ar+Day+9

After spending a week with my ancestors, the San Bushmen, I prepare to say my goodybes. I must leave for my next destination, Australia. Although I am sad to leave behind the Bushmen, I am also excited to meet the next lineage of ancestors.

I leave Gaborone on Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 1:05 pm and arrive in Sydney on Sunday, June 20, 2010 at 1:55 pm. -Flight costs approximately $1,164.90.

I will be visiting the Aboriginal people of Australia. These people first appeared around 50,000 years ago. They are known as the "M" haplogroup, which is one of the branches that split off from the L3 group. They have an extraordinary ability to adapt and change to their surroundings, which is why they have survived so long. Spencer Wells believes that these people were able to travel from Africa to Australia due to massive ice caps trapping much of the water. In some places sea levels were as much as 330 feet lower than they are today. These people most likely hopped from island to island, then ended up settling in Australia. Once the glaciers retreated, water levels rose and covered their trail.

To the Aborigines, land is not just dirt and rock, but the core to all spirituality. I find these people truely fascinating. As I spend my time with them, they teach me to hunt and gather like they do to survive. I am amazed at how well these people can track animals. One of the most remarkable things I learn is their use of creation stories, called "Dreaming". They believe that long ago, spirits created all living things and landmarks after awaking from a very long sleep. After staying with these people and learning their way of life, I am off to my next destination, India.