Aborigines have lived in Australia for thousands of years and their life consisted of roaming the hot sands and windy coastlines of Australia, Tasmania and the hundreds of smaller islands that surround them. Today, there are only a small number of them remaining and most live in the areas around Queensland and New South Wales. Although the Aboriginal community has dwindled dramatically, their beliefs, culture and traditions very much remain in evidence and they maintain their identity through music, art, dance and close-knit communities.

Art is an essential part of the Aborigine culture and each piece produced has a story to tell. Artists still use tools and techniques from thousands of years ago and these are the reasons as to why the international art world is so fascinated with it.

'The Dreaming is the way Aboriginal people explain life and how their world came into being. It is fundamental to the existence of traditional Aboriginal people, their lifestyle and culture, as it is connected to their values and beliefs and their bond with every living creature and every aspect of the landscape.

Basically the Dreaming tells the stories of the voyages and exploits of the creator ancestors and how they formed the natural world including the trees, rocks, waterholes, rivers, mountains and stars, as well as living things such as the animals and plants, and their spirits inhabit these features of the natural world today. Dreaming stories also are ways of understanding how their ancestors lived thousands of years ago, what they hunted, their rituals, and how they defended themselves against enemies.

Art is one of the methods Aboriginal people use to find ways of communicating with and maintain a oneness with the Dreaming. They believe that when people take on the characteristics of the Dreaming ancestors through dance, song and art, and when they maintain sacred sites, the spirits of the creator ancestors are reborn.

Traditional art forms varied in different areas of Australia depending on the types of materials that were available, in the central desert area ground drawing was an essential style of art and rock art can be found all over the country. The sheer size of Australia has resulted in many kinds of Aboriginal art, including sculptures made up of rocks and wood, painting on leaves and designing ceremonial clothing, painting on bark and basket weaving.

Amongst the oldest forms of Aboriginal art is body painting, which involves painting traditional designs onto the body in a series of intricate patterns in preparation for an important ceremony or dance.

As the international art world started to pay attention to the Aboriginal artists they transferred much of their work to canvas to enable them to display it and sell it. As their art tells of ancestral secrets they started to use the familiar dots as a way to protect their traditions. Most people recognize this 'dot art as an Aboriginal style and there are many important artists whose art is fashionable and respected all over the world, as well as in Australia.

If you are interested in Aboriginal art then a good place to start looking for unique pieces is Sydney with various artists displaying, and selling, their work in the cities art galleries. Sydney itself is a great place to explore, take the ferry from the harbour at Circular Quay to Manly and let your eyes feast on the spectacular Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Look for a gallery that works directly with Aboriginal community art centres and where much of the income goes to the artists themselves. If you do buy something you should also get a certificate of authenticity issued by the artist's community art centre.

Hotels in Sydney can be booked online where you could be lucky and get a last minute deal or cheap package rather than booking direct with the hotel.

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Article Submitted By: Michiel Van Kets
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