Social Organisation.

ABORIGINAL Australians; SOCIETIES; SOCIAL clubs; HUNTER-gatherer societies; REGIONAL differences; HUMAN sexuality; AGE

An encyclopedia entry for the organisation of Aboriginal societies prior to the coming of Europeans in Australia is presented. It is stated that aboriginal societies had much in common with those of the rest of the world's hunter-gatherers. Regional differences in social organisational forms are validated by religion and generally serve as important markers of local group identity. It is inferred that the most important organisational divisions in Aboriginal society are based on sex and age.