MAPS PART 4: Aboriginal Australia

Click to enlarge

This remarkable map was developed by Dr David Horton and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal amd Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) in 1994 and you can read more here at inquiryBITES if you go to the top right hand sidebar and click on The Critical Classroom then in the left sidebar under Categories go down to Topic: Map of Australia for the story.

Its remarkable for many reasons...  critically because it reminds non-indigenous Australians like myself immediately of the deeper story of this continent - the one that was certainly covered up very profoundly during my school days.

These sites are highly informative in the area of eduction for teachers of Aboriginal and Torres Straits islanders and for all interested in topical issues past, present and future in this community. Read about the two women behind these sites under 'A brief Story of Us' on The Critical Classroom site . Leesa Watego and Lisa Buxton are clearly extremely active in in their various fields and Leesa is a very media savvy woman indeed... She seems to have an impressive foothold on the net - read her google profile to see what I mean! It must be a busy household... 4 children and partner to Vernon Ah Kee who you can read about here referring to when he represented Australia at the Venice Biennale last year. You'll find a valuable introduction piece to read here at the Sydney Morning Herald to put you in the picture on this exceptional artist. I posted something here as well on the Homage blog in February on a Urban Aboriginal Artist Collective called proppaNOW that this artist is active in here in Brisbane.

Now for something very unique discovered at one of Leesa's sites. 

Sydney Rock Art Engravings found through Google Maps: sorry but these dont open on clicking!

One that I looked up on the google map took me via the engrossing SYDNEY ABORIGINAL ROCK ENGRAVINGS weblink to the Elvina Track Engraving Site at Kuringai National Park.

The photograph above shows the aboriginal "emu-in-the-sky" constellation in the sky. It won its creator, Barnaby Norris, third prize in the prestigious 2007 "Eureka" awards.
To see the "constellation", look at the dark dust-clouds, not the stars!
Below it is the emu engraving at the Elvina engraving site, in Kuring-Gai Chase National Park, near Sydney The constellation is positioned above the engraving as it appears in real life in Autumn.

 You will find a link to aboriginal astronomy here as well so it is worth hopping over to look over this magnificent site. Posting this prompted memory of so many things... like the once-in-a-lifetime-trip I took to Aboriginal Rock Art Sites all over NSW - 18 years ago - as cook on a 2 week camping trip for a dozen people from all over who were attending a conference in Townsville on Aboriginal Rock Art following this tour. We spent 2 days at sites very close to Sydney - but I would have to search for papers to be sure now this was one of them.
What a memorable trip!

Well that is the last post for the time-being I will dedicate to maps. There is so much to explore just here.
I hope your have enjoyed this wild journey around the globe (and into outer space) in these 4 posts!

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mappa mundi - 'sheet of the world'

map: ORIGIN early 16th cent.: from medieval Latin mappa mundi, literally ‘sheet of the world,’ from Latin mappa ‘sheet, napkin’ + mundi ‘of the world’ ( genitive of mundus).


The past two posts have contained maps and this one is no exception except here we go back centuries and see historical and imaginative works that contain absorbing histories. These images all come from the admirable Jane Librizzi at The Blue Lantern weblog. Click on the title of each image to go to the excellent posts at this blog.

The Walled City of Paris























Parma: Walled City of the Etruscans - 15th Century fanciful map of an old city dating back to the Bronze Age, c 3000 BC - June 4th Post. One of the commenters to this post on the Blue Lantern referred to the Etruscan Museum outside Florence which I remember making a point of going to a long time ago, having lightly touched on this wonderful culture during school days and having a lingering fascination years after seeing the lively frescoes and artifacts in text books.



















Image below found at www.themysteriousetruscans.com



Tomb of the Bulls Detail, Tarquinia


Fanciful Cities: Franco Fortunato - 5th June post contains wonderful images and information that includes references to the artist Fortunato, the Italian poet and writer Italo Calvino and the family of Jane Librizzi from weblog 'Blue Lantern'.

a wonderfully told history lesson from the talented Louise at 52 suburbs

... just a very quick post to point you in the direction of this wonderful teller of stories through the camera... Unless you are very, very busy please do take  tour of one of Sydney's 52 suburbs - a most worthwhile insight into less told stories of this country!