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What is the 'Dreamtime'? Traditional Aboriginal art depicts themes connected to what is known as the 'Dreamtime'. 'Dreamtime' and 'Dreaming' stories form the basis of themes and ideas in some of the paintings in this exhibition. Unlike the Western concept of dreaming, the Dreamtime in the context of Aboriginal art is the part of indigenous culture that celebrates the origins and traditions of the land and its people. The concept of the Dreamtime often relates to the creation of the world, while Dreaming is often used to describe an individual person's or community's stories and beliefs. So, for example, Aboriginal people might talk about 'Bush Yam Dreaming', 'Kangaroo Dreaming', 'Shark Dreaming', 'Honey Ant Dreaming', or collective dreamings such as 'Women's Dreaming' or 'Men's Dreaming'. Dreamings can relate to the world of Ancestral spirits. According to tradition, these spirits came down to the earth in many different forms such as humans, animals and plants and travelled across the land creating rivers, hills and other features of the landscape. Dreamings or legends are often attached to these particular places. Dreamtime stories are handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation and are a unique and colourful as the paintings that tell the visual story. |
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