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In the nineteenth century, the Aborigines were classed as the most primitive people on Earth. Not practising agriculture, animal husbandry, metallurgy or weaving, these hunters-gatherers were considered to have no artistic sensibility. Later, anthropological field work showed that this was not the case and revealed refined, sophisticated cultures.
The Aborigines tell that long ago, in the Dreamtime, mythical beings rose out of the depths of the land, which was still undifferentiated. As they travelled, they left their traces behind them and their actions shaped the landscape and the sky. They named places and animals, separated animals from humans and instituted the laws governing their society.
In Arnhem Land, painting – whether it is on rock walls, carved objects, bark or the bodies of people taking part in rituals – is evidence of the close link between the Aborigines and the ancestral beings. It expresses their attachment to the land, their world view and their identity.
© 2021 Musée d'ethnographie, Genève
