Australian Aborigine Has anyone studied Aboriginal Art before? What can we learn about a culture by studying the art they create? (Way of life, History, Value, Beliefs) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7oE4sKIDuU

Who are the Aborigines? Aborigine means “native” Original people of Australia Traveled in canoes from SE Asia Lived there at least 40,000 years as the only people Developed unique beliefs about creation Survived as hunters and observers….often hunting with boomerangs The term Aborigines was given to the original people of Australia by the British, but they prefer to be called by their individual clan names.

Who are the Aborigines? The word “Aborigine” comes from a Latin word meaning “from the beginning.” Scientists believe that Aborigines traveled to Australia from Southeast Asia on boats via a land bridge over 40,000 years ago.

Many died from disease or starved when their land was taken from them by the Europeans in the 1700s (colonialism)

CORE BELIEF SYSTEM “Dreamtime” is at the center of the Aborigines belief system and describes the mystical time when the Aboriginal people established their world. “Dreamtime” explains the origins of the people and of the land. Dreamtime includes a story of how things have happened, how the universe came to be, how humans were created, and how the Creator intended for humans to function in this world

Aborigine Religion: The Dreamtime All things began with “The Dreamtime” (The Dreaming It continues to co-exist with our ‘now’ time It is all things past, present and future It is sacred It is the ‘time before time’ It is the ‘time outside time’ It is the ‘time of creation of all things’

What does The Dreamtime mean to them? Belief system Moral teaching Spiritual code Making sense of the world They belong to the dreamtime History and tradition Identity – often linked to animals and plants

Dreamtime Stories Passed down through generations by word of mouth Artworks depict deep meaning told through dreamtime stories Basis of value and belief system, affects their interaction with the land and animals Land is sacred because it contains their heritage, history, and powerful ancestors or spirits Belief in safeguarding the land sometimes clashes with construction projects that would change the landscape (Uluru or Ayers Rock, bottom right, is the rock ancestors pushed up out of the Earth when they rose to create animals and landscape

The purpose of dreamtime stories To explain the world – how the birds got their colour; how the tortoise lost its tale; how the black snake became poisonous. To teach – where the water holes are, how to navigate using the stars. To connect with their totemic ancestors

The connection with the land One belief was that, before animals, humans and plants were created, there were souls who knew that they would become physical, but did not know when. When the time was right, they all said: ‘we will do our very best to try to help the one that takes care of us all.’ Then they all became animals or plants. The last soul became the human. That is why aboriginals all respect the environment and want to be at one with nature because they are their friends.

Dreamtime stories Aborigine Creation Story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koxp_q46z0Q Why koala has a stumpy tail http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itszep0duwI&feature=related

Aboriginal Art Last traditional art form to be appreciated To understand Aboriginal Art we first need to learn about Dreamtime Dreamtime refers to their beliefs of how the land and its people were created Believed supernatural beings with magical powers created the land’s features, animals and plants during dreamtime Art is a way to stay in touch with their ancestry and be a part of the natural world

In Aboriginal culture everyone is an artist because everyone participates in activities such as dancing, singing, body decoration, sand drawing and weaving baskets.

How did Aboriginals create art? Unique subject matter and style Known for their rock paintings, bark paintings, sand (or dot paintings), and body decoration Brushes made from bark, plant fibers, twigs, hair or feathers Also used fingers or sticks to paint Used natural ochers (minerals) or clay to make red, yellow, and white paint Black was made from charcoal Show students natural ocher from Georgia and pass around

Aboriginal Rock Art Longest continuously practiced artistic tradition in the world. Ubirr, located in North Australia, has very impressive rock paintings. What do you see in this rock painting? What else do you see? What do you think the overlapping of images means? Images have been painted in the earliest periods and repainted over and over even into modern times.

Bark Painting Tradition for thousands of years Bark is cut into a rectangle, after the wet season, when it’s soft Placed on warm coals, pressed flat with weights and sticks tied to both ends with string Painted with natural pigments mixed with a natural fixative: sticky gum from trees Style is similar to rock paintings and illustrates stories Painted on bark for ceremonies, burials, and everyday objects such as baskets and belts

Dot Painting Traditional dot paintings were made in sand Contemporary dot paintings are on canvas with acrylic paint Depict a story using Aboriginal symbols When you understand the symbols it gives a whole new meaning to a dot painting What do you think the concentric circles represent?

Aboriginals used symbols to represent natural surroundings. They are shown as tracks left in the ground and look like they are seen from a plane. Represent recent tracks left by animals or tracks made in the past by ancestors. Students will receive a handout of these symbols Thunder & Lightening

Goanna (lizard) dragging tail, footprints on side Footprints Kangaroo tracks & tail Emu Goanna (lizard) dragging tail, footprints on side Footprints Concentric circles can represent a water hole, campsite, fire, meeting place, stone Women’s Ceremony Snakes Frogs (black) Water holes (blue) Men Hunting

Body Decoration Traditional practice for ceremonies Includes scarring, smeared clay or ochres on face, wearing ornaments and headdress Deep spiritual significance Geometric designs Use respected patterns of an ancestor to take on their living appearance Designs may also reflect their role in the family or important role in their community Scarring creates raised pigmented patterns on the skin to mark age or becoming an important member in the community. Scarring is rarely practiced but body decoration remains an important part of their culture

Music and Dancing The traditional music of indigenous Australians holds a lot of meaning to their culture. Music is used throughout an aboriginal's life to teach what must be known about their culture, about their place in it, and about its place in the world of nature and super nature. As a very young child, the aboriginal is encouraged to dance and sing about everyday tasks. Music and dancing are often used as a means of communication.

Music and Dancing The Didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by the Aborigines at least 1,500 years ago and is still in widespread usage. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet The instrument is traditionally made from Eucalyptus trees which have had their interiors hollowed out by termites or died of other causes.

Music and Dancing Digideroo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g592I-p-dc Dancing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQGApoHMZYI Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCR80_GwIPs&feature=fvst

Resources: Carol, Finley. Aboriginal Art of Australia. Lerner Publications Company, Minneapolis: 1999. Petersen, David. Australia. Children’s Press, New York: 1998. http://66.113.241.131/lessons/envs/live/htdocs/lesson107.htm http://www.bardaglea.org.uk/aboriginal/index.html http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/xray/hd_xray.htm http://www.astonmanor.bham.sch.uk/learningzone/art/movements/aboriginal/aboriginalart.htm http://goaustralia.about.com/library/graphics/tjapukai1.jpg http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/art/body.php http://www.bvdrangs.com/dreamtime.html http://www.aboriginal-art.com/desert_art_toc.html http://www.dickblick.com/multicultural/aboriginal/ http://people.hws.edu/mitchell/oz/Carnarvon96.html#Art www.lclark.edu