HISTORY OF ABORIGINAL CLOTHING
Prior to contact with British colonists, according to the climate of each region in Australia clothing was not always considered a necessity. In cooler areas skin cloaks using possum, wallaby or kangaroo were worn to give protection from the cold and wet while in warmer regions decoration, rather than clothing in a European sense, was traditionally used for ceremonial purposes (Aboriginal heritage).
Northern Warm Regions
In warm regions in the tropical northern Australia, no clothes were needed. Traditionally Aboriginal people in those areas didn’t use any clothes, but covered their bodies in paintings. In the Kimberley region in north Western Australia, particularly in Broome area, men wore rijis – pubic coverings made of pearl shells, and attached to a belt around the waist by hair strings. Hair strings were made by women. All cut hair was saved, and spun into long threads, which could be used as headbands, ropes and belts, or even woven into textiles. Sometimes grasses were combined with hair to make tougher textiles. Typically Spinifex grasses were used in the inland, while on the northern coasts, pandanus leaves, which are known for their strength, were used. Bark was also sometimes used for textiles, and more commonly for making baskets.
Southern Cold Regions
In the cooler south eastern parts of Australia, in today’s New South Wales and Victoria, Aboriginal people commonly wore possum cloaks. They were made of many possum skins sewn together, and they were rubbed in fat to better protect from the cold. They were often also decorated by ochre colours. The cloaks were also used as blankets and mattresses.
