Paintings using these natural pigments (colours) depict Aboriginal Dreamtime stories and maps. They were used either in body painting, rock painting, on artefacts, or sometimes even on sand.
Shelters with art are clearly defined by either stencil art or charcoal. Stencils are produced by mixing ochre in the mouth into a wet paste, then spraying it over the object to be stencilled onto the wall of the shelter.
Ochre is also widely used as medicine. When ingested, some ochres have an antacid effect on the digestive system, while others are rich in iron with reports that consuming such ochre can assist with lethargy and fatigue.
Through ochre runs a tactile imprint of all that is sacred, of all that connects people to their Culture – the past, present and future.
What is Ochre and how do we use it? Stacee chats with Talea Bulger.
In Central Australia, there were three kinds of ochre used in the main. They were yellow ochre, white ochre – or white pipe clay – and red ochre. One of the most widely used ochres was red ochre, which was extensively used on the body. And in some particular mines in Central Australia, the ochre has a mica component, and when it’s placed on the body, particularly on the face, it gives off quite a shiny look. And that’s still used today in ceremonies, and is traded all around Central Australia and beyond.
There are many different styles of Indigenous art, which vary across the continent and in the media that are used, not just ochre. First Nations artists are using a range of different mediums to express and share their stories, while incorporating a range of painting styles and techniques.
From ancient cave paintings to contemporary art, ochre symbolises the deep connection Indigenous Australians have with their land and culture and remains a significant medium for expressing Indigenous identity and practicing culture.
Rocks have been used as a marker for boundaries between nations or language groups; to signal nearby resource availability; to communicate ideas or stories of the Dreaming or to provide directions.
Aboriginal stone arrangements are places where Aboriginal people have positioned stones deliberately to form shapes or patterns.
The purpose of these arrangements is unknown because their traditional use ceased when European settlement disrupted Aboriginal society. They were probably related to ceremonial activities.