Aboriginal Art Symbols

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The culture and tradition of the Australian aboriginals had developed over a few millennia. The aboriginal art symbols are a continuation of the artistic tradition and the creative abilities of the Australian aboriginals. The symbols that are being used in contemporary Australian aboriginal paintings are not different from the rock engravings and cave paintings created by the aborigines during the last several centuries. These aboriginal art symbols had been used traditionally as attractive sand paintings during ceremonies. The corroborees had used these symbols as body paint decorations for a long time.

Dingo

Fire sticks

Goanna

Witchetty Grubs

Emu

Man

Woman

Child

Bush Banana

Yunedee Seed

Meeting Place

Coolamon

Kangaroo

Camp fire

Meaning and Significance of Aboriginal Art Symbols

However, the aboriginal art symbols are distinctive in each area of the Australian country. The art symbols of North Queensland are predominantly riverbank paintings with a special ‘crosshatching’ or ‘x-ray’ style that is exclusive to these natives. On the other hand, the Central Australian aborigines emphasised the ‘sand’ or ‘dot’ paintings that reflected the deserts of Central Australia. The Australian aborigines believed in ‘dreaming’ or ‘creation’ of anything, known as Jukurrpa. This culture developed when the ancestors of the aborigines were roaming the Australian countryside. They gave special importance to the waterholes, rivers, hills and rock formations of the vast countryside. The association and relationship of the aborigines with the nature, particularly the land, the cosmos and the sea is very deep and is highly spiritual in nature.

The aboriginal contemporary art clearly reflects these ancient and traditional symbols. The symbols and their designs are quite simple but elegant and meaningful. The aboriginal art symbols are applied on the body of the aborigines who take part in their traditional ceremonies. These symbols are also predominantly used on the shields, arms and other objects that are used by the aborigines. They believe that the art symbols impart power to the objects. This religious significance of the art symbols had been passed on through several generations of artists and spiritual leaders of the Australian aborigines. The traditional connection to the ‘dreaming’ is still held in high esteem by the contemporary aboriginal artists. The bodies and faces of the participants in ceremonies are painted mainly with ochres that are ground to a fine paste with water. Circles and stripes are predominant in the aboriginal art designs.

Even though the basic concept of the art symbols is quite simplistic, the aborigines use them effectively to create elaborate and intricate patterns and combinations that contain highly complex stories. A straightforward U shaped art symbol represents a traditional aboriginal man. If the U symbol is followed by a circle or several concentric circles, it denotes a man sitting next to a waterhole. Spiral lines are symbolic of running water and contain a deep story indicating the power of the aboriginal man. It represents the waterman using his innate power in invoking the rain through his traditional beliefs. Each additional symbol provides further depth and strength to the meaning of the paintings.

For example, one of the conventional art symbols used the aboriginal painters of the Western Desert and Central Australia is the dot. The dot is one of the basic symbols that provide the aboriginal paintings their distinctive character. People who understand the significance of the dot say that they have several meanings like starts, fire sparks and burnt ground. The fundamental base of all the aboriginal paintings and designs is the earth and its preparation. This floor design represents the deep involvement of the ancestors of the aborigines with the earth and everything related to earth, like water, cosmos, sea, etc.

Contemporary Aboriginal Art Paintings

The contemporary aboriginal painters say that the general view held by the public about the paintings is only an ‘outside story’. Only people well versed in the true meaning of the aboriginal art symbols and have very good knowledge about their real significance would understand the ‘inside story’ of these paintings. In the revival of the aboriginal art paintings, Johnny Warangkula re-introduced the use of dots and the Papunya tradition of aboriginal paintings took shape in the 1970s. This convention was adopted by the other central desert aboriginal communities like Yuendumu. Ironically, these modern aboriginal painters used the dots more to hide the meanings and obscure the significance of the symbols rather than revealing them to the genuine art lovers. In spite of this subtle deceit, many Westerners had not been able to understand that the dots of the Western Desert and Central Australian aboriginal art are mere camouflages or masks that hide the secret symbolisms to the common marketplace.

Publications on Aboriginal Art & Paintings

The Papunya aboriginal art had been creating an unprecedented interest in anthropologists and art connoisseurs. Howard Morphy had been concentrating on the art of the Yolngu community who roam the territory from Blue Mud Bay situated in eastern Arnhem Land to Yirrkala. Luke Taylor is working with the Kunwinjku tribe who live in and around Oenpelli in the west. Curator Djon Mundine operates in Ramingining that lies in central Arnhem. The culture and language of all these tribes vary significantly. The writings on contemporary aboriginal art and paintings are contained in Ancestral Connections by Morphy, Seeing the Inside by Taylor and The Native Born of Mundine. These books had been released in 1991, 1996 and 2000 respectively. Geoffrey Bardon had also contributed significantly to aboriginal art with his books Aboriginal Art of the Western Desert published in 1979 and Papunya Tula: Art of the Western Desert brought out in 1991.
However, one book stands out for the sheer breadth and extreme depth of its coverage of aboriginal art. That is Oxford Companion to Aboriginal Art & Culture by Margo Neale and Sylvia Kleinert. This large volume edition astounds the readers with the voluminous old and new materials presented in it. Still, there are a few shortcomings in this mighty effort. The book divides the entire Australia into six major regions. All of them had been given equal importance but the Papunya aboriginal art had not been provided with the true importance that it deserves. Moreover, the compilation had not concentrated on the various aspects of Papunya painting. Still, there is no doubt that it is a very good guide to the Australian aboriginal art and paintings.

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