Ancient art is endless with ideas and possibilities. Most of us are aware of Egyptian, Greek, Roman and American Indian cultures and the art and language contributions they have made to our world. One culture that I discovered years ago that I didn’t know about was the Australian Aborigine. The Aboriginal lifestyle was based on the total connection with their natural surroundings and dated back to about 50,000+ years.
Kate Owen Gallery in Australia describes this culture perfectly, “The Australian Aboriginal is the longest surviving culture the world has seen and their culture is complex and centered on long term survival in a hostile environment. It is rich in spiritual teachings, knowledge, and cultural behavior, as well as, the practical skills and knowledge required to survive. Because Aboriginal art reflects the earliest period of this ancient culture, it has both artistic and anthropological merit.” – www.kateowengallery.com
Though each tribe of Aborigine’s had their own language and traditions, they did not have a written language as other ancient cultures did. Therefore, their pictured art made from ochre pigment, and carvings or impressions on stone walls, bark, boulders and trees was their way of written communication. For example, I found a quote from a website that describes the meaning of the “hand art” that is found all over Australia’s Outback wilderness.
“One old man in Arnhem Land remembered being carried as a child on his father’s shoulders as his father climbed up a log leaning against a rock wall. His father then sprayed his hand with red ochre against the rock, leaving a stencil he could still recognize many years later. The main function of the stencils was to record people’s presence and association with a site.” — Aboriginal Art Online; www.aboriginalartonline.com
Dot painting was also used with hidden symbols and secret meanings. These too were created from their ochre pigments and tips of sticks were dipped into the pigment to create the dots. If you surf the web, there are many paintings associated with this technique and they are quite interesting. Here is an example of one of the sites I have seen; www.japingka.com.au/articles/aboriginal-dot-painting.
Beyond my investigation into their art culture, I was also intrigued with the stories and books that have been written over the years about Aborigines. One book that I read many years ago was about a woman who ended up living with a tribe of Aborigines for a few months and learned their way of life first hand. It was an amazing story of a culture that has been deeply misunderstood by many. The “walkabout,” that she participates in is truly an interesting topic for inspiration and worth delving into.
I also had the pleasure of meeting a man many years ago who traveled to New Zealand each year and came back with beautiful photographs of this part of the world. He also traveled to Australia and I was captured by his stories and the inspiration it had on my communication solutions.
Aborigine inspired communications:
Happy creations!
Inspirational Hippy 