Lizard Dreaming Paintings

Aboriginal people settled all areas of the Australian continent during the past 50,000 years and have maintained a close co-existence with the natural world. Some regions may seem difficult zones to live in and to find food and necessary resources for life. Adapting to life here means having a deep knowledge of the resources available. As hunters and gatherers Aboriginal people knew the seasons and the cycles of life and could live off whatever food could be found. Hundreds of lizard species are found across Australia and all were considered as useful food items.

The largest lizards can be a metre long and grow fat in the good season when grass and insects are abundant. These are prized most when they are fatty and are cooked over the coals of an open fire. Lizards tend to seek the protection of burrows and rock crevices and must be drawn out of their hideaways. Lizards are part of the Dreaming stories that relate to the creation of the natural world and to the role of Ancestors and humans in that world.

The Thorny Lizard or Mountain Devil Lizard plays a major role in the Dreaming story of Central Australia. Artists represent the landscape that the Lizard Ancestor created. Often the distinctive spikey markings on its back are shown in the painting to represent the connection between the animal and the ritual sites where the Ancestor creation events occurred.

More animal art:

• Aboriginal Animal Art

Artists who paint Lizard:

• Turbo Brown Exhibition