ABORIGINAL DESERT ART  GALLERY

DOREEN DICKSON NAKAMARRA

(bio and photo not available)

Aboriginal paintings are based on myths of the Dreamtime. In modern dot representation, the sacred aspect of the painting is not always revealed, but the meaning remains, transmitted through symbols which are easily understood.

Each person has particular Dreaming to which they belong and they have special ceremonial dances and songs that combine together to form a unique religion that makes up the lives of the Aboriginal people. All things related to the land and thus the land is of great importance to them. The land is the keeper of the Dreaming and must be kept safe for all time so that the Dreaming stories, which are told in the paintings, can be preserved.

Ceremonies always involve song, dance and body decoration, The ownership, management and performance is dependent upon knowledge and status.

While many ceremonies are open or public, many are secret to varying degrees. The categories of people who can be present are restricted; groups such as women, girls and uninitiated men and strangers would all have limitations placed on them in relation to men's ceremonies; men, boys and uninitiated girls would have similar restrictions placed on them in relation to women's ceremonies

This painting depicts a dreaming associated with the artists grandfathers country,in the area of Willowra. The concentric circles represent sacred sites in the surrounding area, they also represent sites where water, fire, shelter and a stable foodsource will be found. Emnating from the sites are underground water systems that supply water to vegetations above the earth.