日本語 Rock art, Mount Borradaile
(Davidson’s Arnhemland Safaris, Northern Territory)
Cut-out: Janganpa dance group, Ellery Creek,
MacDonnell Ranges, Northern Territory
The Indigenous inhabitants of Australia are known as Aboriginal people, with more than 50,000 years of history on the world’s largest island continent. Australia’s Aboriginal society may well be the world’s oldest continuous culture.
Aboriginal people have a spiritual culture that is portrayed in every aspect of life. This spirituality is evident in the variety of Aboriginal art, craft and performance exhibited across Australia.
Throughout Australia, Aboriginal people are able to share their insights into an ancient land. They tell creation stories thousands of generations old and demonstrate bush survival skills. In some places, such as Uluru, guides speak their traditional language, with English translation provided by an experienced interpreter. You can spend a day or longer with traditional Aboriginal people, learning the use of plants, bark painting, weaving, playing the didgeridoo and using the woomera (a type of spear-hurling stick).
Aboriginal painting draws visitors to major art galleries in Australian cities, while specialist galleries dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art can be found in outback towns like Broken Hill and Alice Springs. ‘Art tours’ to outback communities enable you to meet artists and buy artworks direct.
Some of the most memorable encounters with traditional Aboriginal people do not take the form of organised performances. They can be as spontaneous as a camp-fire yarn under the stars, requiring only that the visitor take time to listen and learn.
Kaurna, Paitya Dancers, Adelaide. Aboriginal dance troupes thrill audiences with electrifying routines based on Indigenous stories and creation themes. Performances blend the latest theatrical technology with superb dance skills and stories passed on orally for thousands of years.
Rock art, Injaluk Hill, Oenpelli, Northern Territory. The weathered landscapes of Australia contain some of the world’s finest prehistoric artworks. At sites throughout the country, rock paintings and etchings testify to Indigenous artistic traditions dating back at least 30,000 years.
Aboriginal acrylic painting, Darwin, Northern Territory. Modern Aboriginal artworks, often in acrylic on canvas, may use traditional styles such as the ‘dot’ technique, evolved from ground art that sometimes accompanies ceremonial dance and song.
Aboriginal craft making, Northern Territory. Australia’s Aboriginal people have a long tradition of making and decorating a variety of artefacts.
