Transcript Document

Australian Aboriginal
Art Dreamtime
Australia Unit
Dreamtime
The expression “Dreamtime” is often used to refer to the
“time before time”, or “the time of the creation of all
things”.
The Australian Aborigines believe that long, long ago
the earth was soft and had no form. The features of
the landscape were created as the result of the
heroic acts of ancestral spirits, who often assumed
the form of animals.
The origins of land shapes—mountains, deserts, and
water holes—echo these events, which the
Aborigines refer to as Dreamtime. For at least fifty
thousand years, the Aborigines have maintained the
traditions of Dreamtime through stories, music,
dance, art, and ceremony. And in the land around
Kakadu, this tradition is honored today.
Dreamtime Stories
Australian Aborigines created stories to teach each
other about the Dreamtime. These stories taught
about life, birth, love, food gathering, hunting,
warfare, marriage and death, but also about the
Creation.
The traditional Aboriginal way to educate about history,
culture and laws was through storytelling. They used
a combination of arts form such as painting, singing,
music and dancing to illustrate the ancient
"Dreamtime Stories".
Because the ”Dreamtime Stories" have been handed
down through the generations, they are not owned by
individuals. They belong to a group. The storytellers
are chosen by the Elders, and have the obligation to
pass the stories along, ensuring that young people
build and retain a sense of who they are.
Aboriginal Art
Today, paintings are created using
modern-day materials, but the use of
traditional symbols and art styles helps
to keep this ancient culture alive. The
symbols used in contemporary
Aboriginal paintings are the same as
those found on cave paintings and rock
Art.
Dot Paintings
Dot painting are the traditional
visual art form of the Aborigines in Western Australia
Central Desert. The canvas is covered in small dots
of paint which create patterns and symbols. These
symbols can easily be recognized by those familiar
with the Dreamtime Story illustrated.
Bright colors are now more common with the use
of acrylic paint, but traditional dot painters used
natural pigments such as crushed seeds.
Dreamtime Symbols
Certain symbols are used often in aboriginal art
to depict reoccurring objects and themes.
Dreamtime Symbols
Dreamtime Symbols