Year 5 students at The Peninsula School study Early Australia as their SOSE unit. Their starting point is, of course, the Australian Aboriginals who have lived in the magnificent Kimberley region for 40 thousand years. An interesting unit of art has evolved through our support of the SOSE

Learning Outcomes
1. That the students will develop an appreciation of how sacred the land is to the Aboriginal people.

2. That the students will learn how beliefs, traditions and art styles and images vary amongst Aboriginal clans and in different regions throughout Australia.

3. That the students understand the many stories relating to Aboriginal Art and develop an awareness of the significance of The Dreamtime to the Aboriginal people.

4. That the students use relevant references to inspire them to create art works based on the art of the Australian Aboriginals.

5. That the students create two and three-dimensional art works that are well balanced and expressive.

Introducing the topic.
It is important to give the students some background information on Aboriginal beliefs to raise their awareness of the significance of Aboriginal art to the Aboriginal people. The Dreamtime refers to the Aboriginal understanding of how the land and its people were created. The Dreamtime, also explains how natural forces such as thunder, lightning and rain exist.
Background Information about the Wandjina of the Kimberley region in North-Western Australia.
The Kimberley region is famous for paintings of Wandjina in rocks and caves and in contemporary works of art. Wandjina are mythical beings believed to have come from the sky and the sea during ancient times. They are thought to have left their images in paintings on the surfaces of rocks. The images are human-like and coloured black, red or yellow over a white background. They are based on clouds and have halos or strands of hair radiating from their heads. They have large eyes with prominent eyelashes, a vertical line for a nose, but no mouths. The paintings of Wandjina in caves were revered and repainted if they faded as the spirits were thought to be very powerful. Wandjina spirits controlled lightning, floods and cyclones so were not to be offended. They also influenced fertility and brought good luck to hunting and food gathering. Today few Aborigines still believe the Wandjina myth but the image endures in Aboriginal art.

Art Activity One: Drawings of Wandjina using Zart Supermix Oil Pastels
I showed the students library books with images of Wandjina and told them some myths written about the spirits. I then asked the students to devise their own image of a Wandjina using Zart Supermix Oil Pastels on brown paper. The results were rich and exciting. The students embraced the mythology and imagery. Wandjina symbols are accessible for students to replicate. The students felt uninhibited and inspired by their task. Colours were limited to mainly what Aboriginal artists in the Kimberley would have used on rocks. However, it was noted that contemporary Aboriginal artists have most colours available to them and so some students used a wider array of tones.

Art Activity Two: Ceremonial Poles
Until the early part of the twentieth century Aboriginal art was mainly made for use in religious ceremonies. Today many Aboriginal artists sell their work to an international market. We decided to create our own version of traditional Aboriginal ceremonial poles by using natural materials to decorate cardboard cylinders. Again we researched library books to examine photos of ceremonial poles. We noted that feathers, yarns and paint were beautifully combined to create striking sculptures.
The students were each given a cardboard cylinder. They used an array of string, yarn, Raffia, natural Hessian strips and brown paper to wrap around their cylinders and secure with PVA glue. They then added feathers and plaited lengths of twine to the cylinders. These were tied on or glued in place. Some students gathered leaves or gum nuts to add to their decorations. All were individual. The final touches were painting sections of the poles. Some students painted patterns, such as animal tracks on to their work. The balance the students achieved on their sculptures impressed me.

Art Activity Three: Figure Sculptures
The students were keen to create sculptures of figures, after they had completed the poles. We examined the carved wooden sculptures of the Mimi and Tiwi people. Mimi sculptures are from the region around Katherine, Northern Territory, and have their own stories. The Tiwi people of Bathurst Island and Melville Island, situated off the northwest Arnhem Land coast, are famous for their wood sculptures. Posts are made for the Pukamini ceremony, held for a funeral, and are painted with spirit figures and totemic designs related to the dead person. Tiwi sculptors also create figures of people, birds, animals and spirits.
We used plastic bottles, egg cartons, scrunched paper held in place with Masking Tape, cylinders, cones and any other recyclable materials to create the armature of our figures. Copious amounts of Masking Tape were used to hold the figures together so that they passed the shake test. We then used torn pieces of Newsprint and Cellogel to papier-mâché the models. The sculptures were then painted in the style of an Aboriginal artist, such as Emily Kame Knangwerreye. Some students chose to add feathers, raffia and twine as a head-dress for their work. The final pieces were outstanding.

References
1. Barlow, Alex and Hill, Marji, The Many Forms of Aboriginal Art, Macmillan, Australia, 1997.
2. Barlow, A and Hill, M, A First Look at Aboriginal Art, Macmillan, Australia, 1997.
3. Barlow, A and Hill, M, Rock Art, Macmillan, Australia, 1997.
4. Coppock, Lilian, Art of Different Cultures, Belair Publications, Britain, 2000. Pp 25 and 63.
5. Finley, Carol, Aboriginal Art of Australia- Exploring Cultural Traditions, Lerner Publications, Minneapolis, 1999.
6. Australian Art Pack Faces, Zart Art

Lisa Smith
Junior Art Teacher
The Peninsula School, Mt Eliza

Copyright 2004 Zart Art & Zart Education Service