They would paint their faces and bodies for sacred rituals, and they also would carve designs into their skin, in a practice known as scarification . Scars were made in the body for many reasons, but usually this was done during special ceremonies to mark initiations or changes of status within the tribe. When the wound healed, raised scars would remain, and these scars were usually in patterns that had meanings known only to certain members of each tribe. This form of body art is rarely practiced now. Aboriginal artwork is both new and old at the same time.
Resources used include various internet sites as well as numerous books.