Traditionally, the highly creative application of body paint has been used as a way for Aboriginal people to show important aspects of their lives, such as social status, familial group, tribe, ancestry, spirituality and geography.
White represents the sky and stars, which are filled with the Aborigines ancestors who returned to the sky after creating the earth.
Australian Aboriginal people have a tradition of using ochre pigment to paint that dates back to ancient times. These ochres are primarily natural pigments and minerals found in the soil, or even in charcoal. Paintings using these natural pigments (colours) depict Aboriginal Dreamtime stories and maps.
Aboriginal Art Colours and Symbols
White is the spirit colour; Black is the colour of night and represents Aboriginal people; Red is the colour of the land or of blood; Yellow is the colour of the sun and sacred.
Awelye, the traditional word used in Utopia to name women's ceremonial body paint, and the ritual dancing demonstrates respect for the land. In performing these ceremonies the dancers ensure well-being and happiness within their communities.
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.
For centuries, tribal face painting has held a range of meanings, from camouflage whilst hunting to an artistic expression, and has been used in many corners of the world. Amazonian tribes believe that it is the human ability to alter ourselves into something else that inherently separates us from other animals.
In most instances of Aboriginal culture, the body is painted for ritual reasons but in some places, such as among the Walpiri living north-west of Alice Springs, women also paint each others' bodies with quite different designs for sexual reasons, to celebrate their femininity and appeal to men.
Materials (colours) used for Aboriginal art was originally obtained from the local land. Ochre or iron clay pigments were used to produce colours such as white, yellow, red and black from charcoal. Other colours were soon added such as smokey greys, sage greens and saltbush mauves.
Only an Aboriginal artist can produce Aboriginal art
It seems obvious, but Aboriginal art is only considered Aboriginal if painted by someone who is of that origin.
The blue colour palette in Aboriginal painting is not the most common group of colours we encounter but it is used widely amongst certain artists. It creates quite an ethereal and mysterious sense about the paintings.
Dots were used to in-fill designs. Dots were also useful to obscure certain information and associations that lay underneath the dotting. At this time, the Aboriginal artists were negotiating what aspects of stories were secret or sacred, and what aspect were in the public domain.
Red ochre was used in ceremonies, in rock art and to decorate valued artefacts and ceremonial items. The four basic colours used and extracted from earth pigments were red, white, yellow and black.
The snake has been used as a symbol of strength, creativity and continuity since ancient times across many societies. Using its powers to disappear into the earth and to re-appear in other locations has given the snake a symbolic power that is represented in stories and art.
The symbol of face paint is present throughout the novel, representing how people assume different personalities by hiding their insecurities. In the beginning of Lord of the Flies, the concealment of the face paint represents how Jack disguises his insecurities.
Native American Face Paint Colour Meaning
For example, RED stood for power, success, fighting and hunting prowess. Additionally, because hunting and victory in war were essential to the tribe's survival, they also stood for joy and beauty. Iron oxides, roots, berries, beets, and ochre were used to make red face paint.
The boys' physical appearances are changing to match the changes in the fire. Their hair is growing long so they paint their faces to disguise themselves. They paint their faces to remind themselves of home, and their long hair symbolizes the island.
It is generally held that Australian Aboriginal peoples originally came from Asia via insular Southeast Asia (now Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, and the Philippines) and have been in Australia for at least 45,000–50,000 years.
In Australia there are more than 250 Indigenous languages including 800 dialects. Each language is specific to a particular place and people. In some areas like Arnhem Land, many different languages are spoken over a small area. In other areas, like the huge Western Desert, dialects of one language are spoken.
The Aboriginal symbol for a woman is an inverted 'U' shaped curve in combination with a vertical line. The Aboriginal art symbol for a woman is an inverted 'U' shaped curve in combination with a vertical line.
KOALAS ARE A TOTEM FOR MANY FIRST NATIONS PEOPLE
The koala is a totem for many Aboriginal people, and totems are a very significant part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and identity.
Humans are often depicted as a U shape, representing the ground when a person sits cross legged on the earth. The tools portrayed beside them define whether the U shape represents a male or female. A woman may have a coolamon bowl and a digging stick next to her. This combination of symbols may look like this: UOI.
Aboriginal people can be dark-skinned and broad-nosed, or blonde-haired and blue-eyed. Let's get rid of some myths!