For thousands of years, the Aboriginal
people of Australia have been painting
on bark to tell their stories.
Since the languages spoken by the
Aboriginal tribes were not written, painting
was an important means of communication.
The artists grind colored rock to form ochre paints
and use bark from eucalyptus trees for their canvas.
These traditions of bark painting survive in the
Yolngu people who live in Northern Australia.
A bark painting begins with the slash of a sharp axe.
Artists make cuts in the trunks of eucalyptus trees,
then strip away pieces of bark.
All loose external bark is scraped off the piece
and its surface is smoothed. Next, they heat
the bark to flatten it.
people of Australia have been painting
on bark to tell their stories.
Since the languages spoken by the
Aboriginal tribes were not written, painting
was an important means of communication.
The artists grind colored rock to form ochre paints
and use bark from eucalyptus trees for their canvas.
These traditions of bark painting survive in the
Yolngu people who live in Northern Australia.
A bark painting begins with the slash of a sharp axe.
Artists make cuts in the trunks of eucalyptus trees,
then strip away pieces of bark.
All loose external bark is scraped off the piece
and its surface is smoothed. Next, they heat
the bark to flatten it.
Finally, using brushes, twigs, their fingers and
natural pigments they adorn the paintings
with designs handed down by their ancestors.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
