HSC Geography · People, Patterns and Processes · 7.6 · Student worksheet
Spatial Patterns of the World's Indigenous Peoples — Activities
Print or work on screen · pairs with the 7.6 study page
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this resource may contain names, images or references to people who have died. It discusses living cultures respectfully; for culturally-endorsed material see the resources below and
AIATSIS.
Activity 1 — Describe the spatial pattern
Syllabus link: 7.6.1 · spatial patterns related to culture
Using the world-distribution map on the study page, describe the global spatial pattern of Indigenous peoples. Name where the main concentrations are, comment on how even/uneven the distribution is, and note the scale (global → regional).
Activity 2 — Compare two nations
Syllabus link: 7.6.4 & 7.6.5 · Australia vs Canada
Complete the comparison table from the study page.
| Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples (Australia) | First Nations, Métis & Inuit (Canada) |
|---|
| Approx. population | | |
| Main groups | | |
| Distribution / where | | |
| A key contemporary issue | | |
Activity 3 — Explain the process
Syllabus link: 7.6.3 · colonisation
Using the timeline, explain in a short paragraph how colonisation reshaped the spatial patterns of Indigenous peoples. Remember to note both impact and resilience/continuity.
Activity 4 — Evaluate
Syllabus link: 7.6.6 · Indigenous knowledge & sustainability
Write 3–4 sentences. Use the Whanganui River (Te Awa Tupua) example.
Prompt: "Indigenous knowledge has value for managing environments sustainably." Evaluate this statement with reference to a real example.
Activity 5 — Key concepts
Syllabus link: geographical concepts
For each concept, write one sentence linking it to this topic.
- Place (the idea of "Country"):
- Interconnection (people ↔ land ↔ law):
- Change (colonisation → recognition):
- Sustainability (Indigenous knowledge):
Take it further — resources
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