BODY PAINTING

Known as 'awelye' in Anmatyerre language, body paint desings are strong linear paintings with deep spiritual significance for Aborigines and Aboriginal culture. Ochres and Spinifex ashes are mixed with Kangaroo or Emu fat ot make the body paint. The body is prepared by covering the sking with these fats and paint is then dragged across the skin accompanied by the singing of the ancestor's journey... and the Dreamtime. The marks put on the body for ceremony must conform to the specific ceremony being performed. These marks are thought to transfer the essence of the ancestor and the dreaming into the dancer, and in many cases individuals are 'transformed' to 'become' the spirit ancestor they are portraying in the dance.