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Resource4

Target age: 6-7 years old

In this video, many Australian Aborigines get together and sing a song called "I am an Australian" in the first half in the Australian Aboriginal Pitjantjatjara language and in English in the second half. In 1788, there were approximately 250 languages spoken by Aboriginal Australians, so it is easy to see the richness of the Aboriginal language system in Australia (Dixon et al., 2006). Before the colonists entered Australian lands, there were nearly six hundred Aboriginal communities in Australia, with a maximum population of about one million people, and about nearly three hundred Aboriginal languages. Although the Aboriginal language systems are said to be large, they can be expressed as accurately as any language in the world, but at the same time are different from any language in the world (Dixon et al., 2006). And the Aborigines believe that language brings them a sense of belonging and security that they deserve, while the language that is exclusive to their group also represents their identity on the land. It is also an expression of their culture. The selection of this resource was assessed by YRANS for the year 2022, which indicates that the teaching resource is very close to the recent past, as students need to know the languages of these peoples and language groups, and teaching this is an indication that students in the area need to know these things. The video was also released by ABC Australia, which is a non-Aboriginal group, but the introduction to the video indicates that the song was sung by an Aboriginal group, showing recognition of a prominent Aboriginal group. The resource uses a combination of Aboriginal language and English to explain that Australia's Aboriginal people express their unity as a group. It demonstrates that Aboriginal Australians are still a large group with a large population in regional Australia today. Aboriginal groups are present in the resource, but are filmed with the permission and cooperation of the Aboriginal people. As such, it is a great way for non-Aboriginal students to learn about Aboriginal communities and their languages. to meet the standards of the AITSL.

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'I Am Australian' with Pitjantjatjara lyrics | ABC 90

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Resource3

Target age: 6-7 years old

This video shows the traditional music of Australia's Aboriginal culture. The man plays a traditional Australian Aboriginal instrument: the didgeridoo. The didgeridoo is a wind instrument made from branches hollowed out by termites and has been around for more than 20,000 years (percentage points, n.d.) among Australia's Aboriginal people, according to statistics. Music is very important to Australia's Aboriginal people, who have an extremely sophisticated musical and artistic life, as well as a rich music and arts festival. Aboriginal music is most typically characterized by a combination of song, dance, and music. The most common form is singing and dancing while accompanied by musical instruments (Ross, 1986). Secondly, aboriginal music can also be divided into two forms, namely ceremonial and non-ceremonial. The former showcases more of the mythological totems and various rituals of indigenous survival. The latter is more about flora and fauna and the natural climate as well as perceptions of the land and country (Ross, 1986). Indigenous people use music to express their understanding of their identity. It is believed that everything that exists in the world is alive and has a connection to the heart and soul of the indigenous people. There is a kinship with the environment (AUSTRALIANS TOGETHER, n.d.). Australian Aboriginal music carries all the elements of Aboriginal development, including agriculture, life, love of the land and an understanding of one's identity. Music is also the most visual thing that can be felt, so this video was chosen to give students the most direct experience of Aboriginal music and an understanding of the diversity of that people's music. It also allows Aboriginal students to empathize with their own culture. This is because when Aboriginal students are disconnected from their own culture, it negatively affects their sense of identity and belonging, thus failing to bring meaning and purpose to their lives (Ross, 1986). After the YRANS assessment, the year was in 2017 resources were counted as available in recent years. The author is didget, a non-indigenous person, and the video introduction indicates that the song was performed by an Aboriginal person, indicating recognition of Aboriginal people. It was also filmed with the permission and cooperation of the indigenous people. Therefore, the entire resource is ideal for students to watch.

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Traditional Didgeridoo Rhythms by Lewis Burns, Aboriginal Australian Artist

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Resource 2

Target age: 6-7 years old

This website showcases artistic achievements about Australian Aborigines. The entire site is accompanied by many photographs of Australian Aboriginal art and an introduction to the art of the Australian Aboriginal people. It is a good way to show students and give them a visual impression. Aboriginal culture and art has been around for tens of thousands of years. This is because it has been around since the Aborigines first settled in Australia. Aboriginal rock art from 20,000 years ago shows their spirituality and philosophy (AUSTRALIANS TOGETHER, n.d.). Therefore, it can be said that the development of Aboriginal art is complete and it shows the Aboriginal understanding of art and the development process of their entire people. Aboriginal Australians believe that art is tied to their identity and also goes a long way in ensuring the continued existence of their Aboriginal culture (Coleman, 2017). Australian Aborigines will often make comparisons between art and various symbols, and their paintings are arguably more like a form of heraldry. Their art shows their recognition of family, their connection to the land, where their origins come from, and authority, among other things (Coleman, 2017). Secondly, indigenous art also tends to place more emphasis on the discussion of deeper concepts, such as religious meanings and worldviews. Thus, it can be argued that art allows indigenous peoples to better understand and feel the culture of their land, the symbols of identity and the sense of belonging that the land brings to them (Coleman, 2017). On the other hand, indigenous art presents the story of the birth of the world and the creation of ancestral humans. It documents the proof of their survival on the land, their understanding of the land and their people, and their understanding of their identity. Indigenous art can also be referred to as the beginnings of art (Morwood, 2002). The selection of this teaching resource will allow non-Aboriginal students to better understand Aboriginal culture and the process of artistic development, allow them to understand that Aboriginal art is also rich and varied, and increase their interest in exploring Aboriginal art and the Aboriginal perspective on their art. It is also targeted to allow Aboriginal children to be proud of their own art and to feel a sense of tolerance and recognition of Aboriginal art, thus better meeting the 1.4 and 2.4 standards of the AITSL.

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Aboriginal culture dates back as far as 60,000 years, possibly longer. This is when Aboriginal people first settled in what is now known as Australia. The first evidence of Aboriginal ethos or philosophy is evident in the still visible rock art which dates back more than 20,000 years.

Ochres were used to paint on rocks. Archaeologists have been able to date remains and findings as far back as 40,000 to 60,000 years from discoveries of primal campsites.

Aboriginal Art & Symbols

There is no written language for Aboriginal People so in order to convey their important cultural stories through the generations, it is portrayed by symbols/icons through their artwork.

It is imperative to pass on information to preserve their culture. Indigenous art is centered on story telling. It is used as a chronical to convey knowledge of the land, events and beliefs of the Aboriginal people.

The use of symbols is an alternate way to writing down stories of cultural significance, teaching survival and use of the land. The interpretations of the iconography differ depending on the audience.

When being told to children it would take on a simpler form highlighting the educational and behavioural aspect. There can be a combination of information and moral teachings behind the story. The children are taught right from wrong and the consequences of good and bad behaviour.

The stories, however would be interpreted at a very different and higher level form when teaching to initiated elders.

History of Aboriginal Art

Although Australian Aboriginals have been using ochres as body paint, on bark and rocks for tens of thousands of years it was not until the 1930's that the first paintings were done.

These were not done in ochre or in dot art but in water colour at the Hermannsburg mission near Alice Springs.

They illustrated desert landscapes. The first exhibition was in 1937 by the most famous of the first aboriginal watercolour painters, Albert Namatjira. His exhibition was held in Adelaide.

Below are several of his artworks and a collage of images.

Up until the early 1970s artists mainly used watercolours. Ochre and bark paintings were starting to become available to non-Indigenous admirers and at Ernabella mission in 1948 an art and craft centre was founded.

Traditionally paintings by Aboriginals were drawn on rock walls, ceremonial articles, as body paint and most significantly drawn in dirt or sand together with songs or stories. Artwork we see today on canvas and board commenced merely 50 years ago.

The Birth Of "Contemporary" Indigenous Art

In 1971, a school teacher named Geoffrey Bardon was working with Aboriginal children in Papunya, near Alice Springs. He noticed whilst the Aboriginal men were telling stories they would draw symbols in the sand.

He encouraged them to paint the stories onto canvas and board. This began the famous Aboriginal art movement. It was a major jump for Indigenous people to start painting their stories onto western facades which was a very foreign concept to them.

Since then Australian Aboriginal Art has been identified as the most exciting contemporary art form of the 20th Century. Aboriginal Artists need permission to paint particular stories.

They inherit the rights to these stories which are passed down through generations within certain skin groups. An Aboriginal artist cannot paint a story that does not belong to them through family.

Aboriginal Dreaming

Creation Law is the heart of Aboriginal culture and consequently for Aboriginal art. It sets down the Dreaming which provides the identity for Aboriginal people and their association or link to the land.

Dreamtime or Jukurrpa and Tingari (the term varies according to their particular local language) is the translation of the Creation of time for the Aboriginal People. Most Aboriginal Artists paint facets of their Dreaming which forms a share of their inheritance and identity.
Click Here to View 1000+ Amazing Aboriginal Artworks
Dots in Aboriginal Art

Many people believe that dots were used to hide information from white men when the Aboriginal people became afraid that they would be able to see and understand their sacred, private knowledge. The dots were used to obscure the secret symbols or iconography underneath.

The Many Styles of Aboriginal Art

Aboriginal art differs in character and style depending from which region the artist is from and what language is spoken. Most contemporary art can be recognised from the community where it was created.

The use for ochre paints is marked in Arnhem Land and east Kimberley. Materials (colours) used for Aboriginal art was originally obtained from the local land. Ochre or iron clay pigments were used to produce colours such as white, yellow, red and black from charcoal.

Other colours were soon added such as smokey greys, sage greens and saltbush mauves.

During the mid 1980's more Aboriginal women artists appeared on the scene and a wider range of modern colours were chosen and bright desert paintings started to arrive on the market.

Choice of colour continues to be an identifying feature of a particular style in many communities; Papunya Tula, part of the western desert art movement is known for its use of soft earth colours whilst many other Western Desert Communities opt for strong primary colours.

The styles vary dramatically even within regions and there is certainly no hard rule here as can be seen in many of Papunya's artworks that don't necessarily follow this thinking.

Other artistic variations pinpoint more closely to specific communities. Again, the styles can vary significantly within communities as well, although many become "well known" for a particular style of art.

A very popular style adopted by artists is painting from an aerial view. Many Indigenous artists imagine themselves hovering over the land (country) observing both the natural and metaphysical forms or markings of the landscape.

This characteristic style is quite popular and has led to some incredible works being produced. Knowledge of water sources and locations of bush tucker are drawn onto these maps.

Songlines or Dreaming tracks laid down in the Creation time by the spirit Ancestors are also laid down by the artist. These bird's eye views are characteristic of a hunter and gatherer society.

They read the earth surface closely for signs of life, for tracking animals and recognising recent events.

The Rise of The Indigenous Art Market

May 2007 saw the first piece of Indigenous art sold for more than $1 million. It was achieved by Emily Kame Kngwarreye's work 'Earth's Creation' also sold in 2007 to a private buyer for $1.056 million.

The same year in July of one of Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri's acclaimed work 'Warlugulong "map series" reached $2.4 million.

Aboriginal Art is equally at home in both galleries and museums. The Indigenous Aboriginal people of Australia are arguably the most successful and certainly the longest surviving culture in human history.

It is complex and focused on long term survival in the most hostile of environments. It has deep knowledge, spiritual, cultural and practical survival teachings.

Aboriginal Art reflects the earliest period of this ancient culture; it has both artistic and anthropological merit. This is one of the reasons it is so special and important.

Aboriginal Art & Remote Communities

Contemporary Aboriginal art has been an incentive for remote Aboriginal communities, in many places being the only business in small communities providing significant income to Aboriginal families.

The art movement has helped to strengthen culture in Aboriginal society by reinforcing the values of traditional knowledge, which forms the basis of Aboriginal art.

Now there is much Aboriginal art being produced in hundreds of remote communities around Australia and by urban Aboriginal artists.

Supporting Aboriginal art has a secondary effect in supporting the language and culture of Indigenous families who chose to live in remote locations linked to their own ancestral lands.

These groups are the largest contributors to art works seen in galleries and museums around the country.

Art + Culture = A Brighter Future

Aboriginal art has brought about a revival of their culture in many ways. It has substantially knocked down barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding on the part of westerners.

Our admiration of Indigenous art and our readiness to pay for it has helped Aboriginal people financially and most importantly given them a place of respect, standing and greater confidence.

It has revitalised young Aboriginal's appreciation and understanding of their culture through the teachings of the elders through this medium. Westerners admire the outstanding beauty and meaning of Aboriginal art which has completely changed relationships between the people and has helped build stronger bridges of understanding.

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The story of Australian Aboriginal Art. If you are looking for a great overview of what Aboriginal Art is all about, click to visit us and read this in depth article now.

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Resource 1

Target age: 6-7 years old

In this video. Through a conversation between the two men, a brief overview of some of the rumors about the Aboriginal people of Australia during the colonization period is presented. For the first non-Aboriginal people to visit Australia, they believed that the Aboriginal Australians did not own the land. As a result, they expelled and persecuted Aboriginal Australians, something that could not have been anticipated in the mid to late 19th century. Aboriginal communities like Djadja Wurrung were soon invaded and destroyed by British colonists and could no longer be called Aboriginal communities. On the other hand, the colonial community stated that the Aboriginal people were a dying race and believed that those Aboriginal people who were referred to as mestizos by the colonists would be assimilated and thus disappear as an identifiable group (Attwood, 2017). This video was chosen because it was hoped that after seeing it, students would think more about Aboriginal people and what the country and land meant to them. At the end of the video, there is a quote about how the colonists thought we owned the land, but we thought it was our job to protect it. Indigenous people have lived on this land in Australia for tens of thousands of years and have a reciprocal and respectful relationship with the land (AUSTRALIANS TOGETHER, n.d.). Aboriginal lands are continuously maintained and given to them for habitation, while Aboriginal people guard and manage the land through cultural and other means. (AUSTRALIANS TOGETHER, n.d.). Land is related to every aspect of Aboriginal existence, such as culture, language, and identity. Indigenous peoples do not consider themselves to own it, but to belong to it. The land can give them awareness of identity and belonging (AUSTRALIANS TOGETHER, n.d.). This deep awareness of the land and the way it relates to them is also reflected in their language. The relationship between Aboriginal people and the land is called: the connection to the state. Therefore, it is hoped that this video will help non-Aboriginal students learn more about the history and past of Aboriginal people, the importance of the land to them, and respect for the land. It is also hoped that the students will feel the teachers' respect and tolerance for their culture, and that they will feel that everyone cares about them. In this way, we can better meet the requirements of AITSL Standard 2.4, and the resource has been assessed by YARNS as suitable for students to view and learn from.