Aboriginal Art and Culture in Focus

Australian Aboriginal culture is complex and extraordinarily diverse. It is one of the world's longest surviving cultures, which goes back at least 50,000 years (some think it is closer to 150,000 years).

There were over 500 different clan groups or 'nations' around the continent, many with distinctive cultures and beliefs. Hundreds of languages and dialects existed (although many are now extinct), as well as a variety of different customs and rituals, art forms, styles of painting, forms of food, and hunting habits.

There are many ceremonies and reasons for ceremonies in Aboriginal society, all have a firm place with The Dreaming. Great Ancestral Spirits arranged the earth by creating people, animals, plants and birds and these were all put in their respective places according to the land forms and spirits surrounding them. These Ancestral Spirits made rules and the law to govern the land, it's people, animals and plants. If life on earth was to continue, these rules would need to be followed. Ceremonies ensure that vital components of this law and The Dreaming stay intact. They provide a time where all people in a language group work together for the survival of The Dreaming.

All beliefs and stories of The Dreaming are individually owned and kept secure by individual members of a language group ensuring that they are protected for all people. These members of a language group had and continue to have the great task of ensuring that these stories were correctly remembered and passed on, and that the correct practise of rituals and ceremonies were performed to do this.

Ceremonies and rituals take on many different forms. Some were very private and involved only people in that language group while others involved all people belonging to the language group, even children. Sometimes the creation of special and sacred objects of drawings in sand and/or earth (sand painting), the moulding and carving of spirit figures in clay or wood, the painting of bark, the making of specific body design were used in many ceremonies. Often the objects or drawings made were placed in a bora ring or near the site where the ceremony was to be held. That is the reason why we find many scarred trees marking the site where sacred ceremonies were once held or continue to be held Special and sacred songs and dances were also created for these ceremonies.

Here is your opprotunity to experience the Aboriginal Art and Culture that has conituned to live on for at least the past 50,000 years.