This document provides information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in Australia. It discusses where Aboriginal people live, their ancestry and history in Australia dating back 50,000 years. It describes Aboriginal languages, art, music, and how stories are used to teach history and lessons. Aboriginal art is explained as being based on symbols and stories from the Dreamtime and using ochre paints. Details are given about Torres Strait Islander culture, flags, and art forms like carving, weaving and prints.

1. Aboriginal culture
What do we know about this culture?
Where do the Aboriginals live? What do they look like?
How long have they lived there?
How do they get their food?
What language do they speak?
How can we find out more about their ancestors?
What is their music like? Which instrument do they play?
What is their Art like? Where do you see it? What materials do they use
to create their Art?

2. Aboriginal Australia

3. Aboriginal people

4. Aboriginal facts
First Aboriginals came to Australia
50.000 years ago
They have 360 different dialects
They speak English with aboriginal
words added
Their stories tell us about their
ancestors. (Dreamtime)

5. More facts
Music: they sing and play
didgeridoo, clapsticks and djembe.
Listen to some music.

6. Aboriginal Art
•Art is based on stories and symbols of
the dreamtime, the history of the
ancestors
•The art is used as a language, just like
dance and songs
•The stories teach about moral, good
and bad
•You need permission from the
storyteller to use their story
First artworks were made in sand, and
on rocks and on bark. They use ochre
to make paint. See the stones.
Later artworks were made on canvas
and board
Dots in artwork are like a secret
language
Aboriginals can earn money and get
more respected with their art.

7. Aboriginal symbols

8. Rock paintings and using ochre

9. Bark painting 1970

10. Making an Aboriginal inspired artwork
Drawing:
Trace the shape of the boomerang on an A3 paper with a pencil. Make
up a story about an animal and sketch this story in the back ground
behind the boomerang. Use the Aboriginal symbols to tell your story.
The boomerang will be painted another time with coloured dots.
Painting: Practise dot painting on a boomerang. Firstly paint your
boomerang in an appropriate colour: brown or ochre. Have a look at
different paintings from real Aboriginal artists. You will be using the
following colours: ochre, white, yellow, red, black. To paint you will use:
skewers, filters as brushes.

11. What do you see? From which
angle is the landscape pictured?

12. Michael Nelson Jagamara: Possum,Goanna and snake at Mt.Singleton, 1996

13. Home learning task: Select one aboriginal painting and describe
what you see and what story it portrays according to you.

14. Example of description
Example: I see goanna’s and
snakes they are after the eggs.
There is a travelling sign, the
waterholes are resting places.
There are possum tracks. It is a
modern painting because they
use colours which are not
found in the australian bush
like blue and green. So it is
acryllic paint. I like it because…

15. Torres Strait Islands

16. Torres Straight Islander & Aboriginal
flags; what do they represent?

17. Aboriginal flag
Who designed the Aboriginal flag?
….....................................................
Write down the meaning of each
colour:
Red:
Black:
Yellow circle:

18. Torres Strait Islander Flag
Who designed this
flag?..............................................
What does each colour represent?
Green =
Blue =
Black =
White =
What does the Dhari reperesent?
The star is the symbol of…...........
and is used for...............................

19. Torres Strait Islander culture
The Dhari is worn as a headpiece in ceremonies .

20. Torres Strait Islander Art: different techniques:
sculptures, prints, paintings or weaving. These
are lino prints.

21. 3D artworks: Shark dance mask &
Crocodile mask

22. Create a T.S.I. border/frame, using
their decorative patterns.