Australiana

Australian ethnographic and indigenous artifacts embody an aesthetic that is unlike any other found elsewhere in the world. These objects include fine art, vessels, hunting and fishing gear, as well as tools for everyday domestic chores.

The nature of indigenous tools and implements in Australia varied regionally. Coastal tribes, for instance, used fish bones as the tips of their weapons, while desert peoples relied on stone tips. The mythic boomerang and the dillybag, a bag constructed by native tribes from plant fibers, are two items that are unique to Australia.

Australian fine art and artifacts are perhaps best known internationally for their introduction of the Aboriginal dot painting aesthetic, which adorns many of their indigenous objects and had a significant influence on modern art. After Europeans arrived in Australia, ethnographic artifacts began to incorporate previously foreign materials such as metal, glass, and ceramics into their everyday implements.

Quick Facts

• Australia’s Aborigines were the first to develop cutting tools with the ability to grind seed
• In 2012, Christie’s New York sold an Aboriginal shield for more than $115,000
• The didgeridoo, an Aboriginal wind instrument that measures between three and ten feet in length, is prized for its distinctive sound and often elaborately decorated surface