A Closer Look At Australia’s Kimberley Rock Art
It's been fascinating to see that recent excavations of a rock shelter near Kakadu National Park indicate humans reached Australia at least 65,000 years ago.
This is 18,000 years earlier than archaeologists previously thought and the information provides more insight into Australia's ancient past.
We've been following the work being carried out in the Kimberley to preserve the rock art and we were interested to learn more about it. To do this we've been speaking with Professor Peter Veth at the University of Western Australia and Leah Umbagai from Mowanjum Arts Centre.
Professor Veth leads the Kimberley Visions project, involving comparative archaeological documentation and dating of early rock art repertoires from across the Kimberley and western Arnhem Land in northern Australia.
Leah Umbagai is an artist from the Worrorra clan. She is also an Executive Councillor for Mowanjum Aboriginal Art and Culture Centre as well as the remote Larinyuroar outstation.
Japingka is publishing this material as an educational resource. It is also an opportunity to acknowledge the significance of this art for the traditional owners who care for it.
We've put this material together over several months and it is a pleasure to share it with you. We are very grateful to Professor Peter Veth and Sven Ouzman from UWA's Archaeology and Centre for Rock Art Research and Leah Umbagai and Kristy Burgu from Mowanjum Aboriginal Arts and Culture Centre for their generous assistance.
Kimberley Rock Art 5 Part Article Series:
- Part 1 - Kimberley Rock Art Overview
- Part 2 - A Traditional Owner's Perspective
- Part 3 – How Meanings Change
- Part 4 – Research In Partnership With Traditional Owners
- Part 5 – A New Way of Working Together
Images: All images in this series are being used with the permission of the copyright owner. Please do not copy or reproduce these images without obtaining permission. Wandjina® is a registered trademark of the Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Cultural Centre.