Summary and Objectives

Study of a bark painting produced in the 1960s introduces students to Aboriginal peoples of Australia and to their histories as revealed through art. The students will investigate and interpret Australian creation stories and use the featured bark painting to explore the changing roles of the arts in Australia, especially as related to issues of women, commerce, and ritual. Students will

• Explore the history of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia through a study of their creation stories.
• Consider the changing roles of women, commerce, and ritual through the lens of bark paintings and then create their own “bark” paintings as documents of their lives.
• Discuss and study areas of conflict between immigrants and native peoples of a country.
• Compare and consider the many non-written ways that culturestransmit a sense of history and belief.
• Express points of view about the experiences of European migration into Australia, considering multiple perspectives.