An oral civilization, and the oldest known to man, it passes knowledge, experience and spirituality through the storytelling of painting, dance and song, from one generation to another. Art is as much a pedagogical device as it is a spiritual one. It is the living and ever-evolving expression of a people's history, myths, beliefs and experiences. The stories, thus passed on, give the descendants the tools to survive in harmony with a harsh environment. Each owner of a story is the link between the origin and now and here, between the living and the dead, between the divine and the human.
Aborigines belong and are in turn owned by their environment and history.
They are one. The artist does not engage into art lightly, for it is not only a power, it is a responsibility. They have to obtain permission to express the story that this Dreaming has given. There are discussions in the art world, as it greedily consumes and commercializes Aboriginal art, as to whether it is abstract or primitive. This is obviously not a problem the Aborigines themselves are having.