Aboriginal Art - in pre-European times aborigines painted their bodies, stones, rocks & caves. Paintings were also done on bark, & wall of huts where our peole lived in huts. In addition clothing - particularly opussum skin coats were extremely elaborately engraved & painted. Orche colours were mainly used; (& in some locations the colours available were a bit restrictive) but because naturally occuring pigments of such colours as blue existed in a handful of locations; almost all colours have been used in our art & continues to be. Australian indigenous art extends beyond painting. Didgeridoos are musical instruments but also works of art, being elaborately painted or engraved. Boomerangs are used for hunting; but are also works of art as are our spears & other weapons. Clapping and Digging sticks are also often elaborately incised as well as being used in everyday life. Emu Eggs are beautifully carved & painted. Our craft can also include pottery, stones, bags & carrying baskets of many kinds. As stated earlier on this site it is said Australian Aborigines devoted more time to art than any other race. At AboriginalArtTreasures you will find an interesting variety of Aboriginal craft; many made by artists known to myself.
Aborigines.- the word means 'native' or the original inhabitants of a land. The people now called Australian Aborigines have lived on the Australia continent for thousands of years. Present day Aborigines are considered to be descended from a few races. Because 'aboriginal' is a general term we are sometimes called Koori. Queensland aborigines, especially Torren's Strait Islanders are called 'Murrys". For more information see history also our information on Tasmania. View photographs of modern Aboriginal people.
Australian Aborigines Culture & Customs.
Boomerangs - a wooden weapon used in hunting & also playing over a large area (though not all) of Australia. They vary in shape & size. Killer Boomerangs were large & heavy. Many are incised or highly painted. Returning boomerangs are fun to use. See boomerangs for more details.
Ax
Stone axes were used as a tool as this ancient cave paintings (near out traditional area) shows. All our information on traditional weapons can be found here.
Baskets were made in many places. The ones pictured are made by a Tasmania aboriginal Lennah Newsen using traditional techniques handing down over generations.
More A to Z coming soon.
First photo is of a hunting boomerang - in years gone by they were usually made of heavier wood than this modern day example. Second photo is of a smaller length hunting boomerang (it should return if thrown correctly). Last photo is of a returning boomerang designed more for play. As shown all are works of art.
Bullroarers - were sacred objects; in times past only used by initiated men; & in some cases only to be heard by them. Some tribes believed the noise they made was the voice of 'the son of the creator' (also called "The Word" in the Bible.) Some tribes only used them in incisation rites for young men, in others they were consulted in times of crisis to obtain answers & get wisdom. They have been used for communication purposes as their noise could be heard over great distances & because of this have come to be more in general use in the past couple of hundred years. (To use a bullroarer, tie some string through the hole & swirl around & around.) As in this lovely example they are also works of art & can be used to decorate a table or shelf or can be hung from a hook so their beauty can be seen. All our bullroarers are made by wellknown artist.
Coolum - A traditional Dish used to transport food eg, yams from ground to cooking fire.
Cave Art - Painting was done on caves for decoration, for teaching & also for religious reasons. Like all our art is has meaning. Religious art was often renewed & this is done by certainly families who have the responsibility to pass on the dreaming stories depicted. Cave Art is found all over Australia & is among the oldest art known in the world. Paintings sometimes occur in rock galleries where paintings occur on top of paintings on top of other paintings. In such circumstances the location & the renewal process of reconnecting is more important than what is painted. You will find many example of Cave Art in our section above that you can download or buy as photos & posters. All of these are taken showing the proper respect for custom & location. The photos below are some extremely ancient examples.
Extremely ancient Cave paintings from near my N.S.W. family's land. a/ goanna = food. b/ weapons + totem. c/ ancestral spirits.
Right, an extremely ancient Hand Stencil from my homeland of Tasmania; one of the oldest pieces of art ever found. Left, more modern hand stencils from N.S.W.
