AUSTRALIA
​I first visited Australia in 1994 on the way to Papua New Guinea but only stayed one night.  I returned for a couple of weeks in 2014/15 to learn more about Aboriginal culture.

The emergence of "dot" paintings has been described as the greatest art movement of the 20th century.*

Dance and theatre are a vital part of social and ceremonial life and are important elements in Aboriginal culture.*

Styles varied from one nation to the next and depended on whether the dance was for social or ritual reasons.*

Richard Brett Bing (Djundjurra) talks about city life versus life in the bush; the challenge of finding a job; and the future of the Aboriginal culture.

Johno has been a constant on the Cairns music scene since the sixties. 

​













​

Patrick Dandendroek Amber talks about Aboriginal art.
​

The process of transferring sand and body drawings onto modern mediums and the "dot and circle" style of contemporary painting began.*

Historically, dances often told stories to pass on knowledge.*
​

Imitation of animals, birds and the elements are common across Australia but dance movements such as set arm, leg and body movements differed greatly.*

​Patrick Dandendroek Amber (Eliaso) talks about the culture of Torres Strait Islanders.
​

Aboriginal Art and Handicrafts from Australia, namely Cairns, and Te Puia, New Zealand. They are home to the continent's world famous handmade treasures, from intricate paintings, wood carvings, textiles, stone sculptures, to bone art. 

Most of the pieces in this video were made by the Māori people of Te Puia. Their guiding principles were set by Māori elders (koeke) at the establishment of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in 1963. 

In the Māori world, connections between people are integral to their culture. Whakapapa (shared origins) define that world, and these relationships are maintained and honoured throughout the generations.​

The Vanishing Australian Aboriginals

​Cultural preservation preserves a sense of unity and belonging among people of a specific community.

​The relatively high rates of violence in Aboriginal communities are influenced by immediate factors such as alcohol and illicit drug use, mental health issues and childhood experience of violence.
​​

This heritage has been kept alive from one generation to the next by the passing of knowledge and skills through rituals, art, cultural material and language.*

Ceremonial or ritual dances were highly structured and were distinct from the dancing that people did socially at corroborees.*

Weaving is also part of the Aboriginal experience.

Dennis Hunter (Gudju-Gudju) talks about the future of Aboriginal people.
​
​

A boomerang is a thrown tool, typically constructed as a flat aero foil, that is designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight.













​

Aboriginal people originally had an oral tradition and so language played an important part in preserving Aboriginal cultures.*

* These captions are from Australia -- Lonely Planet's travel guide.