Ceremonial
performances make up the fundamental parts of the culture including art, song,
dance, body decoration, sculpting and painting. At large ceremonial gatherings,
people congregate together and exchange goods, dance, and make music. This is
an essential part of Aboriginal life.
Dance specifically is a custom that
has been passed down for generations. In each dance there are stories about
ancestral heroes, and each story is learned at a very young age. The culture
relies much on using art and dance in order to tell the history of the culture.
Dance also allows people to display their clan rights in front of an audience
or it is used purely for entertainment. In some communities, dance is used as
an end of the day ritual where in order to show their family love, they dance
to express how they feel.
Although dance is learned at a very
young age, skills such as painting and sculpting are not learned until a later
age. Much like dancing, art is used as a way to express a wide variety of
feelings and tales. Different Aboriginal tribes will have distinct ways in
which they create art which all reflect the differences between the tribes,
languages, dialects and geographic landscapes. Artwork can range many forms of
medium including glass, fibre, paper and canvas where historical or personal
stories may be told using paint or craft.
Many Indigenous works are not found
in art galleries around the world. Rather, many universities use these pieces
of art found by anthropologists to better understand the stories told by
tribes.
Dance performance, Garma Festival 2005.
Post by: Ashley Redington
I really enjoyed learning about how important dance and art is in the Aboriginal culture. Personally, these aspects of life are very important to me as well, so knowing that there is a culture that relies heavily on forms of art for communication is amazing. I also found it very interesting that although the Aboriginal all originate in Australia, artwork and stories vary from tribe to tribe. The Aboriginal people are spread throughout Australia, leaving each tribe to develop the culture in a unique way. So although the culture has the same stories and dances passed down through generations, they all vary slightly. It just shows how creative people can be and makes each style of art from each culture that much more fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that some Aboriginals use dance to express their love to their families. This is very different from my family. We just hug and verbally express ourselves. It makes me laugh thinking of my dad dancing in front of me as a means to express his feelings.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is a funny and unusual way to express love for one another through dance. However, I find it inspiring that they can express themselves so creatively. I also found it interesting that the art and dances are used to differentiate between the tribes.
ReplyDeleteI understand now what Ashley was asking me about. I like the fact that you all did this -- commenting on posts other than your own. This is creative. Guys, I need you to add your references before the final presentation. I also talked to Tessa, and she is working on her post tonight. So she will be posting and working with you too. Good job you all!
ReplyDeleteI think it is beautiful that they use their creativity to express their emotions, and that they are accepted and praised for their creativity instead of being criticized by it- something that happens in western society all the time. It is inspiring that they use dance to tell stories, teach, and show their love. I couldn't get in front of a crowd and dance to tell a story, and it be understood. Its amazing that they understand each other the way that they do.
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