Aboriginal In Contemporary Australia- Part 1

Aboriginal Australians could be referred to as the native Australians with perceived different cultural and historical heritage which is very essential to contemporary Australia.

In the contemporary Australia, it is estimated that about 637,000 (3%) of Australians are Aboriginal (Korff, 2015). About 66% Aboriginals live in New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland while 24% live in Northern Territory and Western Australia. Tasmania and South Australia has the lowest population of (5.6%) and (3.6%) respectively while only (0.9%) reside in the Australian Capital Territory. (ibid).

Many individuals identify the Aboriginal based on their dark-skinned, broad-nosed to blonde-haired, blue-eyed people, but Aborigines defines their Aboriginality as the relationship and cultural connection to their communities and history and not by their skin colour. (ibid). 

The history of Aboriginal Australians cannot be discovered easily because it was not taught in school for a long time hence they believe that only about 35% Australians have knowledge about the culture of the Aboriginal (Anna Bell,2012). In the ancient days, Aborigines identified themselves as a nation such as Dharawal man (means Wollongong) or Eora woman (Sydney). It was also suggested that the early Aborigine got most of their identity and culture from traders in Indonesia, and was documented by the researchers that Aboriginals expressed their culture and identity through various means of arts; for example, stories, dances, painting, myths, singing, community gathering, dreaming, myths and legends. The unique history of the Aborigine was the dreamtime.  It is a history that changed the world into hills, valleys, mountains, and waterways. It tells about how stars and sun came into existence (ibid).

,Aboriginal culture and identity has been uniquely expressed through their Art, Song, Dance, Language, Dreamtime, Painting, Lifestyle, and movie.

The Art: Painting

Art is the use of creative imagination in the production of beautiful objects and is what makes the contemporary Australia Aboriginal different and gives them identity in the world.

A unique way the Australian Aborigine could easily be identified is through their artworks. They cherish and protect the various artworks in museums across the world which comprises of pottery, textile-based art, weaving, jewellery, ceramics, wood carving, miniature carvings, grass weaving (tjanpi), shell stringing and movies. (Japingka,2014).

The oldest form of art in the world is the Aboriginal art which is considered to be 30,000years (Japingka, 2014). It started with body paintings, ground design and rock paintings; it's an integral part of Aboriginal life through which it connects the past, present, the supernatural and the reality. The quality of these paintings as showed the richness of Aboriginal's culture in contemporary Australia and differences between tribes, languages, geographic location and dialects. 

Aborigines make use of canvas, fibres and glass for their paintings which needs to be improved through technology (http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-indigenous-art).

One of such artworks is the one made by Betty Mbitjana in 1957, tittled '' My Mothers Dream" with a size of 150cm by 90cm and cost $1880USD ( Petyare,2000). A sample of the artwork is shown below

My Mother's Dream by Betty Mbitjana

Another great Aboriginal artwork is that of Gloria Petyarre in1945,tittled 'The Bush Medicine Leaves” and cost $3650USD. ( Petyare, 2000). The sample of the artwork is shown below

The Bush Medicine Leaves by Gloria Petyaree

The painting was used to describe how effective leaves from the bush were used to cure different kinds of ailments before the advent of technology.

Aboriginal art is usually based on story telling or using symbols has a form of passing information to the new generation, teaching, as well as keeping their culture and secret information were hidden with the use of dots which is called "over-dotting".

Aboriginal paintings could be found in every Australia gallery and museums because it as anthropological and artistic qualities which makes it special and unique. The most costly Aboriginal paintings are that of Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri for his work tagged 'Warlugulong', sold in 2007 for the sum of $2.4 million. (Owen,2009) Also, the painting of Emily Kame Kngwarreye's tagged ‘Earth’s Creation' sold in 2007 for the sum of $1.056 million.