Aboriginal Dot Paintings

Australia was never really an origin of Europeans, but was the origin of the indigenous people: Aborigines. People may think that some Europeans came from Australia as well, but no; they originally settled criminals in Australia, and used the continent for prison purposes. Not only did they steal native Aboriginal land, but they also stole Aboriginal culture for sometime. Despite all this, Australian Aborigines placed great value in their native traditions, especially in the Dreamtime. Dot Paintings symbolize Aboriginal value and appreciation of Dreamtime traditions, which captures their idea of “time before time” and has shaped their identity by keeping their culture sacred and alive.

Aborigines are the indigenous people of Australia,

These paintings were originally created in the sand, and were based on the Dreamtime. The paintings usually showed a simple story, with an animal as the focal point, and symbols to illustrate the story. Since they were painted on the sand, they were easily erased when needed. Later, they were introduced to paper and canvases, which would permanently store the artwork. Though this was helpful in some ways, it raised a sense of caution to the Aborigines. The author of the article, “Aboriginal Dot Paintings and Their Origin,” states that, “People were concerned that non initiates may be able to understand or learn the sacred, secret or restricted parts of their stories [about the Dreamtime, from the paintings].”(Aboriginal Dot Paintings and Their Origin, 1). Because they didn’t want the stories and beliefs of the Dreamtime revealed to others, they “overdotted” the painting. Now, they had developed a technique that kept the stories secure, and this created the concept of dot paintings. Overtime, the unique concept of dots covering a painting evolved into dots being incorporated into the painting purposefully (Aboriginal Dot Paintings and Their Origin, 1). The fact that their dot paintings were all about the Dreamtime, and that they developed a totally new style/technique of painting, (“overdotting”) just to keep their traditions and beliefs of the, “time before time,” safe from others, symbolizes their value of it, and represents their culture. This artifact, dot paintings, has shaped the Aboriginal culture, and has influenced its