For example, the kinship system determines suitable marriage partners, roles at funerals, everyday behaviour patterns and traditional land ownership groupings. Today there are increasing numbers of 'wrong skin' marriages, in which people who would traditionally be prevented from marrying become partners.
A skin or skin group is a section determined by the skin of a person's parents, and determines whom a person is eligible to marry. Son can refer to any male of the next generation, such as nephews, just as daughter can refer to any female of the next generation, including nieces.
To make direct eye contact can be viewed as being rude, disrespectful or even aggressive.To convey polite respect, the appropriate approach would be to avert or lower your eyes in conversation. Observe the other person's body language.
Most television stations use a disclaimer warning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers that the program may contain images and voices of dead Indigenous people (as recommended by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation). The avoidance period may last one or more years.
In Aboriginal culture it is taboo to mention (or in some cases write) the name of a deceased person. Aboriginal people believe that if the deceased person's name is mentioned, the spirit is called back to this world.
Common taboos involve restrictions or ritual regulation of killing and hunting; sex and sexual relationships; reproduction; the dead and their graves; as well as food and dining (primarily cannibalism and dietary laws such as vegetarianism, kashrut, and halal) or religious (treif and haram).
Some examples of taboos include: In many Jewish and Muslim communities, people are forbidden from eating pork. In Western cultures which value youth, asking a woman's age is often discouraged. In some Polynesian communities, people are forbidden to touch the shadow of a chief.
You will find most galleries have pretty tight guidelines when it comes to taking pictures of artworks. Due to the sensitive nature of some pieces, flashes need to be turned off so if you are unsure, please ask a staff member.
At this time, the Aboriginal artists were negotiating what aspects of stories were secret or sacred, and what aspect were in the public domain. The dot painting technique gave some protection, allowing some elements of stories that should not be seen by the uninitiated to remain concealed.
They were purely created by the Aboriginal people who were displaced and living a long way from their original home country. The works were visual reminders of their own being. They painted land that they belonged to and the stories that are associated with those sites.
Assimilationist terms such as 'full-blood,' 'half-caste' and 'quarter-caste' are extremely offensive and should never be used when referring to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
In the oral traditions of Aboriginal Australians, meteors and meteorites are prominent. Meteors are often associated with serpents, evil magic, omens of death, and punishment for breaking laws and traditions. In Central Australia, a meteor is an omen that the spirit of someone that had died far away was returning home.
For a non-Aboriginal person, or an Aboriginal person who is not a descendant of that tribal land, acknowledging the local Aboriginal people as the Traditional Owners is a mark of respect. It is also respectful to acknowledge Elders past and present.
Skin names are inherited at birth and form part of a broader kinship system that spans across Australia. This kinship system dictates daily life, social relationships and responsibilities, rights to land, ceremony and Dreamings, and of course, the Aboriginal artworks we share.
By way of definition, 'kin' refers to kinship terminology and systems, and related matters of marriage and other behaviour; and 'skin' refers to what is also known as 'social categories' and what earlier anthropologists (e.g. Fison & Howitt 1880) called 'social organisation': moieties, sections, subsections and other ...
Skin Name is an Aboriginal-English term derived from the English term 'Kin Names'. A skin name is a name given to an Aboriginal person at birth based on the combined skin names of their parents, or given by their community. A skin name is not a surname or last name.
Only an Aboriginal artist can produce Aboriginal art
It seems obvious, but Aboriginal art is only considered Aboriginal if painted by someone who is of that origin. A non-Indigenous Australian does not have the authority to paint an Aboriginal piece of artwork.
Traditionally, the highly creative application of body paint has been used as a way for Aboriginal people to show important aspects of their lives, such as social status, familial group, tribe, ancestry, spirituality and geography.
White represents the sky and stars, which are filled with the Aborigines ancestors who returned to the sky after creating the earth.
Photographing the north-east face of Uluru
Given the north-east face's great cultural significance, Anangu ask that photographers only take wide shots from a distance and avoid showing any of the details on the top-left side of the rock.
Australian Aboriginal dot painting is a fun and creative activity that kids can enjoy. This type of art is inspired by the ancient traditions of the Aboriginal people of Australia.
While the most recognised ochre colours are red, yellow, white and black, other colours such as orange, purple, pink and turquoise are also found and used.
Four taboos: sex, religion, politics, pessimism.
Essentially, if a particular behavior violates a taboo social norm, it results in extreme disgust and most often expulsion from society. For example, incest or cannibalism is taboo in most cultures and countries.