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Integral Part Of Living
Art as an integral part of living and functional on all levels
Art is absolutely central to Aboriginal life; for political, utilitarian, social or didactic purposes, art is essential, and often these various functions overlap and interconnect. Art always connects the past with the present in societies that don't use writing and lettering to document history.
Aboriginals took this one very serious step further Their art connects between current reality and the supernatural world of their ancestors, it expresses both the collective and the individual identity of the community and it strengthens the bond between man and the land he lives on. Their religious life is centered on the 'Dreaming', which is basically a European term for what the Aboriginals themselves perceive as the natural state of the cosmos and the spiritual and moral structure that is intrinsic to it. It does not refer to dreams or unreality, but rather to the state of reality that is beyond the mundane. Thus 'Dreamtime' refers to the period in time beyond living memory and the epic deeds of the super natural beings and creator ancestors, such as the Wagilag Sisters, the Rainbow Serpents and the Tingari and Wadjina, who traveled across the unformed world, creating everything init and laying down the laws of social conduct among humans.
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