Final Summary

I feel as though throughout this course I've learnt a lot about how vast and expanding the Australian Aboriginal culture still is today. Before I started this, seeing as I'd live overseas for most of my life, I had little idea as to how strongly the culture was still active today and how it's still growing. 

My naive thoughts of dot paintings being the extent to which Indigenous art has gotten is thankfully lost and forgotten, replaced with Indigenous photography, art, music and film. It really has been an important few lessons I've learnt throughout this semester. 

Indigenous Culture in Sports

I've always been well aware of the Haka performed by the New Zealand Rugby team before their games to intimidate their opponents. Whilst looking through some of those videos I came across a few for the Australian Indigenous NRL team and found them to be so interesting. The way the man spoke of the elders was so different from the speeches normally given on sports ground and spoke yards for the culture both here and in New Zealand and how they've managed to keep hold of their roots and traditions. 

Prior to Melbourne Storm's Anzac Day clash against the New Zealand Warriors at AAMI Park, Wurundjeri Elder Uncle Bill performed a Welcome to Country, followed by a traditional smoking ceremony with members of his tribe. Following this the Jindi Worabak Dancers performed a traditional Maori dance followed by an exchange of gifts between the indigenous elders and acknowledgement by the Maori people.

The rivalry between the dances is great as well. It shows that one can compete with one another, yet accept the way they do things where they're from. That many cultures still hold strong traditions that may be different to our own but are no less valuable or necessary. I found it interesting how you can see relations between the two not only in clothing but in the style of the dances and instruments as well. It's unnecessary to understand exactly what they're saying or doing as it's the emotion and the principle that is still successfully being conveyed. Which is great!

Professor Wayne Quilliam - Photographer

Adjunct Professor Wayne Quilliam is one of Australia's leading Indigenous photographic artists.  His work in Indigenous Affairs in Australia and Overseas has been recognised by dozens International organisations with numerous awards including the NAIDOC Indigenous Artist of the Year, Human Rights Award, Walkely Award, Business of the Year and many art accolades.

Wayne travels Australia and overseas working as a Corporate, Travel, Fashion,Architecture, Landscape, Social Documentary and Indigenous Affairs Photographer.

He has been published in more than 900 publications and recognised as one of Australia’s leading Art Photographers with exhibitions in Europe, USA, Asia, South America and Australia. 

I came across this photographer whilst doing a photography course and I instantly fell in love with his black and white photography. The contrast of tones and emotions shown throughout his photos was something that truly caught my attention. Without reading heaps of information you can gather what the story is and the emotions associated with the people portrayed. Whether he was depicting a ceremony or everyday life, Quilliam's photos allowed to an inside glance into some of the Indigenous cultural moments, which to me, is stronger than almost anything you can read. You decide for yourself what you think you see and how it makes you feel.

Black & White

Aboriginal photographer Wayne Quilliam has created, designed, developed, advised and contributed to more than 300 local, national and international campaigns. Wayne is recognised as one of Australia's leading Indigenous photographers with experience in rural, remote and urban communities and has the expertise and knowledge to assist in developing culturally appropriate visuals. Photographing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is a specialised skill which Wayne has more that 25 years experience.

When I went back to the website in order to put it on my blog, I came across his Australian Aboriginal Photography Art, which was quite different from anything I'd ever seen before. Combining intricate patterns of the earth with human forms, Quilliam was able to give a sense of both the Australian landscape and the Indigenous culture. Once again his photographs seemed to tell me more about these things than any of the things I'd read.

Australian Aboriginal Photographic Art

Lowanna is a creative series of work that combines the intricate patterns of the earth with the human form. This evolutionary work has been exhibited throughout the world including The Museum of Young Art in Austria, Art Centre Berlin Germany, Australian Embassies in Mexico, Germany, Havana, Cuba, Tokyo, Japan, Foreign Affairs in Australian and numerous international galleries and Australia. Critics have tagged this work as the new wave of Aboriginal art and photography.

Treasure Island

Artwork: Daniel Boyd, Kudjla/Gangalu peoples, Far North Queensland born 1982, Treasure Island 2005

We were shown this map at the beginning of this course in order to see just how many different Indigenous communities there are spread across Australia. I've heard that there were some negative connotations towards the simplicity and accuracy of this piece but I feel it's fulfilled a simpler purpose.

I always believed that the 'Aboriginals' in Australia were just one big community, and by looking at this art piece for a split second I could see that all my prior thoughts were incorrect. Though perhaps it may not be highly accurate or lessen the importance of each particular tribe, it still sends that message out that it ISN'T just one big community. It's a start. It gets people to look into it further - and those that are interested in finding out will do so, and will see how complex the situation is. BUT those who are not will still have learnt that there are differences in communities, that there ARE different communities at all. This is why I personally feel this work has already done something to benefit everyone, no matter what flaws it may have.

The Black Line

One of our guest lecturers mentioned the 'Black Line' in his talk to us and it's been on my mind ever since. The information he gave us was that white people formed a line and walked across Tasmania killing ever Aboriginal person along the way. I felt compelled to research this further in order to understand why, when, whom and what the outcome of all this was...

During the 1820s white settlers poured into what was then known as Van Diemen's Land, bringing vast numbers of sheep and rapidly taking up the land. Aboriginal resistance hardened. The colony fell into a a state of panic as attacks and murders became more and more frequent.

Vigilante gangs of soliders and settlers avenged Aboriginal attacks by killng men, women and children. In 1830 A military operation known as the 'Black Line' was launched against the Aboriginal people remaining in the settled districts. Every able-bodied male colonist convict or free, was to form a human chain across the settled districts, moving for three weeks south and east in a pincer movement, until the people were cornered on the Tasman Peninsula.

The Black line captured only an old man and a boy, but succeeded in clearing the remaining Aboriginal people out of the area.

Though the outcome of the Black Line fulfilled its purpose of clearing the Aboriginal people of the area, I was so relieved to hear that it wasn't a mass massacre where hundreds of people died, which is how it had sounded in the lecture. The idea, however, is still appalling and really rather disgusting. These people were herding the Aboriginal people as if they were animals, which back then they surely thought they were. Looking at circumstance like this, there really is no question who the animals were and who was in the wrong.





http://www.indigenousaustralia.info/land/invasion/tasmanian-land-war.html

Discussions: The Need to Know.

A group of my friends and I were talking about Indigenous story telling and how often we aren't given the information or the meaning behind a lot of the stories we see as created art pieces. It led onto a rather sad discussion about how we all truly want to know what these stories mean, but either because of our gender, the colour of our skin or whatever other reason, the information is often withheld from us. The question that was raised at the end was this idea about 'Equality'. We have been asked to look into Indigenous culture in order to appreciate where we are, the countries history and the people that lived here on the land before we came. The problem is, is that though we often try to find answers or ask questions, quite often due to whatever reason, the information is withheld from us.

We couldn't quite figure out how we can all expect equality and such when neither party is willing to share what has happened, or what something means to us. In order to move forward from the past, must we not accept what has happened, however wrong it may be and try and find a way through it together?

A couple of years ago I was aware of the government offering an official apology to the lost generation, and I'm not saying that it means it's forgiven and forgotten, but what more can the people of our generation really do? We are trying to understand and learn from past mistakes and of course apologise, yet still we don't seem to be forward. There is still so much hostility between the two that there doesn't seem to be an end in sight for all the tension.

The Sapphires

1968 was the year that changed the world. And for four young Aboriginal sisters from a remote mission this is the year that would change their lives forever. Around the globe, there was protest and revolution in the streets. Indigenous Australians finally secured the right to vote. There were drugs and the shock of a brutal assassination. And there was Vietnam. The sisters, Cynthia, Gail, Julie and Kay are discovered by Dave, a talent scout with a kind heart, very little rhythm but a great knowledge of soul music. Billed as Australia's answer to 'The Supremes', Dave secures the sisters their first true gig, and fly's them to Vietnam to sing for the American troops. Based on a true story, THE SAPPHIRES is a triumphant celebration of youthful emotion, family and music...

Though the majority of this movie doesn't necessary apply to this course, there was one part in particular that stood out to me whilst watching the movie. The part about one of the girls having been taken away as a child as part of the Lost Generation. No matter where you hear about these circumstances, whether it be through a poem, in the midst of a movie, for that split second you truly feel terrible for all the children that were taken away from their families, and knowing that though they found her again in the movie, many of the children would never have found or seen their parents again.