How Does Aboriginal Art Tell Stories? Celebrating NAIDOC Week

Every year during the first week of July, NAIDOC celebrations are held all over Australia. NAIDOC Week is dedicated to celebrating the culture, history, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It also provides an opportunity for non-Indigenous Australians to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through activities and educational events. One of the key ways in which Indigenous communities share their stories and cultural history is through art. So, how does Aboriginal art tell these stories? Let’s take a look at the significance of NAIDOC week and how Aboriginal art can inform your celebrations this year.

What Does NAIDOC Mean? 

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee.

What is NAIDOC Week?

NAIDOC Week is an annual, week-long event that celebrates the culture, history, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.  It’s celebrated in the first week of July that incorporates the first Sunday of the month, as this day was historically celebrated as National Aborigines Day.  It’s a week for all Australians to join and honour the oldest continuous living culture on earth and to simultaneously protest the injustices and issues facing these communities today. NAIDOC Week provides a great opportunity for non-Indigenous Australians to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. 

The History of NAIDOC Week

Let’s take a look at how NAIDOC Week as we know it today came to be.  Prior to the 1920s, Aboriginal rights groups committed to boycotting January 26 (‘Australia Day’) celebrations and protesting against the mistreatment and status of Indigenous Australians instead. However, by the 1920s, the activist groups became aware that the wider Australian community were largely ignorant of the boycotts. They decided that more active progress was needed in this space. On January 26, 1938, protestors marched through Sydney before attending a congress to speak out about colonisation, theft of land, and the enduring mistreatment of Aboriginal people. More than 1000 people attended.

This was considered one of the first major civil rights gatherings in the world. It became known as the Day of Mourning. The Day of Mourning is widely recognised as the catalyst that made NAIDOC Week possible. From 1940 to 1955, the Day of Mourning became an annual event held on the Sunday before Australia Day, known as Aborigines Day. in 1955, Aborigines Day was moved to the first Sunday in July after it was declared that the day should be for protesting but also for celebrating Aboriginal culture. After 1956, Aboriginal organisations, state and federal governments, and several church groups supported the formation of a National Aborigines Day Observance Committee (NADOC). 

The second Sunday in July became a permanent day of remembrance for Aboriginal people and their heritage. In 1974, it was decided that NADOC day would become NADOC Week. In 1991, the title expanded to recognise Torres Strait Islander people and became the National Aborigines and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC). NAIDOC has become the identifying name for the week of protest and celebration. Each year, a different theme is chosen to reflect important issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. NAIDOC make key decisions about the national celebrations with representatives from Australian territories and states.

Why is NAIDOC Week Important?

NAIDOC Week is a significant event for all Australians.  It is centred around truth-telling and education. The annual event invites all Australians to celebrate Indigenous culture and protest against the injustices that live on today. 

NAIDOC Week provides a focused opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to showcase their cultural heritage and connection to country. During this week, non-Aboriginal Australians are urged to join in and offer support to their Indigenous neighbours and celebrate their history and traditions. 

Given the origins of NAIDOC Week are rooted in protest and the Day of Mourning, the annual commemoration is also for speaking out about ongoing issues facing Indigenous communities, such as deaths in custody and land rights. 

Importantly, NAIDOC Week also helps to instil cultural pride in the younger generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This sense of pride is vital to ensure the stories, traditions, and cultural practices continue to be passed down from generation to generation. 

What is the Theme for NAIDOC Week 2022?

The 2022 NAIDOC Week theme is Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! This year’s theme signifies the long history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples getting up, standing up, and showing up.  This effort has been sustained for hundreds of years. From the frontier wars and early resistance fighters to the communities pushing for change today, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities continue to speak out and show up. 

The theme is about pushing forward and maintaining the momentum for change. NAIDOC encourages all Australians to continue to get up, stand up, and show up for systemic change, environmental and cultural protections, constitutional and collaborative reforms, comprehensive truth-telling, and a zero-tolerance of racism. 

NAIDOC Week 2022 is also about celebrating the people who have fostered change in the communities in generations passed — the heroes that fought for equality and basic human rights for all Indigenous peoples.  The relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians must be based on justice, equality, and real recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s rights. 

NAIDOC Week 2022 is all about amplifying voices and narrowing the gap.

How Can We Celebrate NAIDOC Week?

There are a number of ways to celebrate and participate in NAIDOC Week, no matter where you are. NAIDOC holds several events across the country, from educational discussions to creative and interactive activities. Take a look at the NAIDOC website for events in your area. Alternatively, you can celebrate NAIDOC Week by running your own events and activities. Here are some ideas to get you started!

• Start a hall of fame at your school or workplace featuring key Indigenous role models
• Study a famous Indigenous Australian
• Visit Indigenous sites of significance and learn about their history
• Invite an Indigenous sportsperson, dancer, or artist to visit your workplace or school
• Host a flag-raising or smoking ceremony 
• Note down meanings of local and national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander place names and important words

Celebrating NAIDOC Through Aboriginal Art 

For hundreds of thousands of years, Aboriginal people have used art to share stories and teachings.  Studying, creating, or investing in Aboriginal art is a great way to celebrate NAIDOC Week.  During NAIDOC Week, you could: 

• Study Indigenous art 
• Display NAIDOC posters and Indigenous art posters in your classroom or workplace
• Work with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander artists to produce artwork representing a theme

This year at Card.Gift, we worked with Annie Hay, a proud Aboriginal woman and artist, to create a special design for our Eftpos Gift Cards.  Her contemporary painting style was inspired by the works of her mother and uncle, who were also Aboriginal artists. 

Her connection to her heritage and country, and her upbringing on the North West Coast of Tasmania in lutruwita, tommeginne country, have informed each of her artworks.

We’ve teamed up with Annie to create a NAIDOC Week Eftpos gift card. Annie’s artwork uses traditional Aboriginal symbols, colours, and brushstrokes to communicate her story, cultural history, and heritage.  Discover the NAIDOC Eftpos gift card. 

Now, let’s take a look at the history of Aboriginal art and how these artworks tell the stories of Aboriginal people. 

How Does Aboriginal Art Tell Stories?

In its written form, Aboriginal language isn’t communicated through letters but rather through symbols and icons.  These symbols and icons have been used to share cultural stories and pass wisdom on to emerging generations. This process of passing on information through art has been integral to the preservation of Aboriginal culture. Aboriginal art is largely centres around story-telling. It is used as a chronicle to pass on knowledge of the land, culture, and historical moments. 

The symbols can be used differently to convey different meanings depending on the audience. When being shared with children, the symbols may take on simpler meanings to convey moral teachings, such as the difference between right and wrong or good and bad behaviour. When shared among elders, the symbols and stories take on deeper meanings, conveying messages about the land, connection, and culture. 

How Old is Aboriginal Art?

Aboriginal culture dates as far back as 80,000 years, making it the oldest living culture on earth. The first evidence of Aboriginal ethos was found through rock art, which dates back more than 20,000 years.  At this time, Aboriginal people used ochre to paint on their bodies, bark and rocks.  It actually wasn’t until the 1930s that the first paper-based Aboriginal artworks were created. Initially, Aboriginal paintings were crafted using watercolours.  These were created at the Hermannsburg Mission near Alice Springs and typically focused on desert landscapes.

 The very first exhibition by an Aboriginal artist was in 1937 in Adelaide, when Albert Namatjira showcased his watercolour paintings. Watercolours continued to be used up until the 1970s.  In 1971, school teacher Geoffrey Bardon began working with Aboriginal children in Papunya. He noticed Aboriginal men would draw symbols in the sand while telling their stories and encouraged them to paint these symbols onto canvas.  Bardon continued to supply the Papunya community with paints and canvases, which became the dominant materials used by Aboriginal artists.  

What Colours Are Used in Aboriginal Art?

The colours used in Aboriginal art are traditionally obtained from the local land.  The paint mixes are made from natural pigments and minerals from the soil. The hues are typically warm tones of iron oxides, from deep browns and reds to soft yellows and creams. Ground charcoal can also be mixed in to create black.  Today, smokey greys, sage greens, and saltbush mauves are also common.  Colour continues to help to distinguish one community’s artwork from another’s. Some communities choose to paint within a specified colour range. For example, Papunya Tula artists are known for their use of soft earthy colours, while artists from other Western desert communities often opt for bold primary colours. 

However, each individual artist represents their own style through their colour choice. This means the meaning of colour can differ between individuals and communities. 

What Do the Symbols Mean in Aboriginal Art?

Symbols are the foundation for Aboriginal art. 

While communities often use symbols in similar ways, each individual artist has different ways of putting the symbols together to create meaning.  When a group of symbols are put together, they tell a story.  Every artist has their own take on the use of symbols to represent the stories they want to tell. In some cases, artists are also culturally obliged to use a symbol in a certain way. 

To understand exactly what the symbols are communicating in any given artwork, it’s important to gather this information from the artist directly.  There are some broad insights when it comes to the meanings of certain symbols, but for a true understanding of the artwork, talk to the artist about the story they’re telling through their work.  Below, we take a look at some broad interpretations of common Aboriginal symbols. 

Hunting and Tracking

People from the Central and Western Desert communities use certain symbols to represent their hunting and tracking background. The marks left by animals and humans as track prints in the sand now represent those animals and people. So, the track marks in Aboriginal art tell the story of the humans and animals journeying across the land.

People

The U-shaped mark on the ground that humans leave when sitting cross-legged is used to represent humans in Aboriginal paintings. To distinguish between men and women, Aboriginal artists paint in the tools traditionally carried by men and women. 

Historically, men carried spears and boomerangs when hunting. So, to represent a man in a painting, the symbol would look like this U || (.  Women, on the other hand, would often carry oval-shaped bowls and digging sticks, so the symbol for women is UOI. 

When people come together, it is marked by a circle or concentric circles. This often represents gatherings by a campsite, fireplace, or waterhole.  A journey is represented by a series of linked circles. 

Animals

Animals are distinguished by the tracks they leave behind.  For example, an Emu would be symbolised by a three-pointed V, whereas a possum is symbolised by an E-like shape; a line with four marks extending out from the claw. 

Clans

The use of certain patterns shows an artist’s link to their clan. Fine lines are drawn in specific colours to represent fire and water. When these lines are painted alongside certain animal designs, this tells the story of which clan the artist belongs to. 

NAIDOC Week, Aboriginal Art, and Getting Involved

NAIDOC Week is an extremely important event for all Australians.  The week provides an opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to celebrate their culture, share their stories, and speak out against the injustices facing Indigenous communities today. 

Non-Indigenous Australians are encouraged to listen, learn, and support Indigenous communities by getting involved in discussions, activities, and events during NAIDOC Week.Consider studying a famous Indigenous Australian, attending an educational event, or working with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander artist on an artwork that tells their story.  Learn more about our work with Aboriginal artist Annie Hay for NAIDOC Week.