Friday 16th June : Gariwerd rock art in the Australian context presented by ben Gunn.
A well attending group were presented with a PowerPoint talk on how the rock art of Gariwerd is both different from that anywhere else, but still fits within the broader pattern of Aboriginal rock art across the continent. As so many of the public have seen the well-preserved and visually spectacular rock art of northern Australia, the immediate reaction to seeing that in Gariwerd is one of disappointment; a problem not assisted by the near lack of any suitable on-site interpretation. The problem, however, is not unique to Gariwerd, as most of the rock art across southern Australia is similarly small, hard to see, and poorly preserved. But Gariwerd is unique and very
significant because, unlike other areas of southern Australia, it has a particularly high number of rock shelters used for rock art (160+ and still counting). In the confined area of Gariwerd, this forms one of the densest concentrations per km2 in Australia.
The motif types presented in Gariwerd, are similar to that throughout southern Australia, from the Mt Lofty Ranges to north of Canberra. The proportion of motif types in Gariwerd is unusual with a particular emphasis on rows of bars (as at Billimina) and the style of elongated stick figure preferred in the earlier red art.
The techniques and colours utilised are also similar, as is their general sequence of red paintings, followed by red or black drawings, and, most recently, white paintings. One difference here though, is the concentration of hand stencils at Manya (80+), a motif type only rarely occurring elsewhere in Gariwerd and is absent elsewhere in the southern belt. It is, however, common in the art areas to the north (Broken Hill and Cobar, and also Sydney). As with the other southern regions, no age has yet been assigned to any of the rock art, which is frustrating as we know Aboriginal people have been living in and utilising the resources of Gariwerd for at least 22,000 years. The main importance of Gariwerd rock art, however, is not in how it compares to other areas, but as a visual record of the something missing culture of Gariwerd people. Their culture was similar but distinct from other areas of Aboriginal Australia, and as such needs to be respected for what it can tell us of that culture.
