Darwin, The Tour Begins

Our tour begins in Darwin. In this post, I cover the ancient Kakadu National Park, the sacred Aboriginal Rock Art, and the towering Termite Mounds of Litchfield National Park.

Kakadu National Park

We drive past swampy land, on a road where we are not to alight due to crocodile dangers. The land was once hopeful rice fields, now just non-arable land left to return to the wild. We enter Kakadu National Park, an ancient landscape with rock formations dating back millions (hundreds of millions?) year old. I can’t recall the number, the flies distract me. The heat is almost unbearable.

darwin-00 — Nawurlandja Lookout of ancient landscapes.

darwin-01 — The itinerary: some attractions require shoes, others can do with flip flops (or “thongs” per Aussies, and “jandals” per Kiwis).

darwin-02 — There are six seasons in Darwin. We were in the “Knock em down” season, which is part of the wet season. Thus, we were not permitted to check out some of the marvellous waterfalls, including the tallest of Kakadu, Jim Jim Falls.

Aboriginal Paintings

At Anbangbang, we see Aboriginal rock art, not the typical dot painting commercialized for tourism.

Rock art, the one on the right with kangaroos. — I can’t remember if the painting on the right is a later addition by documentary crew members, or if they are original. Apparently, one of the paintings at this site is a fake, and something morbid happened to crew members who painted at, and thus disrespectful of, the site. The spirits’ way of saying, “Get off my lawn.”

Our tour guide wasn’t fond of the term “art” used to describe Aboriginal paintings. It is much more than just art. It is culture, history, a big part of Aboriginal life, so he prefers the more literal term “painting”.

darwin-04 — “Art is an important part of traditional Aboriginal life.”

Ocre paint sprayed around the hand to form prints. — Hand prints to record child growth.

According to our guide, the information on this sign (below) is a misinterpretation of the painting.

Sign that says "Like To Dance?" — Here, it says men and women enjoy dancing.

What it actually represents are illnesses and deformities.

darwin-07 — Eg. Pregnant women of twins (twins were bad luck) with the twin babies falling from her; person with deformed legs; person with swollen joints, etc.

It’s not as glorified as the sign says.

I think about this art versus painting differentiation from time to time. Something bothers me about how my guide prefers to use the term “painting” over “art”. To me, “art” conveys something more than “painting”. The meaning behind a piece of painting makes it art. It is why some people don’t appreciate conceptual art because of its sometimes simple implementation. In a way, I feel my guide is degrading the term “art” by thinking that it degrades the Aboriginal painting. Does the term “art” does not encompass culture, history and sacred practice? Not sure, not sure.

Termite Mounds, Architecture by Bugs

In my head, I ask, why do I want to look at termite mounds? Bugs. *Shivers*

They’re actually quite impressive. Hundreds and thousands of termites poop enough to add 10cm each year to these termite mounds. What you’re looking at is about 10 to 20 years of hard labour.