Aboriginal art and culture
Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2010 1:01 pm•How far back does Aboriginal culture date?
There is a really interesting web site where you can find all the information about the Aboriginal culture: http://www.aboriginalarts.co.uk/aboriginal_culture.htm . A lot of this art information is available: it is said that Australian Aboriginal culture is one of the world's longest surviving cultures, which if one accepts the most recent dating of occupational remains at the Malakunanya II shelter, this period commences at least 50,000 years ago! Amongst the cultural items recovered from the site's lowest levels were used pieces of haematite which had been used in the preparation of paint, as well as yellow and red ochre. This period ended with the rise of the sea following the last Ice Age and the development of an estuarine environment 8000 years ago. Explained the evolution of the aboriginal society, it is said that in 1770, the Australian Aboriginal's culture and way of life dramatically changed when Lieutenant James Cook took possession of the east coast of Australia and named it New South Wales. The British colonisation of Australia began 18 years later, which was a catastrophic event for indigenous Australians. The Europeans spread epidemic diseases such as chickenpox, smallpox, influenza and measles. The British settlement then appropriated land and water resources from the Australian Aborigine, and were ignorant in their assumption that the semi-nomadic Aborigines could be driven off and made to live somewhere else. In fact, the loss of 'traditional lands,' food sources and water resources was a fatal blow to the Aboriginal communities, who already weakened by disease, were then forced to relinquish their deep spiritual and cultural connection to their land. As a direct consequence of the 'invasion,' the enforced move away from traditional areas adversely impacted upon Aboriginal cultural and the spiritual practices which had been necessary for maintaining the cohesion and well-being of the tribal group.
Settlers also brought venereal disease (which greatly reduced indigenous fertility and birthrates) and introduced alcohol to the indigenous Aborigine and to which the Aborigine had no tolerance and the Aboriginal community had no prior experience in dealing with such issues. Substance abuse has remained a chronic problem for indigenous communities ever since. The combination of disease, loss of land and direct violence culled the Aboriginal population by an estimated 90% between 1788 and 1900.
•What is a didgeridoo? is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia at least 1,500 years ago and is still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"
•Is there anything on the Internet about indigenous art of your country? There are prehistoric paints in some caves as altamira or El Cogul,in Catalonia, the Pirenees' dolmens or the Neolithic Venus... But it is not well explained...not yet...
There is a really interesting web site where you can find all the information about the Aboriginal culture: http://www.aboriginalarts.co.uk/aboriginal_culture.htm . A lot of this art information is available: it is said that Australian Aboriginal culture is one of the world's longest surviving cultures, which if one accepts the most recent dating of occupational remains at the Malakunanya II shelter, this period commences at least 50,000 years ago! Amongst the cultural items recovered from the site's lowest levels were used pieces of haematite which had been used in the preparation of paint, as well as yellow and red ochre. This period ended with the rise of the sea following the last Ice Age and the development of an estuarine environment 8000 years ago. Explained the evolution of the aboriginal society, it is said that in 1770, the Australian Aboriginal's culture and way of life dramatically changed when Lieutenant James Cook took possession of the east coast of Australia and named it New South Wales. The British colonisation of Australia began 18 years later, which was a catastrophic event for indigenous Australians. The Europeans spread epidemic diseases such as chickenpox, smallpox, influenza and measles. The British settlement then appropriated land and water resources from the Australian Aborigine, and were ignorant in their assumption that the semi-nomadic Aborigines could be driven off and made to live somewhere else. In fact, the loss of 'traditional lands,' food sources and water resources was a fatal blow to the Aboriginal communities, who already weakened by disease, were then forced to relinquish their deep spiritual and cultural connection to their land. As a direct consequence of the 'invasion,' the enforced move away from traditional areas adversely impacted upon Aboriginal cultural and the spiritual practices which had been necessary for maintaining the cohesion and well-being of the tribal group.
Settlers also brought venereal disease (which greatly reduced indigenous fertility and birthrates) and introduced alcohol to the indigenous Aborigine and to which the Aborigine had no tolerance and the Aboriginal community had no prior experience in dealing with such issues. Substance abuse has remained a chronic problem for indigenous communities ever since. The combination of disease, loss of land and direct violence culled the Aboriginal population by an estimated 90% between 1788 and 1900.
•What is a didgeridoo? is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia at least 1,500 years ago and is still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"
•Is there anything on the Internet about indigenous art of your country? There are prehistoric paints in some caves as altamira or El Cogul,in Catalonia, the Pirenees' dolmens or the Neolithic Venus... But it is not well explained...not yet...