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A photographic exhibition entitled Kicking up Dust was held in
Shanghai Art Museum.?
?
Throughout mainland Australia and the Torres Strait Islands that
lie to the north, there continues to exist a wide diversity of
indigenous cultures.? In the Torres Strait for example, where
only half of the 34 islands are inhabited, each place has its
distinct cultural affiliations and its own way of celebration.
Recently, a photographic exhibition featuring Australian indigenous
culture was held in Shanghai Art Museum, under the title "Kickin'
up dust".
The indigenous people of Australia have never been classifiable
as a single homogenous group. Instead the social organizations,
spiritual beliefs and cultural traditions of their myriad
communities are as diverse and complex as the land in which they
live. In conjunction, numerous oral histories and spiritual
traditions have been handed down through the generations in the
form of story, song, dance, public festival and private
ceremonies.
Today, modern cultural celebrations are widely held to remember
these ancient traditions and the importance of keeping these
cultures alive.? The photographs in this exhibition bring us
scenes from four of these cultural events, in order to showcase the
current diversity of life in Aboriginal Australia. These cultural
festivals were held between August 2002 and February 2003,
including the Garma Festival, Torres Strait Cultural Festival,
Stompem Ground and Larapuna. The exhibition is entitled "Kickin' up
dust", a term which is explained by Sam Gerovich, the General
Councilor from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs in
Shanghai.
"It's the movements of indigenous people in dance.? And the
dance is conducted on the earth.? So the dust is kicked
up.? It's a reflection of indigenous culture in Australia,
which is extremely rich and old."
Sam Gerovich also talk about the significance of this
exhibition.
"The world would have noted from the Sydney Olympics that there
was a very substantial Australian indigenous cultural component in
the opening of the Sydney Olympic Games.? There's also a very
strong interest in Australian indigenous art, as reflected in the
number of Australian indigenous paintings that are now on display
in art galleries around the world.? So, we thought it's very
important to bring this exhibition to China, so that people of
China could understand the depth and richness of Australian
indigenous cultures."
During the opening ceremony of this exhibition, accomplished
Australian didgeridoo player William Barton performed an
interesting piece on this legendary instrument. The didgeridoo is
capable of producing some unique sounds, both traditional and
modern, while music is of course a crucial part of Australian
indigenous cultural festivals. This can also be seen from the
photos of the exhibition. The Didgeridoo is a long, slightly
conical wooden instrument, used traditionally by the Aboriginal
people of Northern Australia. Known as the oldest wind instrument
in the world, the origins of the didgeridoo may go back as far as
40,000 years. Though only one droning "note" can be played upon the
didgeridoo, overtones and vocals from the player give it a rich
sound and countless textures. Yet despite the ethnic, exclusive
nature of this instrument, William Barton wishes to stress the
global nature of music.
"I believe music is a universal language.? It's kind of
like the painting on the wall, we all see it there, but we all get
a different concept.? You understand the music in your own
way.? If you talk to people like myself about the context of
the music, I will explain more that this is what the Australia is
about and this is the cultural heritage."
As the exhibition officially began, different cultural festivals
were unveiled to the public, of which we'll present two, the Garma
Festival and Torres Strait Cultural Festival.
The Yolngu (yol-ngoo) of Northeast Arnhem on Mainland Australia
have one of the oldest living cultures on earth.? Now in its
fifth year, Garma is a celebration of that heritage, underpinned by
a philosophy of sharing cultural knowledge, of embracing the
message of the land.? It is an open-hearted yet intimate
event; traditional yet contemporary; carefree yet solemn.? It
is looking to the past in order to make sense of the present.
The Garma Festival is mostly an indigenous event.? Many
hundreds of indigenous people from around the region come to watch,
listen, participate and learn here, as do various non-indigenous
guests.? Clan affiliations determine protocol on Yolngu land,
with strict attention paid to rituals and ceremonies
Meanwhile, the people of the Torres Strait Islands celebrate
their unique cultural heritage with a Festival that showcases their
affinity with the sea and the islands.? Since coming to these
islands some 10,000 years ago, the inhabitants have developed
distinctive styles of dance and music, which provide an insight
into the deep connection that they have with this land. Indeed,
dance is still the most popular form of local expression, with
enthusiastic competitions between the Islands and totemic groups,
as well as with mainlanders and ex-islanders.
The costumes and headdresses of the dancers are unique and
considered sacred. Indeed, for some dances, permission is needed
from the traditional ‘owners' before they may be used. The Wave
Dance is one such example. At the photographic exhibition, we see a
picture of members from the Thursday Island High School Dance
Troupe, who are performing this Wave Dance from Boigu Island.?
This group is a big draw card for the Festival and gets the crowd
pumped up.
Held each year, the Torres Strait Cultural Festival can
therefore be seen as a gathering of the clans.? The beat of
drums, the pounding of dancing feet and the rattle of the shakers
all combine to remind us of the diversity and strength of this
region's unique cultural heritage.
Serving to reinforce the continuing spiritual and moral codes of
the universe, cultural festivals do mean a lot to Australian
indigenous culture.? Like the ritual of diplomacy, they serve
to remind us who we are, how we should treat each other and how we
should expect to be treated. Moreover, if you are interested in
indigenous music, you can log onto the website of William Barton,
www.williambarton.com.au.
(CRI.com December 14, 2005)
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