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Ancestral Connections: Art and an Aboriginal System of Knowledge
Ancestral Connections unlocks the inner meaning of Australian Aboriginal bark painting. Drawing on more than ten years of fieldwork among the Yolngu—an Aboriginal people of Northeast Arnhem Land—and applying both anthropological and art historical methods, Howard Morphy explores systematically the graphic representation of traditional knowledge in Yolngu art. He also charts the role that art has played in Aboriginal society both present and past.
The rich symbolism of Yolngu art links the Yolngu directly with the "Dreaming," the time of world-creation that continues as the spiritual dimension of the present. Morphy shows how a complex dialectic of "inside" and "outside" interpretations of painting structures the system of knowledge in Yolngu society, and how European interest in this art has caused certain changes in the conditions of its production. The "inside" significance of the art, however, has not changed; it retains its dual ability to represent and to constitute relationships between things.
Ancestral Connections is a major contribution to the anthropology of art. A subtle commentary on the colonial encounter in northern Australia, the book demonstrates how the Yolngu have used their art—against all odds—as an instrument of cultural survival and as a component of the economic and political transformation of their society.
The rich symbolism of Yolngu art links the Yolngu directly with the "Dreaming," the time of world-creation that continues as the spiritual dimension of the present. Morphy shows how a complex dialectic of "inside" and "outside" interpretations of painting structures the system of knowledge in Yolngu society, and how European interest in this art has caused certain changes in the conditions of its production. The "inside" significance of the art, however, has not changed; it retains its dual ability to represent and to constitute relationships between things.
Ancestral Connections is a major contribution to the anthropology of art. A subtle commentary on the colonial encounter in northern Australia, the book demonstrates how the Yolngu have used their art—against all odds—as an instrument of cultural survival and as a component of the economic and political transformation of their society.
- GenresAnthropology
348 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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March 20, 2016
This book changed my thinking. I had some appreciation of Aboriginal art, but when I read this book, a whole new world of purpose for the art emerged. Aboriginal art is a memory aid, a mnemonic to so much of the knowledge of the culture. It is owned, some is restricted. The same symbol can have a multiplicity of purposes depending on the context, the speaker, the hearer and so much more.
I have now read this book twice and referred to it many more times. I shall go back to it again. Although it is a pleasure to read the first time, there is so much subtlety to be gained on rereading. Isn't that the sign of a really good book?
I have now read this book twice and referred to it many more times. I shall go back to it again. Although it is a pleasure to read the first time, there is so much subtlety to be gained on rereading. Isn't that the sign of a really good book?
Displaying 1 of 1 review