later,
the Ice Age ended and ocean levels rose.
The people who had migrated to Oceania
and Australia were cut off from the rest of
the world.
Australia’s Aborigines
The people now called Aborigines are
the descendants of these first Australians.
Early Aborigines traveled in small family groups around Australia. They hunted,
gathered plants, and searched for water. To
hunt for small animals, they developed a
special weapon called a boomerang. It is a
flat, bent, wooden tool that hunters throw
to stun prey. If the boomerang misses its
target, it sails back to the hunter.
The religion of the Aborigines focuses
on the relationship of people to nature.
The Aborigines believe that powerful spirits created the land and that their role as a
people is to care for it. Aborigines had no
large settlements, but ancient rock paintings and stories tell much about their early
history.
•
Maori Wood Carving
Like other cultures in Oceania, the Maori are
skilled wood-carvers. Location From where
did the Maori originally migrate?
Pacific Migrations
About the time Australia was first inhabited, other people from Southeast Asia settled New Guinea and nearby islands. By
1500 b.c., they had developed large canoes
that could travel long distances across the
ocean. In time, settlers reached other remote
islands, such as Fiji, Tonga, and Hawaii.
Between a.d. 950 and a.d. 1150, the
Maori (MOWR∙ee) people left Polynesia,
a south central Pacific island area, and settled the islands of New Zealand. On New
Zealand’s North Island and South Island,
they set up villages, hunted, fished, and
farmed the land. Maori farmers, like other
Pacific Islanders, grew root crops that they
brought from Polynesia. They also developed skills in wood carving.
Describing Describe the
lifestyle of Australia’s Aborigines.
Chapter 29 • 793
Ken Gillham/Robert Harding World Imagery/CORBIS
The European Era
Main Idea
Europeans explored and
later settled in Australia, New Zealand,
and Oceania.
Geography and You What role did European explorers and settlers play in the history of the Americas? Read
to find out how Europeans also explored and settled
Australia and Oceania.
The first settlers and their descendants
developed thriving cultures in Australia,
New Zealand, and Oceania. Life for these
Pacific peoples changed, however, during the 1500s. At that time, Europeans first
arrived in the Pacific region. They soon
began acquiring, or gaining, different areas
as colonies.
Arrival of Europeans
From the 1500s to the 1800s, Europeans
from various countries explored the South
Pacific region. Perhaps the most wellknown explorer was the British sailor Captain James Cook. He made three voyages
to the region between 1768 and 1779. Cook
claimed eastern Australia for Great Britain,
visited several Pacific islands, and circled
Antarctica. He produced amazingly accurate records and maps of these areas.
When Cook landed in Australia, about
300,000 Aborigines lived there. The British, though, viewed the continent as uninhabited. The British government at first
established a colony in Australia for convicts from overcrowded British prisons.
Between 1788 and 1868, about 160,000 convicts were taken to Australia to serve their
sentences. Once they had done so, most
stayed in the new land.
By the mid-1800s, the British government stopped sending convicts to Australia.
Many free British settlers began migrating
to Australia’s shores, however, in hopes of
making a living or growing wealthy. They
settled along the coasts and then moved
farther inland. By 1861, the European population had passed 1 million.
Many of the settlers were farmers who
grew wheat. Ranchers soon realized that
conditions in Australia were perfect for
raising sheep that produced a fine wool.
Exports of wool became a major part of the
economy. The discovery of several minerals also benefited the economy. Copper was
the first metal found. The discovery of gold
in 1851 led to a new rush of settlers and
greatly increased Australia’s population.
At first, relations between the Aborigines and the British were relatively peaceful. As the Europeans took more and more
History at a Glance
1750
1800
1850
1840
1768
Britain’s Captain
James Cook
explores Pacific
region
British and Maori
sign Treaty of
Waitangi
1788
Australia becomes
a convict colony
▲
c. 1845,
Maori chief
▲
Aboriginal
cave drawing
794 • Chapter 29
(l) SuperStock, (r) Gottfried Lindauer/Getty Images
land for ranching and farming, however,
the Aborigines were forced to defend their
traditional hunting grounds. The Aborigines fought with spears and were easily
defeated by the Europeans with rifles. To
make matters worse, the Aborigines had
no resistance to European diseases. By the
late 1800s, warfare and illness had reduced
the number of Australia’s Aborigines to
about 80,000.
Building Empires
The British government divided Australia into five separate colonies. Each colony
had its own legislature that made laws for
the people within its boundaries. Unlike
other parts of the world, where voting was
almost always limited to property owners,
Australian colonies allowed all men to vote.
Voting rights, as well as the right to local
self-government, eventually led to a democratic government for all of Australia.
The first European settlers in New Zealand may have been shipwrecked sailors
and escaped Australian convicts. In time,
Australians set up small whaling settlements along New Zealand’s coasts. British settlers arrived in New Zealand in the
1820s and 1830s. The Maori were able to
hold off the newcomers until European diseases took a heavy toll. By 1840, the Maori
1900
population had been cut in half to 100,000.
The same year, Maori chiefs signed the
Treaty of Waitangi (WY∙tahng∙gee) with
the British. Under this treaty, the Maori
agreed to accept British rule in return for
the right to keep their land. More British settlers moved onto Maori land, however, and war broke out in the 1860s.
The Maori lost the war and much of their
land. British colonists then built an economy based on dairy products and sheep.
As global trade grew, Europeans and
Americans turned their attention to Oceania. The Pacific Islands offered prime, or
very attractive, locations for trading ports
and refueling stations for ships. As a result,
Western countries began to colonize the
Pacific Islands. As you can see in Figure 1 on
the next page, most of the Pacific area had
come under the rule of foreign powers.
Foreign control increased trade and missionary activity. Over time, many Pacific
Islanders accepted Christianity and some
Western ways. The spread of Western diseases, however, continued to reduce the
populations of the Pacific Islands.
Summarizing What part
did James Cook play in making Australia a
British colony?
1950
2000
1959
1893
New Zealand
gives women
the right to
vote
1941–1945
Allies fight Japan in
the Pacific region
during World War II
▲
▲
Antarctic
explorer
Countries agree to
share Antarctica for
scientific research
Sydney Opera
House, Sydney,
Australia
Chapter 29 • 795
(l) N G Thwaites/Getty Images, (r) age fotostock/SuperStock
Independent Nations
Australia and New Zealand
Australia and New Zealand both won
freedom from British rule peacefully. In
1901 the Australian colonies became an independent country known as the Commonwealth of Australia. New Zealand gained
independence in 1907. Today, each country is a parliamentary democracy in which
elected representatives choose a prime minister to head the government. Australia also
has a federal government. Power to make
and enforce laws is divided between the
national government and the states and
territories. In smaller New Zealand, the central government holds all major powers.
Main Idea
Australia, New Zealand,
and many islands in Oceania gained
independence in the 1900s.
Geography and You What does independence
mean to you? Read to find out how countries in the region
gained their independence.
During the early 1900s, the British colonies of Australia and New Zealand became
independent countries. By 2000, most
of the other Pacific Islands gained their
independence.
See StudentWorks™ Plus or glencoe.com.
Oceania: Colonial Powers and Independence
Figure 1
150°E
120°E
180°
30°N
Hawaii
(U.S.)
TROPIC OF CANCER
Northern
Mariana Islands
Nauru
(1968 from Aus./United Nations)
N
(U.S.)
Guam
W
Palau
(1994 from
the U.S.)
Micronesia
(1986 from the U.S.)
0°
Papua New
Guinea
(1975 from
Aus.)
Coral
Sea
EQUATOR
Solomon
Islands
1978
Vanuatu
1980
30°S
INDIAN OC EAN
0
1,000 kilometers
0
1,000 miles
Mercator projection
Tuvalu
1978
Fiji
1970
TROPIC OF CAPRICORN
AUSTRALIA
E
Marshall Islands
(1986 from
the U.S.)
New
Caledonia
S
Kiribati
1979
Tokelau (N.Z.)
American
Samoa
(U.S.)
Cook
Islands
Tonga
(N.Z.)
1970
Wallis and Futuna
(France)
NEW
ZEALAND
Tas m an S ea
Tasmania
2 Location In what general
area of Oceania did the United
States gain control of a number of island groups?
Samoa
(1962 from N.Z.)
(France)
IINTERNATIONAL DATE LINE
(U.S.)
1 Place Which islands were
jointly held by Britain and
France?
Niue
150°W
120°W
PACIFIC
OCEAN
French
Polynesia
(France)
Pitcairn Is.
(U.K.)
(N.Z.)
Ruling Power
British
American
French
British and French
German
British and
German
New Zealand
Fiji Country with date
1970 of independence
Niue Dependent
(N.Z.)
territory
In 1893 New Zealand became the first
country in the world to give women the
right to vote. Australia followed in 1902.
New Zealand also was among the first
countries to provide government help to
the elderly, the sick, and the jobless. Some
groups, however, such as the Aborigines in
Australia and the Maori in New Zealand,
have suffered discrimination. In addition,
until the 1970s, Australia and New Zealand had laws that banned or limited certain immigrants, especially Asians.
Oceania and Antarctica
During the early 1900s, most of Oceania was still under foreign control. The two
World Wars, however, changed the course
of its history. After World War I, Germany’s
Pacific colonies came under Japan’s rule.
Then, in December 1941, Japan attacked
the American fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
This attack brought the United States into
World War II. During the conflict, the
United States and Japan fought fierce bat-
Section
Review
Vocabulary
1.
Main Ideas
Wars I and II affect Oceania?
Social Studies ONLINE
Study Central™ To review this section, go to
glencoe.com.
4.
Comparing Compare the governments of
Australia and New Zealand.
Critical Thinking
5.
Why did it take thousands of years
for people to settle all of Oceania?
6.
Challenge Compare and contrast European
colonialism in Australia and Oceania with that
in another part of the world, such as Asia or
Africa.
Explaining How did the first people arrive
in the Pacific Islands?
3.
Explaining How did World
Explain the meaning of boomerang and trust
territory by using each word in a sentence.
2.
tles on many Pacific islands. After Japan’s
defeat, Japan’s Pacific territories—such as
the islands of Micronesia—were turned
over to the United States as trust territories. A trust territory is an area temporarily placed under the control of another
country.
Since the 1960s, most Pacific trust territories and colonies have become independent. This change has not been easy for
every country. For example, Fiji and the
Solomon Islands have been torn by ethnic
conflict since gaining their independence.
Antarctica’s status also changed during the 1900s. Several countries had at
first claimed land in Antarctica. Then, in
1959, many countries signed the Antarctic Treaty, agreeing to share the continent
for peaceful scientific research. Since then,
scientists from several different countries
have worked in Antarctica.
Identifying Use a diagram like the one
below to identify key events in the historical
development of Australia.
Writing About Geography
7.
Using Your
Use your Foldable to
create an outline of the history of one of the
subregions discussed in this section.
Chapter 29 • 797
Populating Oceania
Centuries before Europeans
left their continent to sail
the oceans, Pacific Islanders
traveled thousands of miles
to settle new islands.
Far Travelers The Pacific Islands were
first settled by people sailing from Southeast Asia. These peoples arrived at what
are today the islands of Melanesia. About
1300 B.C., Pacific migrants made the longest
journey when they reached Fiji, a group of
islands midway between present-day Melanesia and Polynesia.
Early European explorers in Oceania
refused to believe that the people there
could travel the long distances between
islands. The islanders had no large ships
and still used stone tools. The Europeans,
however, greatly underestimated the skills
and technology of the Pacific peoples.
Canoes and the Stars Pacific Islanders
traveled by canoes powered by the wind.
The hull, or body, of each
canoe was made by felling a tree and then hollowing it out. To travel long
distances, they used double
canoes. Having two hulls made
the vessels more stable in the ocean.
A platform that connected the two
hulls carried people plus the plants
and animals they
brought along.
The canoes held
a mast with a sail
made from leaves
joined together.
Polynesian shore
Islanders
steered by carefully noting—and remembering—the positions of the stars when they
rose and set each day. By comparing changes
in the stars’ positions, they knew how much
progress they were making. They also saw
whether they needed to change course.
Sailing skills were needed to avoid the
dangers of the ocean crossing. Storms and
strong winds could damage the ship. If the
trip lasted too long, food might run out.
Despite these dangers, Pacific Islanders
achieved one of the greatest migrations in
human history. They crossed hundreds of
miles of empty ocean to move among and
populate the region’s many island groups.
Think About It
Polynesian double canoe
798 • Chapter 29
(t) Frans Lanting/CORBIS, (b) The Bridgeman Art Library
1. Movement Why did Europeans not
believe that the Pacific Islanders could
travel long distances?
2. Human-Environment Interaction What
skills and technology did the islanders use
to make their journeys?
Culture groups shape human systems.
Content Vocabulary
• bush (p. 801)
• station (p. 801)
• pidgin language (p. 801)
• action song (p. 803)
• fale (p. 804)
• poi (p. 804)
Academic Vocabulary
• sustain (p. 800)
• integral (p. 803)
• generation (p. 804)
Reading Strategy
Comparing and Contrasting Use
a Venn diagram like the one below to
compare and contrast the people of
Australia and New Zealand with the
people of Oceania.
Australia
and
New Zealand
Cultures and
Lifestyles
It is so hot on an Australian
beach, you could fry an egg! Well, a fiberglass
egg, that is. The artist who created this sculpture was inspired by people who lounge on
Australian beaches, hoping for a bronze tan.
The sculpture is part of a popular event in
Sydney that celebrates the summer lifestyles
of Australians. Sculptors from around the
world, as well as from Australia, contribute
more than 100 works of art to the beach display. Other sculptures have included a pair
of oversized sunglasses. Read this section to
learn more about the culture and lifestyles of
people living in Australia, New Zealand, and
Oceania.
Oceania
Celebrating Australian
summers
Chapter 29 • 799
Will Burgess/Reuters/CORBIS
The People
Main Idea
The people of this region
have varied ethnic backgrounds.
Geography and You Have you ever traveled a great
distance without seeing any signs of human life? Read to
learn about an area of Australia where one can travel 100
miles (161 km) without seeing another human being.
The region of Australia, Oceania, and
Antarctica spans a vast area. Much of its
land is too dry, icy, or remote to sustain,
or support, human settlement. Thus, few
people live in this region compared to
other world regions. At the same time, the
region’s population comes from diverse
ethnic backgrounds.
Population Growth and Density
Because of vast differences in climate,
landforms, and cultures, populations vary
greatly throughout Australia, Oceania, and
Antarctica. Australia is the region’s most
populous country, with more than 20 million people. New Zealand has about 4 million people. The population growth rate in
both countries has slowed in recent years
because of low birthrates. On the other
hand, immigration has increased.
Population density differs throughout
Australia and New Zealand. Very few people live in Australia’s dry plateaus and deserts of the outback. Most Australians live
in coastal areas that have a mild climate,
fertile soil, and access to the ocean. Most
of New Zealand’s people live along coasts
rather than in the rugged inland areas.
On the other islands of Oceania, the
overall number of people is growing rapidly. This is because these islands have
relatively young populations. Population
density, however, varies greatly among the
island countries. Oceania’s most populous
800 • Chapter 29
Bill Bachman/Alamy Images
Schooling in the Outback
•
Because ranches in Australia’s outback are
large and far apart, children often attend school
in small classrooms on the ranch. Location
Where do most of Australia’s people live?
country is Papua New Guinea, with about
5.9 million people. Papua New Guinea has
a large area—178,703 square miles (462,839
sq. km)—so its population density is only
33 people per square mile (13 per sq. km).
By contrast, tiny Nauru has only 10,000 people and only 9 square miles (23 sq. km). As
a result, Nauru has one of Oceania’s highest
population densities—about 1,111 people
per square mile (435 per sq. km). Because
many Pacific islands like Nauru are small
in land area, overcrowding is a problem. As
a result, some Pacific Islanders have begun
migrating to other parts of the world.
Social Studies
ONLINE
Student Web Activity Visit glencoe.com and complete the
Chapter 29 Web Activity about the Aborigines.
Antarctica’s forbidding icy landscape
and polar climate do not support permanent human settlement. Research scientists
and tourists make short-term visits.
Urban and Rural Life
More than 85 percent of the people in
Australia and New Zealand live in coastal
urban areas. Cities, such as Sydney and
Melbourne in Australia, and Wellington
and Auckland in New Zealand, are thriving commercial centers with modern buildings and transportation systems. Other
countries in the region have few large
urban areas. The largest is Port Moresby,
the capital of Papua New Guinea. Most
people in the Pacific Islands live in small
rural villages.
A small number of Australians live in
rural areas known as the bush. Some people who live in the bush work on cattle and
sheep ranches, or stations. Others farm or
work in mining camps. Because Australia’s
outback is so large, rural settlements are
often far apart.
Ethnic Groups and Languages
People of European descent, mostly British and Irish, make up more than 90 percent
of Australia’s population. The population,
though, is becoming increasingly diverse.
Australia now receives more immigrants
from Asia than from Europe. In addition,
the Aborigine population has grown to
400,000. English is Australia’s official language, but many Aboriginal languages are
still spoken. Australian English is known
for its unique words such as barbie, which
means barbecue, and G’day, which is used
as a greeting.
New Zealand’s people are not as diverse
as those of Australia. About 75 percent of the
people are of European, mostly British, heritage. The Maori make up 13 percent of the
population, and Asians and Pacific Islanders make up another 10 percent. Diversity
is increasing as the Pacific Islander population grows. Nearly all New Zealanders
speak English, although Maori is recognized as a second official language.
Melanesians, Micronesians, and Polynesians are the three large ethnic groups
of Oceania. All three consist of many
smaller groups. Altogether, the diverse
peoples of Oceania speak more than 1,200
languages—as many as 700 languages
in Papua New Guinea alone. Many Papuans speak a pidgin (PIH∙juhn) language
formed by combining parts of several different languages.
Most islands in Oceania also have small
populations of European descent. The largest of the groups is in French Polynesia,
where Europeans make up more than onethird of the population.
Describing Describe
Australia’s urban/rural population pattern.
Melbourne, Australia
•
Residents in Australia’s large cities enjoy many
conveniences, such as Melbourne’s library, visible behind
the sculpture in the foreground. Location What is the
largest city in Oceania outside of New Zealand?
Chapter 29 • 801
Richard Nebesky/Lonely Planet Images
The Bamboo
Flute
By Garry Disher
Garry Disher
(1949– )
Australian
author Garry
Disher grew
up on a wheat
and sheep
farm that his family owned
for generations. His stories
capture the experience of
living and working in north
central Australia. Disher has
won several awards for his
work, including Australia’s
Children’s Book of the Year
Award in 1993 for The
Bamboo Flute.
Background
Information
The Bamboo Flute takes
place in 1932. At that time,
Australia was struggling
with economic problems and
a drought. Life was especially difficult for farmers
and ranchers.
Reader’s Dictionary
T
here was once music in
our lives, but I can feel it
slipping away. Men are
tramping the dusty roads, asking for work, a sandwich, a cup
of tea. My father is bitter and my
mother is sad. I have no brothers, no sisters, no after-school
friends. The days are long. No
one has time for music.
That’s why I dream it.
I’m dreaming it now.
I’m dreaming a violin note,
threading it through the quarreling cries of the dawn birds
outside my window. . . .
The soft light of dawn is leaking through the gaps in the curtain. Five o’clock. I swing my
feet on to the floor, drag on my
clothes and boots, and leave the
house.
My father is waiting for me at
the paddock gate, his forearms
on the top rail. . . .
He opens the gate and I follow
him into the paddock. The grass
is dewy this morning. Soon my
boots feel lumpy and sodden.
The cows are in the farthest
corner, of course. I watch my
father tip back his throat and let
out a whistle. . . .
Sometimes the cows respond,
sometimes they don’t. This time
they don’t, so we set out to fetch
them. . . .
Milking is just one of the
tasks in my endless day. After
breakfast, there’s a one-hour
walk to school. Lessons, lunch,
lessons—and rapped [tapped]
knuckles when I fall asleep at my
desk. Then the long walk home.
Chop the firewood. Collect the
eggs. Weed the vegetable patch.
Homework. Teatime. Bedtime.
So I dream. Who wouldn’t?
From: The Bamboo Flute, Garry Disher,
Ticknor & Fields, New York. 1993.
quarreling: arguing
paddock: an enclosed area for
livestock
sodden: soaked through
Analyzing Literature
1. Making Inferences Why
does the boy say he can feel
the music “slipping away”?
2. Read to Write Rewrite
the passage above from
the perspective of the
father. Describe his
thoughts and feelings.
ббббббббббббббббббббббббббббббббббббббббббббббббббббб
802 • Chapter 29
(t) Wallace-Crabbe/National Library of Australia, (b) CORBIS
Culture and Daily Life
Main Idea
Lifestyles in Australia and
Oceania primarily reflect European and
Pacific cultures.
Geography and You Do the people in your community have similar backgrounds, or are they different? Read
to find out about the culture and daily life in Australia and
Oceania.
For hundreds of years, European and
Pacific traditions have influenced the cultures of Australia and Oceania. Recently,
American and Asian influences have
grown. All of these groups have had an
impact on the religion, arts, and daily life
in Australia and Oceania.
Religions
Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in Australia and Oceania
today. It was brought by Europeans during
the 1700s and 1800s and attracted many
followers among local peoples. However,
traditional religions are also still practiced in some areas. In Australia, for example, the Aborigines believe in the idea of
Dreamtime, the time long ago when they
say wandering spirits created the world.
They believe that all natural things—rocks,
trees, plants, animals, and humans—have
a spirit and are related to one another.
Much of New Zealand’s art is based on
Maori culture. Maori artisans are skilled in
canoe making, weaving, and wood carving. Although the Maori language is now
written, storytellers still pass on the history and myths of long ago. The Maori also
use songs and chants to tell stories. In the
1900s, they developed a new type of music
called action songs. This art form blends
traditional dance with modern music.
The spirited and graceful dances of Oceania are an integral, or necessary, part of
important events. Pacific Islanders also use
storytelling to pass on knowledge of their
cultures. The stories often are told through
the movements of dancers.
Daily Life
Modern and traditional ways both
influence daily life in Australia and Oceania. People having European backgrounds typically live in nuclear families.
•
Papua New Guinea
The Arts
The arts in Australia draw from the past
as well as the present. The Aborigines created paintings on rocks to tell about the
relationship of humans to nature. Australian painters of European descent looked
to the Australian landscape for inspiration. Australia’s writers and filmmakers
have used local themes in many of their
works.
Women from one of New Guinea’s many ethnic
groups perform a traditional ceremonial dance.
Place Why is dancing important in Pacific Island
cultures?
Chapter 29 • 803
Klaus Nigge/National Geographic Image Collection
Aborigines, Maori, and Pacific Islanders
stress the extended family. Maori households often include relatives from three or
four generations, or groups of people about
the same age, living together. Males have
traditionally been the head of the family in
most societies, but women also head Maori
families and some island groups.
One-floor brick or wood houses with
tiled roofs are common in Australia. Many
New Zealanders live in timber houses with
porches or in stone cottages. City residents
in both countries typically live in Westernstyle apartments or small houses. Traditional homes in Oceania have thatched or
tin roofs that are held up by posts. Many
homes, like the Samoan fale, have open
sides that allow cooling ocean breezes to
circulate. Blinds made of coconut palm
leaves are lowered for privacy.
Meat is a major part of the Australian and New Zealand diet. Typical meals
include lamb, beef, fish, or pork served with
Section
Review
Vocabulary
1.
vegetables, bread, and fruit. Many people
in Australia and New Zealand like to cook
outdoors. In recent decades, American-style
fast foods have gained popularity. People
in Oceania eat a variety of foods including fish, pork, yams, taro, breadfruit, and
fruit. Taro is a plant that grows a tuber, or
fleshy bulb, that Pacific Islanders mash into
a paste called poi.
Because of the generally pleasant
weather, outdoor sports are popular. People
swim and surf in the ocean, and scuba divers explore the area’s many colorful coral
reefs. Boat racing is a favorite sport in Oceania, and skiing and mountain climbing
are popular in New Zealand and Australia. Rugby and cricket, brought by British
settlers, are also popular in Australia and
New Zealand.
Comparing Compare family life among the region’s people.
Social Studies ONLINE
Study Central™ To review this section, go to
glencoe.com.
Critical Thinking
Explain the significance of:
4.
a. bush
b. station
c. pidgin language
Comparing Compare the population growth
of Australia with that of Oceania.
5.
Why is Christianity the main religion in Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania?
6.
Challenge How are European influences
reflected in the lifestyles of the people in
Australia and New Zealand?
d. action song
e. fale
f. poi
Main Ideas
2.
Identifying What are the major languages of
Australia and New Zealand?
3.
Categorizing Use a chart like the one below
Writing About Geography
to identify and describe the arts in each area.
7.
Country
Australia
New Zealand
Oceania
804 • Chapter 29
Arts
Persuasive Writing Write an advertisement
that the government of Australia could use
to attract immigrants. Be sure to describe the
benefits of moving to Australia.
Visual Summary
First Settlers
●
●
●
Hunters from Southeast Asia
settled Australia about 40,000
years ago.
Pacific Islanders developed sailing
skills that helped them travel to
faraway islands.
The Aborigines of Australia
and the Maori of New Zealand
developed complex cultures.
Independent
Nations
●
Australia and New Zealand gained
independence in the early 1900s.
●
Australia and New Zealand are
parliamentary democracies.
●
Most territories in Oceania gained
independence after World War II.
●
A number of countries signed an
agreement to share Antarctica for
scientific research.
The European Era
●
Culture
Europeans explored and settled
Australia, New Zealand, and
Oceania from the 1500s to the
1800s.
●
Disease and warfare caused
Aborigine and Maori populations
to decline.
●
Western nations colonized Pacific
Ocean islands.
Sydney, Australia
Scientist, Antarctica
●
Western culture has influenced
the religion and art of the region.
●
Homes, clothing, and activities
reflect the region’s generally
pleasant climate.
●
Modern and traditional ways
influence daily life in Australia
and Oceania.
People
Maoris signing the Treaty of
Waitangi
●
Most people in Australia and New
Zealand live in urban areas.
●
Oceania has few large
urban areas; most people
live in small villages.
●
Since World War II,
the populations of
Australia and New
Zealand have become
more ethnically diverse.
●
Populations in Oceania are
growing faster than in Australia
and New Zealand.
Family, Papua New Guinea
Study anywhere, anytime! Download quizzes and
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Chapter 29 • 805
(tr) Chris McGrath/Getty Images, (c) Grant Dixon/Lonely Planet Images, (bl) Mary Evans Picture Library, (br) Mrs. Holdsworth/Robert Harding World Imagery/Getty Images
CHAPTER 29
STANDARDIZED TEST PRACTICE
TESTTAKING TIP
To understand questions better, rewrite them in your own words if you
have time. Be careful not to change the meaning.
Reviewing Vocabulary
Reviewing Main Ideas
Directions: Choose the word(s) that best completes the
sentence.
Directions: Choose the best answer for each question.
Section 1 (pp. 792–797)
1. Australian Aborigines developed a hunting
weapon called a
.
5. The first people to settle Australia came from
over 40,000 years ago.
A fale
A New Zealand
B Maori
B Southeast Asia
C boomerang
C South America
D bamboo
D Europe
2. A
is an area temporarily placed under
control of another country.
6. Australia and New Zealand both won their independence peacefully from
.
A colony
A China
B trust territory
B Japan
C commonwealth
C Britain
D sovereignty
D Germany
3. Sparsely populated rural areas in Australia are
referred to as the
.
A bush
B barbie
C fale
D station
Section 2 (pp. 799–804)
7. The greatest diversity of languages in the region
is found in
.
A Antarctica
B New Zealand
C Australia
D Oceania
4. Samoan homes called
have open sides to
allow cooling ocean breezes to circulate.
8. Traditional Maori and Pacific Islander societies
used
to tell stories.
A stations
A Dreamtime
B pois
B food
C pidgins
C songs
D fales
D religion
GO ON
806 • Chapter 29
ASSESSMENT
Critical Thinking
Document-Based Questions
Directions: Base your answers to questions 9 and 10 on
the chart below and your knowledge of Chapter 29.
Directions: Analyze the document and answer the
short-answer questions that follow.
When Captain Cook landed in Tahiti in 1769, he
established some rules for contact with the people
of the island. Three of the rules were:
Per capita GDP in Australia, United States,
and Argentina
(1990 international dollars)
Australia
United States
Argentina
1870
3,641
2,457
1,311
1890
4,433
3,396
2,152
1950
7,493
9,561
4,987
1998
20,390
27,331
9,219
1. To [attempt] by every fair means to Cultivate a
Friendship with the Natives, and to treat them with
all imaginable humanity.
2. A Proper Person or Persons will be appointed to
Trade with the Natives for all manner of Provisions,
Fruits, and other Productions of the Earth; and no
Officer or Seaman or other person belonging to the
Ship, excepting such as are so appointed, shall Trade
or offer to Trade for any sort of Provisions, Fruit or
other Productions of the Earth, unless they have my
leave so to do.
Source: http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/attard.australia
9. When did per capita GDP in the United States
first exceed that of Australia?
A between 1870 and 1890
5. No sort of Iron or anything that is made of Iron, or
any sort of Cloth or other useful or necessary Articles,
are to be given in Exchange for anything but Provisions.
B by 1950
C prior to 1890
D after 1998
—Captain Cook’s Journal, First Voyage
10. Based on the table, which of the following statements is accurate?
11. Judging by the rules, what kind of relationship
did Captain Cook want to establish with the
people of Tahiti?
A Argentina has had a weak economy since
1870.
B Australia had many more workers than the
United States.
12. What kind of goods did Captain Cook want to
acquire from the Tahitians in trade?
C In 1870 and 1890, Australians produced more
per person than did Americans.
Extended Response
D Americans have produced more than both
Australians and Argentinians since 1870.
13. Imagine that you are a European traveling to
Australia, New Zealand, or Oceania in the mid1800s to start a new life. Where would you
decide to settle? Why? What difficulties might
you face?
STOP
Social Studies
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Chapter 29 at glencoe.com.
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If you missed question. . .
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2
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3
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4
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Chapter 29 • 807
JOURNAL
“Hello! My name is Caitlin.
I’m 16 years old, and I live in the village of Agana Heights, Guam.
The island of Guam is a U.S. territory, so people here are U.S.
citizens. But we also have our own history and culture. Here’s
how I spend a typical day.”
5:00 a.m. I wake up and
shower. Then I dress in
jeans and a light T-shirt (it
is warm and humid here all year-round).
5:30 a.m. I eat breakfast with my
mother, stepfather, and half sister,
Tiyana. We have eggs and a kind of
meat that is similar to ham. As we
eat, we talk about our plans and
schedules for the day.
6:15 a.m. I take a 15-minute walk
to the bus stop and board the school
bus. My school is only 10 miles from
my house, but the bus makes a lot of
stops. The trip seems to take forever!
7:15 a.m. I arrive at George
7:50 a.m. I start the school day
with art, my favorite class. After that,
I move on to algebra and Spanish.
10:20 a.m. I go to my Chamorro
class. The Chamorros were the
LUNCH BREAK Caitlin meets up with her
friends during lunch period.
808 • Chapter 29
Jeremy Nicholl/Polaris
to help my Aunt Larie rake her yard.
Tomorrow she is having the whole
family over for a traditional Palauan
first birth ceremony. (My cousin
Crystal just had her first baby!) I head
to Larie’s house, which is nearby.
6:00 p.m. I return home.
12:00 p.m. It is time for
lunch. Today, a student
rock band is playing outside.
I grab some chips and enjoy the
concert with my friends.
I had a good time at my
aunt’s house. When we
finished the yard work, she taught
me a Palauan dance. It is very
different from the Chamorro dances
I learned at school.
12:50 p.m. Classes resume. This
afternoon, I have social studies and
science. In science, we are learning
how the principle of lift helps
airplanes fly. I am fascinated because
I want to be a flight attendant when
I am older.
6:15 p.m. Tiyana, my stepfather,
2:40 p.m. I ride the bus back to my
6:45 p.m. I study and do my
stop and walk home. On my walk, I
pass a fort that was built in the 1700s,
when Spain ruled Guam. Antique
cannons still point to the ocean.
homework. I take a short break to
go to the local ball field and watch
my 8-year-old cousin Asri play
baseball.
and I have dinner together. We all
help prepare kadu, a chicken soup
with cabbage and other vegetables.
My mom works as a cook in a
restaurant, so she isn’t home.
4:15 p.m. It’s time for chores.
9:00 p.m. I get ready for
Usually I clean and vacuum the
house, but today I have been asked
bed. Tomorrow will be
another early day!
LET’S DANCE Caitlin and some of her family
celebrate a cousin’s birth with a Palauan dance.
FISH STORY This wood carving, called a
storyboard, tells a myth about the sea.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY BOOKMAPMAN
Washington High School. It is one of
Guam’s four public high schools and
has more than 2,700 students. Our
school mascot is a gecko, which is a
cool lizard that lives on the island.
original inhabitants of Guam, and
many people here are of Chamorro
descent. (Not me! My family moved
to Guam from another Pacific island
called Palau.) In this class, we study
the Chamorro culture and language.
We even learn Chamorro dances.
FROM A STUDENT IN GUAM
FLOWERS IN HER HAIR Caitlin
Kesewaol (KATE•lin KEZ•wuhl)
wears a tropical flower in her hair
as she gets ready to take part in
a family celebration. Like most
teens on Guam, Caitlin usually
dresses in jeans or shorts.
What’s Popular
in Guam
Fiestas During
Spanish rule, many
Guamanians became
Catholic, and each
village adopted a
PHOTO RESOURCE
Catholic patron saint.
HAWAII / ALAMY
Today, the villages still have
giant celebrations, called fiestas,
to honor their special saints.
Voting Guam has a higher voter
turnout rate than most other U.S.
territories and states. Citizens here
vote for their own delegate to the
U.S. House of Representatives,
but they cannot vote for president.
Betel nuts Many Guamanians
chew these hard red nuts instead
of bubble gum. The nuts are often
sprinkled with
lime. The
tradition is
passed from
grandparents to
grandchildren.
SUSAN LIEBOLD
Say It in
Chamorro
Guam has two official languages,
English and Chamorro. Chamorro
has been spoken on Guam for
thousands of years. Because the
island was ruled by Spain for three
centuries, many Spanish words
made their way into the
Chamorro language. Try
these everyday Chamorro
expressions.
Hello Hafa adai
(HAH•fuh day)
JEREMY NICHOLL / POLARIS (4)
Goodbye Adios
(ah•dee•OHS)
My name
is
.
Si
yu.
(see
dzu.)
RUBBERBALL/PUNCHSTOCK
Jeremy Nicholl/Polaris, (tr) Photo Resource Hawaii/Alamy Images, (cr) Susan Liebold, (br) Rubberball/Punchstock