# data[].attributes.body
A guide to the 8 Ways of Aboriginal learning which can be linked to the POP, particularly the non-verbal, story sharing, land links and non-linear elements of the 8 ways. This is a great resource, not just for this curriculum, but for early childhood educators to include in their practice.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Aboriginal Pedagogy

# data[].attributes.body
Here is a link to the details of the incursion for learning experience 4. This outlines what A Day with Clay are all about and what the incursion entails.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Pre-school Pottery Incursion Program | A Day with Clay

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Pre-school Pottery Incursion. A creative and unique experience tailored for pre-school children. Emerald, Victoria, Australia.

# data[].attributes.body
This is an example of the wooden divider tray required for experience 3. You can purchase directly from this website. They have a range of other great art resources/equipment that may be useful for you.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Qtoys Round Divided Natural Activity Tray

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This beautiful four-component wooden tray is great for sorting and sensory play or can be used for feeding. The tray is made of Acacia wood finished with beeswax. Product Dimensions: 25cm(L) x 25cm(W) x 3cm(H) – Weight: 0.35 kg

# data[].attributes.body
This book is required as a provocation for learning experience 2. The book helps to not only teach children about feelings and emotions, but also shows them how emotions might be experienced in their body and how it makes their body feel. This is important in recognising our emotions and then learning how to respond to such feelings. When used as a provocation with learning experience one, over time children will be able to relate these feelings in their body to using clay as a tool to express such feelings.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As a mother of three kids, a founder, and a manager of an educational play center, I know for sure that all kids come to this world with a distinctive character and a unique vision of life. It excites me to see how these different kids explore the world and become confident at new things. My life experience has given me a particular skill of explaining various, sometimes quite complicated things to children. There is no better payback than seeing their eyes sparkle, "I understand! I can!"

When my children were small, we spent our evenings reading books and telling our own stories. All those stories turned out to be motivational in nature. I believe that making kids believe in themselves is the best thing that a parent or an educator can do.

Now, with my children having grown older, I decided to share these stories with other kids. I have written and self-published several books, that are all working towards one goal - giving kids what I believe to be the strongest platform in life - love and self-confidence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
My Body Sends a Signal: Helping Kids Recognize Emotions and Express Feelings

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How to teach kids about emotions and feelings? Like teaching them everything else - using clear words, familiar situations, exciting pictures and a lot of hands-on activities (games, puzzles, coloring pages, etc.) One can, of course, spend time and find various resources online. Or one can get ju...

# data[].attributes.body
Here is a link to the Early Years Learning Framework. This is useful to help link the curriculum to the learning outcomes. It even discusses a range of ways in which teachers can be intentional with their practice.

# data[].attributes.body
To be set up on the table

# data[].attributes.body
To be set up on the table

# data[].attributes.body
Calming music for learning experience 1

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Didgeridoo Healing Music - Soothing Didgeridoo-Sounds To Dream And Relax (PURERELAX.TV)

# data[].attributes.body
Here is a website where you can order large amounts of clay.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Creatistics Air Dry Ceramic Clay - White 10kg

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
No baking or kiln required! Creatistics Air Dry Ceramic Clay will harden when left to dry for 24 hours. A versatile moulding and sculpting medium.

# data[].attributes.body
This is a link to a clay sculpture reference to show the children during the brainstorm in learning experience 1. This page explains Antonio Canova's artwork and how he makes them, using his fingers and utensils.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Thinking in Clay: How Antonio Canova Made His Sculptures

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A close look at the sculptor’s clay models reveals his extraordinary working process . . . and his thumbprints.

# data[].attributes.headline
Aboriginal rock paintings using ochre clay

# data[].attributes.subject
Aboriginal rock paintings using ochre clay

# data[].attributes.body
This website/fact sheet goes into detail about Aboriginal rock and cave paintings, the type of clay used to create them and what the paintings mean. You can share this with the children during the brainstorm as one of the many uses for clay and how it connects to Aboriginal culture.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Characteristics

Shelter art

red or white motifs are found on the rear wall of a rock shelter

the motifs are usually less than 200 millimetres in width

the art is made up of small numbers of simple line shapes, with denser concentrations at the larger places

some places have hand stencils or prints

the floors of larger shelters often contain stone artefacts and traces of charcoal

Limestone cave art

parallel and overlapping sets of sinuous finger marks are usually found on the cave ceiling, towards the back of the cave

the art is often about 3 metres in length

scratched motifs of emu tracks, V shapes, lines, ovals and barred ovals are usually found on the walls or ceiling near the cave mouth

most of these artworks are less than 200 millimetres in length

the cave floor may contain stone artefacts and traces

What is Aboriginal rock art?

Aboriginal people created artworks on rock surfaces. These include stencils, prints and drawings in rock shelters,and engravings in limestone caves.

Rock shelter paintings are usually of small stick figures, other simple forms such as kangaroo and emu tracks, and sets of stripes or bars. A few hand prints and hand stencils occur in Gariwerd (the Grampians).

Where is it found?

Aboriginal people painted in shallow rock shelters that are large enough to protect a small number of people from wind and rain.

Such shelters are found in Gariwerd and north eastern Victoria, usually in small clusters on the lower slopes of the ranges.

Engraving sites are more scattered, although they all occur in limestone caves.

Finger lines occur in areas of near or total darkness, while scratched motifs tend to be closer to cave entrances.

Why did Aboriginal people produce rock art?

We do not fully know why Aboriginal people produced rock art. Possible reasons include painting or engraving to:

perform part of a ritual

illustrate aspects of ceremonies, such as initiation rites or funerals

show the people's bond with the land

record events such as a successful hunt, or the arrival of white people

The Bunjil painting

Only one painting has a recorded Aboriginal interpretation - the figure of Bunjil, at Bunjil's Shelter near Stawell.

Bunjil was the main Dreaming Being of south eastern Australia. He produced many of the natural features of the landscape, and gave the various tribes their particular country. He also provided the laws, customs and rites with which to organise Aboriginal society.

Bunjil was important in boys' initiation into manhood, and he was also the guardian of the secret lore. At the end of his time on earth, he rose into the sky where he is represented by a star.

The Bunjil painting has exceptional significance for the present Aboriginal people of western Victoria.

Bunjil's shelter

How did Aboriginal people produce rock art?

Aboriginal people collected pigments for painting. The artists made red, purple and yellow pigments from ochre clays (which are rich in iron), and white pigment from kaolin clay.

They worked in the rock shelter, grinding up the ochre (usually with a stone on a grindstone slab) and adding water. They applied the paint to the rock wall with a finger, or with a brush made of bark or feathers.

Hand prints involved covering the hand in paint and pressing it against the wall. Hand stencils involved spraying paint from the mouth over a hand held against the wall.

A shadow image was left on the wall when the hand was removed. Drawings were made with a small lump of red ochre or charcoal used much like a crayon.

Engravings were cuts into the rock surface with a harder, blade-like rock, probably a specially made stone tool. Finger impressions could be made only in the soft clay that builds up on the walls of limestone caves.

The Aboriginal artists drew their fingers across the wall surface, leaving a characteristic trail of three or four parallel grooves.

What are the subjects in Aboriginal rock art?

Rock art varies across regions, but the style is broadly consistent across most of south east Australia.

A simple vertical bar is the most common motif in Victorian rock art. Other common forms are human figures, lines, dots and hands. Pictures of animals are rare.

The human figures are mostly stick figures, either with an elongated body or wearing a simple head dress. The hands are generally stencils or prints, although a few are painted.

The engravings take the form of sinuous finger marks or scratched lines. The finger marks often appear in dense overlapping sets, while the scratched engravings tend to occur in small clusters.

The two styles occur across the southern half of Australia in most areas where there are suitable caves.

How old is Aboriginal rock art?

No Victorian rock art has been firmly dated. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the finger markings belong to a tradition that began during the last Ice Age, more than 10,000 years ago.

The scratched engravings maybe more recent, but they are still probably at least 5000 years old. The age of the earliest paintings is unknown.

But white paintings often overlay red paintings, so the white ones must be more recent.

A red painting of what could be a thylacine (or Tasmanian tiger) at Mount Pilot in north east Victoria may be at least 3000 years old, because thylacines are thought to have been extinct on mainland Australia since that time.

Why is Aboriginal rock art important?

Rock art is one of the few traces of pre-contact Aboriginal society that does not directly relate to the society's economic needs.

It gives us a valuable glimpse of the aesthetics, psychology and spirituality of the artists and their cultures.

Rock art places are particularly significant as an important link for Aboriginal people today with their culture and their past.

Is Aboriginal rock art under threat?

Rock paintings are particularly prone to natural erosion because they are found on exposed surfaces. Many art motifs may be destroyed unless they are protected.

Most are located in remote areas, so they are difficult to monitor and protect from weathering and vandalism. First Peoples - State Relations records the location, dimensions and condition of Aboriginal rock art places.

The aim is to have a permanent written and photographic record of this important part of the heritage of all Australians.

Management works around Aboriginal rock art, such as drainage, fencing, graffiti removal and visitor control, help preserve the places for future generations.

Are Aboriginal rock art places protected?

The law protects all Aboriginal cultural places and artefacts in Victoria. It is illegal to disturb or destroy an Aboriginal place.

Artefacts should not be removed from site.

What if you find an Aboriginal rock art place?

Do not disturb the place or remove any material. Check whether the art has the typical characteristics of Aboriginal rock art.

If it does, record its location, write a brief description of its condition, and sketch or photograph the artwork. Note whether it is under threat of disturbance.

Please help to preserve Aboriginal cultural places by reporting their presence to First Peoples - State Relations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fact sheet: Aboriginal rock art | First Peoples - State Relations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
red or white motifs are found on the rear wall of a rock shelter the motifs are usually less than 200 millimetres in width the art is made up of small numbers of simple line shapes, with denser concentrations at the larger places some places have hand stencils or prints

# data[].attributes.body
This is another resource which shares the way in which Indigenous people use clay within their traditions and customs and details the importance of this. Take facts from this webpage and share with the children during the brain storm.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Body painting and personal ornamentation holds deep-rooted significance in First Nations' culture. For centuries Indigenous people have used the body as a transmitter of history, cultural stories and lore. The body, through decoration and dance, becomes a remarkable form of non-oral communication. This ancient practice of body decoration plays an important role in all Indigenous ceremonies and rituals, such as initiations. The specific designs and motifs used by different Indigenous clans reveal people's relationships to family groups, social position, ancestors, totems and country (Soriano, 2009).

Styles of painting and decoration used vary depending on the type of ceremony and the clan or region. There are two styles of body painting: figurative and geometric. Within the figurative style, the designs are realistic and feature elements that are easily recognisable such as boomerangs and snakes. The geometric style, as the name suggests, features geometric lines and patterns that can often only be interpreted by initiated people. There are also very strict guidelines about how body painting and adornment should be carried out, and the peoples must follow the traditional, respected patterns of their clan. To create the paint, traditionally red and yellow ochre, white stone, charcoal or clay are used. Each colour holds a different meaning, for example in Arnhem land white connect the peoples to their ancestors (Soriano, 2009).
Utopian women's body painting ceremony called "Awelye." Image sourced from Utopia Lane Gallery.
In Utopia, Central Australia, Awelye is one of the womens' body painting ceremonies practised by the Anmatyerre and Alyawarr people (Utopia Lane Gallery, 2020). For this ceremony, women's chest, arms and legs are painted in traditional designs. The process of applying the paint is also a part of the ceremony. To prepare, the women will sing ceremonial songs as each woman takes her turn to be 'painted up.' The Awelye designs use large sweeping brush strokes to create incredibly distinctive striped patterns across the arms and chest (as seen in image above). To help the paint last, the women cover their bodies with animal fat. This is a common technique traditionally used in all Indigenous clans. The step is highly necessary as many ceremonies often last for many hours, or even days (Worth, 2019). Through the Awelye ceremony, the women are ensuring the well-being of their communities. David Worth talks further about the meaning of these ceremonies:

"The old women sing these ceremonies if people are sick; they sing to heal young girls, or children. If a child is sick in the stomach, they sing. The old women are also holding their country as they dance. The old women dance with that in mind. They teach the younger women and give the knowledge to their grand-daughters, so then all the grandmothers and granddaughters continue the tradition." - David Worth, 2019
Djunga Yunupingu, Yolngu Elder. Image sourced from Artlandish.
Paint is just one of the many kinds of body adornment used within Indigenous ceremonies and rituals. Feathers, headdresses, jewelry and scarring are often used to adorn the body. There are many ceremonies of Central and Northern Australia which utilise 'feather-down' to create headdresses and to stick to the upper parts of the body. Scarring is also another notable form of body decoration used by First Nation peoples. Traditionally, scars would be carved into the body as a form of decoration or as a part of initiation rituals. The scars were produced by making cuts with a stone knife or shell, ashes, chalk or, in some cases, ants would then be rubbed into the cut to create a swelling wound and lasting scar. Scars were made on the chest, thighs, arms and back. Mens scars were more elaborate than womens. This custom has largely disappeared, however there are some clans that still practice this tradition in the Kimberley, North Queensland, Cape York and Central Australia (Soriano, 2009).

Dance has always been a crucial part of Indigenous life as it is an important medium for cultural expression and storytelling. In ceremonies, the style of body paint and meaning of the dance being performed are very much interlinked. Djakapurra Munyarryun, a dancer from Bangarra Dance Theatre talks further about this connection:

"We never dance without ochre on... because that's what we have been doing for a long time, like a thousand years. Body paint for us is really important for our culture, for sharing with other people too. Some people don't recognise me when I do painting, when I am performing. They can see when I am dancing, it's like they thought I am an old old man. Because when I am there, it's like my soul is very strong and I watch the audience. The paint makes me more older, older looking." - Djakapurra Munyarryun (Courtesy of Australian Museum, 2018)

This shows how in our contemporary times the use of body paint and traditional decoration is something that continues to connect dancers to their culture and traditions. Grayson Luuli from Mornington Island Dance Company talks further about how body paint plays an ongoing role in the sharing of the Dreamtime and totems:

"Each family group carries one totem and if you see someone with the same body painting, you know they are part of your family. Dreamtime stories, like every body painting that we got on there, they relate back to the Island like a certain story place on the Island where that certain body painting is: it's part of our country and there is a story place there... it's important to us because we have to look after that certain story and the totem." - Grayson Luuli (Courtesy of Australian Museum, 2018)
Laura Dance Festival, 2017
Body painting and decoration continues to be a strong part of Indigenous culture, they act as a connection between their history and future. Body painting is an incredible form of artistic expression, however, on a whole Indigenous people do not view body painting as artwork. It is seen as an important practice of its own, deeply connected to ceremony and the Dreamtime (Soriano, 2009).

Here at Bundarra, through the Laura Dance Festival we have had the privilege of witnessing some of these incredible body decoration and dance traditions. We love being a part of the preservation and celebration of Indigenous culture and the ancient tradition of body decoration.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Indigenous Body Painting and Ritual Decoration

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Body painting and personal ornamentation holds deep-rooted significance in First Nations' culture. For centuries Indigenous people have used the body as a transmitter of history, cultural stories and lore. The body, through decoration and dance, becomes a remarkable form of non-oral communication. This ancient practice