Art History week 3 Semester 2

("Indigenous cultural appropriation: what not to do", 2017)

Aboriginal Art and Appropriation

Example of traditional Aboriginal art found on stones and
caves. These were used to tell stories to educate children
and others on morales and culture.
("The Amazing Story of Aboriginal Art", 2019)

("The Amazing Story of Aboriginal Art", 2019)

One of the things we looked at in class was Aboriginal Australian art ways its created and used by aboriginals.Aboriginal culture dates back as far as between 60,000 to 80,000 years.("The Amazing Story of Aboriginal Art", 2019)  This is when Aborigine’s first settled in Australia.  The first evidence of Aboriginal ethos or philosophy is evident in the still visible rock art which dates back more than 20,000 years.

Ochres were used to paint on rocks. ("The Amazing Story of Aboriginal Art", 2019) Archaeologists have been able to date remains and findings as far back as 40,000 to 60,000 years from discoveries of primal campsites.("The Amazing Story of Aboriginal Art", 2019) There is no written language for Australian Aboriginal People so in order to convey their important cultural stories through the generations it is portrayed by symbols/icons through their artwork. It is imperative to pass on information to preserve their culture. Indigenous art is centered on story telling. It is used as a chronicle to convey knowledge of the land, events and beliefs of the Aboriginal people. The use of symbols is an alternate way to writing down stories of cultural significance, teaching survival and use of the land. The interpretations of the iconography differ depending on the audience. When being told to children it would take on a simpler form highlighting the educational and behavioral aspect.  There can be a combination of information and moral teachings behind the story.  The children are taught right from wrong and the consequences of good and bad behavior. The stories, however would be interpreted at a very different and higher level form when teaching to initiated elders. ("The Amazing Story of Aboriginal Art", 2019)

Modern examples of Aboriginal artists ("The Amazing Story of Aboriginal Art", 2019)

A mayor concern in Australia at the moment is cultural appropriation largely surrounding the use of aboriginal art and artifacts (boomerangs and Didgeridoos). Often these things take a large amount of time and energy to create as a lot of care and concern is put into them, however these artists are starting to see some unfair competition from wholesalers importing cheap knock offs from Bali, marketing these "artefacts" as authentic Aboriginal work coning unaware people and tourists into believing that these are the real deal, one notable thing is that the wholesaler will often take of the label stating made in Indonesia, replacing it with made in Australia to imitate authenticity.

At the end of the day we shouldn't blame those making these in Bali as they are only supplying the demand that many of the Australian shop owners are requesting, and living in an impoverished country like Indonesia its not fair to blame the laborers creating these products, instead the main culprit is the distributors. The people that order these and sell them to shops in Australia for them to distribute to fellow Australians When these wholesalers stop requesting these fake products the market for these fake tourist traps will die of, however with many dollar signs in their eyes I highly doubt this market will die off anytime soon.

These fakes while cheap and inexpensive are not authentic Australian products, despite what the label may say. These fake products have begun to compete with authentic Aboriginal artists which is isolating them from a market that should be their own.

References

The Amazing Story of Aboriginal Art. (2019). Retrieved 22 July 2019, from https://www.aboriginal-art-australia.com/aboriginal-art-library/the-story-of-aboriginal-art/

Indigenous cultural appropriation: what not to do. (2017). Retrieved 22 July 2019, from http://theconversation.com/indigenous-cultural-appropriation-what-not-to-do-86679