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The Dreamtime or Dreaming for Australian Indigenous people refers to the time when the Ancestral Spirits moved across the land and created life and significant geographic formations and sites. Aboriginal people tell Dreaming stories to pass on important knowledge, cultural values, belief systems and law to later generations. These stories are passed on through a number of different ways – Ceremonial body painting, song and dance being the most common. By maintaining a link with the Dreamtime and Dreaming stories of the past to the present, a rich cultural heritage is created. In many of the Dreaming stories, the Ancestral Spirits came to earth in...

Bush tucker, or bush food, is any food that is native to Australia. Australian Aboriginals have used the environment around them for generations, living off a diet that is high in protein, fibre, and micro nutrients, and low in sugars. Much of the bush tucker eaten then is still available and eaten today. There are many different types of Bush Tucker foods: nuts and seeds (eg. Acacia, Macadamia, Bunya nuts) flavourings and native spices (eg. bush pepper, lemon myrtle) berries (eg. Astroloma, some Solanum species) fruits (eg. Quandong, Ficus macrophylla, Syzygium, bush plum or Anwekety*) vegetables (eg. bush potatoes, yams, tomatoes) wattle seeds ground to produce "flour" drinks (eg. hot teas, infusions of nectar...

Gloria Petyarre was born near Atnangkere Soakage in 1945. She lived a very traditional lifestyle as a child, before moving to one of the established settlements in Utopia, NT. Gloria, her family members and her skin family, first became interested in art making by participating in the Utopia Women's Batik Group introduced in 1977 and initiated by the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association. With up to 80 members at a time, the Batik and Tie-die project became the seeding inspiration for the artists, and its tremendous success both in Australia and overseas led to another successful project introduced in 1988,...

Thomas Tjapaltjarri was born sometime around 1964 in the Gibson Desert, Western Australia. Thomas and his family which includes fellow artists Warlimpirrnga, Walala, Yukultji, Yalti and Tjakaria led a completely nomadic life until they emerged from the desert, coming to Kiwirrkurra in 1984. Dubbed "the Last Nomads" or "the Pintupi nine", they had had no contact with Western society until this point. Amazingly, he transitioned from an utterly traditional lifestyle to commencing as an artist within a matter of a few years and painting the traditional stories of his people.Thomas paints simple, geometric designs and uses a dotting technique shared...

Polly Ngale is one of the most senior custodians of her country Arlparra (or Ahalpere), in the heart of Utopia, located in the north west corner of the Simpson desert and roughly 350km north east of Alice Springs, along the Sandover Highway. Polly belongs to the oldest living generation of Utopia women and her artistic career began in the late 1970s when she, like many of the women in Utopia, began working with silk batik before venturing into works on canvas.She is considered one of the most accomplished painters from the Utopia region and is inspired by the Arnwetky (conkerberry) -...