Education : Dreamtime | Mythology | Initiation | Ceremonies | Sacred Sites
“ The Dreamtime is the mythological representation of what Aboriginal people carry in their minds. The source of life! This knowledge has not just been planted in their minds it is taught and structured through initiation and ceremony.”
Professor A.P. Elkin, a Professor of Anthropology who researched the Aboriginal people of Central Australia and the North of West Australia in the 1920’s and 30’s.
The Australian Aboriginal Culture is something in the vicinity of 40,000 years old. It is a rich and complex culture and brought about by an intimate knowledge of the environment. There are four links to the Dreamtime, Mythology, Initiation, Ceremonies and Sacred Sites.
Mythology
The majority of mythology is based on what Aboriginal people believed were true historical acts done by their ancestors. It provides an explanation of the origin of natural phenomena, objects, species, institutions and customs. It can also reveal things that are happening or are about to happen. Mythology does not cover everything.
Dreamtime stories (or Dreamings) are stories that have been passed down orally or with non-permanent materials that belong to the mythology of the Dreamtime. Generally speaking an aboriginal’s language, skin name and country they belong to are heavily dependant on their father’s particulars. So for the majority, the father’s country is now their country also. There are several different countries (not to be confused with communities) in the greater Utopia area (or neighbouring area). Some include Ilkawerne, Alhalkere, Atnangkere, Ahalpere, sister countries Arnkawenyerr and Ngkwarlerlanem, sister countries Atnwengerrp and Irrwelty, and Arawerr. Dreamtime stories are said to belong to each country. There are many stories, some major and some minor. Some are connected with other countries where different parts of the story belong to different countries – a beginning or an end perhaps.
Utopia artists paint Dreamtime stories that, for many reasons, we may not know or understand anything more than a brief introduction or its title in some cases. Mbantua’s field and research team work closely with the Utopia artists year round to gather as much new information relating to Dreamtime stories as they can and how it is represented in the paintings, continuously updating and learning from the Utopia people so that Mbantua Gallery can be their voice in teaching the wider world. Here online you can learn about some of these Dreamtime stories that are more commonly found in Utopia art.
Anwekety (conkerberry or conkleberry)
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Gallery Manager Josh van Haaren studies the Anwekety (conkerberry, aka bush plum) on a trip to Utopia |
Anwekety is the Anmatyerre word for conkerberry (or conkleberry), a sweet black berry that is favoured by desert aboriginals. They only grow on the plant (Carissa lanceolata ) for a few weeks of the year, however the aboriginals collect plenty of them and store them dry, soaking them in water again before being consumed.
The plant of the conkerberry is a tangled, spiny shrub that can grow up to 2m high. After rain fragrant white flowers bloom. This plant also bares medicinal properties; the orange inner bark from the roots can be soaked in water and the resultant solution can be used as a medicinal wash. This is particularly favoured for skin and eye conditions. The thorns on the shrub can be used to cure warts.
This fruit looks very similar to a plum, which is why it is often referred to in English by the Anmatyerre people as ‘bush plum’. There is a Dreamtime story for the Anwekety that belongs to the people of Ahalpere country in the Utopia Region. This means that anyone belonging to this country can be taught it and hold ceremonies to ensure its productivity. In the Dreamtime, winds blew from all directions, carrying the anwekety seed over the ancestors’ land, in Ahalpere country. The first anwekety of the Dreamings then grew, bore fruit and dropped more seeds. Many winds blew the seeds all over the Dreaming lands.
Utopia artists who paint this story usually use dot work to represent the conkerberry, designs or patterns in the dot work are often influenced by the flower and leaf, and in some cases linear work is featured to represent tracks to and from the plant (this linear work cannot be confused with Awelye, the women’s ceremonial body paint designs).
Artists include Aileen Mpetyane Club, Ally Kemarre, Angelina Ngale (Pwerle), Betty Mpetyane, Glady Kemarre, Kathleen Ngale, Lena Pwerle, Mary Jones, Polly Ngale, Katie Petyarre, Katrina Greeny, Rita Pwerle and Rosie Pwerle. To view paintings by these artists please search by artists in our online gallery >>
Kame (pencil yam seed)
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Utopia artist Dolly Mills Petyarre collects atnwelarr (pencil yams) with Mbantua Gallery |
Kame, the seed of the atnwelarr (pencil
yam) found in Central Australia, is the subject of many Utopia paintings. Its Dreamtime story belongs predominantly to Alhalkere country.
The atnwelarr is a trailing herb or creeper, sometimes covering large areas, with bright green leaves, yellow flowers and long skinny yams (swollen roots). These are an important food source which can be eaten raw or cooked in hot sand and ashes.
In the Dreamtime there are two parts to the Kame story, one that belongs predominantly to Alhalkere country and the other that belongs to Arnumarra country. Two different seeds were born that created two different species of pencil yam; one called Atnwelarr which belongs to Alhalkere country, and the other called Arlatyeye which belongs to Arnumarra country. The Kame story is a very important Dreamtime story for the people of Alhalkere country and ceremonies are performed to ensure its productivity as a food source and life form of the ancestors.
Utopia artists who paint this story often use dot work to represent the Kame, designs or patterns in the dot work or background are often influenced by the flower and leaf of its plant, linear work often represents the root system and concentric circles represent the significant site of the story—the site where the plant is found or where ceremonies are being held.
Artists include Greeny Purvis Petyarre, Dolly Mills Petyarre, Emily Kame Kngwarreye (note Emily’s bush name is Kame, she later adopted Emily), Anna Price Petyarre, Judy, Jennifer, Jedda and Maureen Purvis Kngwarreye (Greeny’s daughters), Bessie Petyarre, Joy Purvis Petyarre and Elizabeth Kunoth Kngwarreye. To view paintings by these artists please search by artists in our online gallery >>
Alpar (Rat-tail plant)
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Alpar growing in Utopia |
Alpar is the Anmatyerre word for the rat-tail goosefoot or green crumbweed plant (Dysphania kalpari). This small, erect herb is sticky to touch and scented heavily of citrus. Growing especially well in Mulga tree communities, it is found in abundance in the Southern Utopia region. It produces small clustered flowers that form long spikes, resembling that of a rat tail, as well as small black shiny seeds. These seeds are high in protein and low in fibre.
Due to the sticky nature of this plant, the seeds are not shed as soon as they mature, making them available much later in the season than most other plants.
The story of the Alpar seed is often the subject of Utopia paintings by the women of Ilkawerne country. In the olden days, the women of Ilkawerne country would collect these seeds, sometimes soak them in water until swollen or cooked in hot coals, and then grind them into a powder that was used for making damper (bread). This practice is not as habitual now due to ready made bread, however the story is continually taught to the younger ones and ceremonies are carried out to ensure its productivity. The scented leaves of alpar were also collected, soaked in water and used as a medicinal wash. Alternatively they would be ground into a powder and mixed with animal fats for use as an ointment, making this plant a very important food and medicinal source.
Utopia artists who paint this story usually use dot work to represent the dry seeds of alpar, ready to be collected. Linear patterns of dot work often denote the awelye (women’s ceremony and body paint designs) for ceremonies relating to the Alpar story.
Artists include sisters Jessie, Rosie and Karen Bird Ngale, Maggie Bird Mpetyane, Peggy Purvis Mpetyane, Julie Purvis Mpetyane, Sandra Teece Pwerle and Alvira Bird Mpetyane. To view paintings by these artists please search by artists in our online gallery >>
Initiation
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Scarred men, photo taken by Baldwin Spencer |
Initiation permits a person to knowledge of the past, such as mythology and Dreamtime stories, and to share in the embodiment of the ancestors. During initiation, which is for men, the initiate’s blood becomes the blood of his ancestral heroes and he passes into the sacred world of these spirits.
The initiation process is a transition rite, i.e. there are various stages of initiation where only certain levels of information are released and taught. These stages vary from a few days to a few months. Physical elements also occur in initiation such as circumcision, tooth avulsion, plucking of bodily hair, scarification and pulling off fingernails, the test being - if they cannot endure the pain, then they can't be trusted with the secrets of the tribe."
Ceremonies(Corroborees/rituals)
Ceremonies are held for many occasions and reasons. These include mythological (Dreamtime) stories outside of initiation and within, secret events at sacred sites, increase gatherings, home comings, births and deaths.
“[Ceremonies] are extremely important, apart from their meaningful significance, because they are always of a highly emotional nature, which are closely entwined with the beliefs, social behaviour and life of the tribes. The contemplation of the heroes and ancestors of the past through the chanting of myths and the handling of sacred symbols such as churinga’s, the frequent self infliction of bodily pain, the dancing and the tense atmosphere in which the main act occurs, all work on the emotions, and at the same time cause all present to feel themselves as one. They are with and part of the super ancestors of the Dreamtime.”
Professor A.P. Elkin, The Australian Aborigines, 1938.
In Utopia art, one of the most common subjects is Awelye (Anmatyerre spelling or Awely - Alyawarr spelling). Awelye is a word that describes everything to do with a women’s ceremony which includes the body paint designs. Women perform awelye ceremonies to demonstrate respect for their country including Dreamtime stories that belong there and the total well-being and health of their community.
The body paint designs are painted onto the chest, breasts, arms and thighs. Powders ground from ochre (clays), charcoal and ash are used as body paint and applied with a flat stick with soft padding. They call this stick ‘typale’. The women sing the songs associated with their awelye as each woman takes her turn to be ‘painted-up’. Every woman can paint her designs on canvas, and when one imagines that these designs have been applied to women’s bodies for over 40,000 years (the aboriginal culture has been dated over 40,000 years old and is known as the world’s oldest living culture) then it may very well be the oldest living art form in the world. Awelye still continues to this day.
Awelye ceremony
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Lucky Morton paints Queenie in her colours red ochre and white |
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Queenie-Lion Kemarre wearing her body paint in front of one of her paintings |
Utopia artists Queenie Lion Kemarre and Mary Morton Kemarre asked if they could perform Awelye in Mbantua Gallery to coincide with an opening of their exhibition of artwork. They did not want to perform the ceremony near a window in case aboriginal men would walk past and laugh at them (they said). They set up in an inside area of the Gallery. Mary’s daughter Lucky Morton Kngwarreye and Mary’s sister Katie Kemarre were assigned the task of painting Mary and Queenie’s body.
Lucky and Katie were the painters today. They painted Mary first and Queenie second. Mary and Queenie asked for some vegetable oil which they rubbed over their chest, breasts and shoulders first, making the removing of the acrylics easier afterwards. First their upper bodies were covered in vegetable oil (to protect the skin from the acrylic paint), then acrylic white paint was applied with a brush, and then acrylic red ochre coloured paint. For some ceremonies acrylics are used for paint, but for many, particularly the very important ones, natural mediums are still used.
Queenie belongs to Atnwengerrp country and the red ochre and white are her true colours. Mary’s country is Antarrengeny but she shares in Atnwengerrp country and so is able to perform this ceremony.
As the white paint was applied Mary and Queenie sang a song for the white paint, and the same for the red ochre paint as it was applied. There truly is so much significance in just painting each colour onto their bodies that it really puts into perspective the importance of the body paint designs in their paintings.
Initiation ceremony
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Tomoko cooking our dinner very quickly!
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On March 13th 2006 Mbantua staff members Dale Jennings and Tomoko Kuroda were invited to participate in an initiation ceremony at Mulga Bore, Utopia.
Artist Colleen Wallace visited Mbantua Gallery at around 1pm on Monday 13th March 2006. She was very excited and invited two of us girls to dance with them tonight for an initiation ceremony. She had been telling me all summer that when the time came we should go dancing with all the ladies at Mulga Bore.
Tonight the women would be dancing for two boys, not to be named, to ensure their safety while they are out being initiated (this can be as short as a couple of weeks or as long as a few months).
I was asked to give Lindsay Bird Mpetyane’s wife Mavis a call at Mulga Bore before we set out to ask for permission to attend. Colleen wanted us to follow the right protocol. I rang a couple of different phone numbers that I had for Mulga Bore, one reaching Akaye School where Rosie Bird, one of Mavis and Lindsay’s daughters, spoke to me. She asked me with great enthusiasm ‘are you coming, yeah you’ve got to come out tonight’. I was really touched. The other number got me through to the payphone in the centre of Mulga Bore where artist Kenny Tilmouth answered. While Kenny went to get Mavis for me, I had a lengthy wait listening to curious dogs panting into the other end of the line. I’m glad Kenny didn’t forget that I was on the phone. I received the same reaction from Mavis as I did with Rosie ‘you coming? Yeah!’ as if it were ridiculous that we wouldn’t.
Tomoko and I wasted no time in preparing ourselves, buying food and packing the car with BBQ equipment. I also packed a few canvases and paints in the back in case we were needed for painting business. We were told to arrive at Mulga Bore by 7pm. We finally left town at 5pm and arrived into Mulga Bore right on 7pm - dusk. The Sandover Highway up to Mulga Bore was littered with pot holes filled with muddy water from the weekend rains. There are a few different access roads from the Highway leading into Mulga Bore, I took Tomo in through the car yard way. Tomoko was wondering what had happened to Mulga Bore since she was last out!
We pulled up at Lindsay’s house where there was a lot of people sitting around. Tomoko and I were both wondering if the initiation ceremony had been called off; no one looked like they were ready. I had imagined everyone would be painted or covered in ochre but that wasn’t the case. Everyone was in normal dress, except for June Bird who had her face and torso covered in red ochre dust. They were all sitting and chatting not paying any attention to our arrival. We felt a little odd, wondering if Mavis had filled the others in on what we were doing there.
Maggie Bird and Eileen Bird were sitting closest to the entrance of Lindsay’s gate. Nearby to them were Paddy Bird and Lindsay. Paddy gave a recognition nod and lifted his hand to wave. We said g’day to everyone and walked over to Mavis who was sitting on the veranda directly outside their front door. She was cooking on an old rusted tin grill, flames bursting from underneath. She called over her shoulder to Lindsay and then told us to ‘see that old fella’. We went to see Lindsay and asked felt we should further ask him if we could be a part of the dancing. He said ‘yeah you dancing tonight, yeah. You come.’ We asked what time and he replied ‘night time’ by which he meant when it was dark. We were given permission to set up a small fire nearby to cook our dinner before the ceremony started.
Just after we had set up our BBQ up I saw some car headlights going off into the bush and dogs were barking loudly. Rosie and Tanya Bird came through the bushes to escort us to the ceremony site. They laughed at us rushing to take the half cooked food off the fire plate! We all jumped in our car and went past the back of Lindsay’s house off onto a very old small track in the bushes. We pulled up alongside a large group of women and girls all carrying flash lights. Rosie told us that we would walk to the fire that we could barely see through the bushes, and that we should bring our torches in case of stumbling across snakes!
We walked out into a clearing where there were in fact four fires; three on one side and one on another about 20 metres away. We sat facing in the middle facing the three fires where several men were sitting behind in the darkness. I was surprised at this as I was clearly expecting the ceremony to be all women. Colleen had said the men will be performing their ceremony nearby but we wouldn’t be able to see them. Technically I deduced they were not visible; the fire and moon only gave off enough glow to see their silhouette. The men could see us however, because of the second fire behind us.
Almost immediately the men began to sing and the women and girls rose to dance. This continued on for about an hour. We learned that this was one of two half nights of dancing for an initiation ceremony. There are also two full nights of dancing when the initiates are present. A full night goes until the sun comes up, so I think we got off very easy. Was it our dancing we wondered?! (We found out that tonight’s dancing was scheduled to be a full night of dancing with the initiates, but they had not shown up yet from Harts Range (south of Mulga Bore) so tonight became a half night.)
The best way to describe the dancing is that it is on the spot jumping, or springing up and down from the knees without actually leaving the ground. One shoulder is generally hunched low and the head tilted the same direction. Every now and then Mavis would shout out ‘lalalalalala’ in a high pitch, which Tomoko joined in and was very good at! Everyone loved this participation.
The men would begin to sing followed by the women and girls dancing. Tomoko nor I could understand what was being sung. Words seemed repetitious and I can only imagine they were being sung in Anmatyerre, the predominant language amongst those present. It seemed obvious to the women and girls that the song was nearing its end, as they would sit down on queue.
We were told to listen to Mavis who would instruct us when to get up and dance. Of course glowing white in the moon light and bouncing around without any practice it was no wonder we attracted lots of staring and giggling! It was lots of fun.
I recognised some of the men from their voices; Lindsay Bird Mpetyane, Kenny Tilmouth, and I believe Paddy Bird Mpetyane. After my first dance, there was a pause after the song, everyone was quiet, and Lindsay said ‘Day-la (Dale), you dancing good, you gotta learn ‘em dancing, is good’.
Throughout the night we enjoyed bonding with everyone in such a sacred affair and witnessing such grand enthusiasm from the younger girls. The women and girls were not required to dance the entire time, if you wanted a rest you could sit the song out. The young girls danced almost the entire time. Young Janella, Jean Petyarre’s daughter, wore a huge smile and seemed to be the first one up all the time. There was one song that no one arose for, all tired. One little girl, wanting to lead the way and be brave jumped up half way through to dance, she turned around to see that no one had followed her and promptly sat back down. Everyone gave a big friendly laugh and encouraged her up on the next one.
It really touched me to see this pride in the younger generation. I later asked the ladies how they felt to see such enthusiasm in the younger ones to learn and participate in the traditions of their culture. They weren’t sure what I meant by this, nor did I, as the younger ones always want to be involved. It was such a great experience this evening for me.
June Bird was positioned behind us during the ceremony and I asked her lots of questions. I had wondered why June, Rosie Bird and a couple of ladies shared around a dancing stick (heavy plain stick burnt at the top and still holding a red glow). June told me that they are all mothers of one of the initiates because they are, by aboriginal way, sister to Hilda Bird one of the real mothers. The significance of the dancing stick is to protect the initiates during the entire initiation; particularly from snakes we were told.
Afterwards we all met back at Lindsay’s house where we had a chat about all sorts of things; the dancing (Tomoko was voted the number one dancer!!); the kids who were now out enjoying playing games in Mulga Bore; the initiation ceremony process. Marie Ryder was there (she did not participate) and told us she was really happy to see us there. I also feel like we bonded a lot more with everyone out here. Colleen Wallace didn’t participate even though she invited us. Mavis was really excited and said ‘yay we were all dancing together!’ Tomoko and I were just so thrilled!
Thank you to the Mulga Bore mob for letting us be apart of your initiation ceremony.
Sacred Sites
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Concentric circles are often used to represent a sacred site in mythology. This concentric circle was created by Utopian men of Ilkawerne country by crushed ochre and sacred plant material.
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Sacred Sites are spirit centres for aboriginal people as well as animals and plants. They can be trees, rocky outcrops, waterholes or clearings; anywhere that the ancestral spirits, human or otherwise, are associated with. Some ancestral spirits left their human energy or spirit at these sites and/or in the form of plants or animals.
Basically a sacred site is formed by a mythological event. To enter a sacred site one must be initiated and ceremonies relating to the mythological event are often held at or near them.
The objective of having these ceremonies is to get the ancestral being to send out the life energy or spirits of the sacred site, so they can cooperate with nature at just those seasons when the increase of particular species should occur.
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