 |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
||||
| This site is not intended to be a definitive survey of all Australian Aboriginal Art. ABOUT AUSTRALIA Australia is the largest island and the smallest continent and is roughly the same size as mainland USA without Alaska. WHAT IS AN AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL? Just over 200 years ago when the first Europeans settled in Australia there were on the continent of Australia in excess of 1200 distinct language groups. These were different tribal groups with varying customs and rituals and for all intents and purposes could be considered different “nations”. In each various region they shared some common rituals and stories but each language group remained a distinct group or nation. Because of the vastness of the continent of Australia, the different regions and groups varied significantly in their rituals and cultures, and in many cases even the physical traits of the members of the tribes varied. The physical country also varied significantly from lush coastal regions to waterless stony deserts. Consequently there is no such thing as a typical “Australian Aboriginal”, either physically, spiritually, culturally or sociologically. Nor are there typical Australian Aboriginal artefacts; weapons, musical instruments or artwork Each of the above vary depending on the tribal group and/or the region one is studying. ABOUT THE AUTHENTIC TRADITIONAL AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL ARTWORK SHOWN As a consequence of the differences listed above, the Authentic Traditional Australian Aboriginal Artwork shown on this site relates specifically to a tribal group and a region of Australia, in which Mark D. Viney spent time studying and recording. There will be shared rituals and stories between different tribes in the area and so some of the artwork in the region may share similar imagery. ABOUT MARK D. VINEY A more complete history of Mark D. Viney will be given here. However it is important in light of the above to link his expertise to specific areas and tribal groups. He was born into the Nunggubuyu tribe at Numbulwar Mission, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia and lived with them until he was 14. During this time he was taught techniques of bark painting by Aboriginal Elder. For the next three years he lived with the neighbouring Anandiliaguwa language group on Groote Eylandt. It was here he had his first contact with Rock Paintings. On moving to Darwin, Northern Territory, at the end of 1974, he had contacts with various Aboriginal Communities. Of particular importance were his visits to Oenpelli Mission, Eastern Arnhem Land Northern Territory, and field trips to the nearby East Alligator River region (including Ubiri and Norlangi Rocks), and Deaf Adder Creek Gorge. This was where his first serious study of rock paintings began. It was followed later by field trips to the South Alligator River region on the southern side of the Sandstone Escarpment, where he discovered numerous outstanding rock painting sites in complexes which made up part of the Nargorkun -Narlinji Cult's "dreaming" of the Ledburrit Djauan language group. It was here he did his extensive field research; surveying, recording and interpreting the rock paintings he found. This web site is primarily dedicated to this research. |
||||||
|
© 1975-2003 Kharis Enterprise Pty Ltd - All rights reserved |
||||||
