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Tasmanian Aboriginal art surviving through invasion
European colonisation fundamentally changed the lifestyle of Aboriginal people. With colonisation in 1788 Aborigines came under European law. Colonial ideas presumed that the Indigenous people were to be dispossessed of their land. Dispossession was accompanied by violence and the destruction of cultural traditions. Government policies of protection and assimilation, which gathered survivors together into missions and government reserves, contributed to the impact of colonisation by allowing the removal of children from their families. Aboriginal people today are still coming to terms with the grief and trauma caused by these events. It would be a mistake to stereotype Aborigines as the passive victims of colonialism. There is alot of evidence that Aborigines have engaged in acts of resistance from guerrilla warfare to strikes and protests. Aborigines have also tried to engage in dialogue with non-Aborigines. Art is one of the key means that Aborigines have engaged in cultural exchange. Before colonisation Aborigines had well-established trade routes across Australia and with colonisation art has continued to play this primary role. 'Among Aborigines we can witness the amazing capacity of a vibrant culture to respond to change in creative ways despite the harshness of their experiences' (Macdonald, 1991, p. 73). Obviously Aboriginal identities have evolved along with the colonial world. Whereas previously identity was more localised, since colonisation Aboriginal identity has become more complicated and contested. For example, until recently Torres Strait Islander culture was almost completely overlooked. Today contemporary Indigenous artists engage at many levels: local, national and international in the process of taking their culture into the world arena. Diversity Prior to colonisation Aboriginal people lived as hunter-gatherers. As small bands of people they moved at will through the landscape coming together for ceremonies. There were regional differences: between the cool temperate, well watered south east which supported a high density of population and the dry interior where Aboriginal people required much larger areas to sustain existence. Geographic differences also created a diversity of styles and forms. The historical impact of colonisation, aswell as regional differences has risen the diversity of contemporary Aboriginal art. In south eastern Australia where colonisation first occurred, settlement was complete by the mid-nineteenth century. However, the delayed and uneven progress of colonisation across the remainder of the content allowed Aborigines in northern Australia more time to adapt to changed circumstances. By the time Arnhem Land came under colonial control in the 1920s and 1930s there was growing recognition for Aboriginal art.
Natalie's great grandmother, Muriel Cooley was born in Milton and her grandmother May Stewart was born in Nowra on the south coast of NSW. They belonged to the Yuin Tribe. The family were travellers and followed the timber industry for work. They eventually settled in La Perouse beside Botany Bay, just across from Kurnell where Captain Cook first came ashore in 1770. Grandfather Gordon Ella belonged to the Gadigal Tribe and this tribe is part of the Eora Nation. He and May had 12 children and Natalie's mother Karen was one of those twelve. It's a large and closely knit family. Aboriginal artist Natalie Bateman has lived in the pretty coastal town of Nambucca Heads on the mid north coast of NSW since 1985. This is the traditional land of the Gumbaynggirr people. Many of Natalie's works are inspired by the glorious rural, rainforest and coastal seascapes found throughout the Nambucca Valley. Natalie's totem is Umbarra the black duck. Drawing inspiration from the local marine and rural landscapes, this indigenous Aboriginal dot style artist is creating dot paintings of impressive creativity, maturity and discipline.
