The Purpose of Aboriginal Art
“ We are painting, as we have always done, to demonstrate our continuing link with our country and the rights and responsibilities we have to it. We paint to show the rest of the world that we own this country and the country owns us. Our painting is a political act.” (Galarrwuy Yunupingu)
Art is a central part of aboriginal life and is intimately connected to land, law and religious belief. Nearly all aboriginal art is related to the landscape and often takes on conceptual rolls such as maps or stories. Ex. A rock painting of a Rainbow Serpent is not just a picture of a 'Rainbow Serpent'. It is a manifestation of the Rainbow Serpent - she resides in the painting, and will come out and devour you if you behave inappropriately towards the painting. It is also used to mark territory, record history, and tell stories about the dreamtime (Aboriginals believe in two forms of time. Two parallel streams of activity. One is the daily objective activity ... The other is an infinite spiritual cycle called the "dreamtime," more real than reality itself. Whatever happens in the dreamtime establishes the values, symbols, and laws of Aboriginal society. Some people of unusual spiritual powers have contact with the dreamtime.)
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