Spending six months travelling around Australia with my wife and two young daughters a number of years back we had the opportunity to learn a little about some of the symbolism used in various Aboriginal art works. Different groups naturally had different ways of illustrating things but the dot style of painting was something that particularly grabbed us.

On a rainy day about a year after our return with the kids going a little stir crazy we decided to attempt a painting using a similar style and symbolism to depict our extended family groups on a fairly large canvas. With nearly 20 first cousins it was a big job but the kids attacked it with enthusiasm and we completed it within a few days complete with paw, claw and hoof prints to include all the different families pets.

Spatially the positions of the groups loosely followed a map and connecting paths were made between them as were the rivers with popular swimming holes. There were a few added touches that moved away from the traditional style and I while don't think it will ever be mistaken for a genuine work, we were all a little proud of the finished product.

Its position of prominence on the lounge room wall has raised a few eyebrows from the adults of the extended clan but the reaction of the cousins, especially the younger ones, has been quite startling. They just seem to get it straight away and have no hesitation in picking themselves from the 50 plus individuals in the painting. Even a couple of years later I will often catch one or two of them contemplating it when they visit.

I find it hard to imagine a western form such a painting could have taken that would have presented the family in such an effective and engaging manner.

I am wondering if there might be less objection to this medium in our classrooms and if it sparks an interest in some of the students to pursue their studies of aboriginal culture further then learning a language might be the next step.

The initial comment by rehclub, 'these were clever people in thier own right and, we could well learn some lessons from thier elders, if they were willing to teach us.'
Please enlighten us all. There was probably no more backward a race than the aborigines in this country when you compare them to any other civilisation. Considering the time they were established they had nothing that was of any value to the new Australian settlers in 1788. Nothing at all. So what lessons can we learn? How were they 'clever people? In what regard? Even today, 222 years later almost all are totally dependent on government handouts, social welfare and are content to live in poor conditions, contributing little to the progress of our country, never likely to change.
2.5% in total of out population. In my opinion learning such a language would be a waste of time, spending our children's time on English being a much more worthwhile activity.

rexw,
I see where you are comming from, however, although I don't like the way they live today, one must admit that they are a product of white mans intervention.

Now as for being 'clever', in their own right, I am afraid you are judging them by our current standards. I think it is unfair to judge the way they are now as the topic is about their language, not their livelihoods.

What I mean is that they were able to survive in some pretty harsh conditions. Also, there was an excercise several years back whereby a group of them wer dropped off in the bush, along with a group of army personell, along with their modern gadgets etc.

Both groups were given the task of reaching a certain point, within a timeframe and the Aboriginies beat the soldiers hands down and fed themselvs along the way.

Now I am the first to say that if left along they would not have invented the wheel yet, but!, did they need to?

The difference between me and others is that I admit I use crummy English whereas others pretend to know it all and really can’t even read and understand what the constitution stands for.
As English is the main language then this should be the first language.
Being Dutch born I never did go out of my way to teach Dutch to any of my children because I held it more important that they learned English. However, when any of my (now adult) children ask me to translate in Dutch, etc, I do so. Too often parents born overseas try to put their native language before English and that causes problems because the children, even so natural born Australians, will be more likely see themselves as like their parents from another country rather then being Australians.
Teaching Aboriginal languages is an absurdity in that there were so many Aboriginal languages all over Australia that you would end up with a huge battle as every aboriginal descendant would want their specific dialect to be taught. And who are we to dictate which one of the dialects should be forced upon Aboriginals using a different dialect?
I recall a huge fight about Aboriginal names where in the Grampians names of the old Aboriginal tribes were used but then a another group of Aboriginals of a different tribe now wanted the old Aboriginal names changes to their kind of dialect! As such knowing of the past problems OI rather say forget about it.
If anyone desires to learn any Aboriginal language then it should be upon their own choice!

Mr Gerrit H Schorel-Hlavka,
Well I think that pretty well sums it up for me. Let's face it, it is frustrating to be left out of a conversation because those speaking are using thier native language.

I think this will simply 'pass over' and be seen as a bad idea.