Log Transcript

This is Genevieve Johnson speaking to you from Kakadu in northern Australia.

The rich natural resources of Kakadu National Park have sustained human habitation for possibly up to 60,000 years. The park is extremely important to Aboriginal people, and many still occupy the region. Significant sites associated with the 'Dreaming' or creation of the land and animals, are particularly important to the Aboriginal communities.

Kakadu has about 5,000 Aboriginal rock painting sites, dating back thousands of years and up to the 1960s. They range from 50,000 year old handprints, to paintings of animals, people, mythological beings and more recently, European ships and guns. This area constitutes one of the worlds most fascinating and important rock-art collections. They provide a record of changing environments and aboriginal lifestyles over time, a tradition that has continued in Kakadu for millenia.

Today while visiting Ubirr, a site housing one of the greatest galleries in the park, we were able to appreciate the unique beauty of the art and understand more about the close personal relationship Aboriginal people have with the land and their spiritual heritage.

Namarrgon - The Lightning Man.

Photo: Chris Johnson

Looking out over the floodplains of Kakadu, surrounded by ancient Aboriginal rock art, one feels a connection with the past. It's amazing to be sitting in an area where Aboriginal Clans have lived for tens of thousands of years and read the words of Bill Neidje. Bill is a traditional owner of Kakadu. His clan together with other traditional owners have leased their land to the Commonwealth Government of Australia, to be managed as a National Park for everybody to care for and enjoy. A sign at the Ubirr lookout reads:

"Aboriginal people belong to the land.
The soul of a person is born from the land and returns to it after death.
Earth…
Is like your father, brother or mother,
Because you're born from earth,
You've got to come back to earth."

Bill Neidjie
Traditional owner.

The rock art is tangible and dramatic evidence of the richness of the traditional culture which Aboriginal people view with considerable pride. Often the art forms a continuing link with long-established beliefs about the formation of the landscape and of Aboriginal law. They also paint for a variety of other reasons. For example, if certain animals are depicted, it is believed this will increase their abundance and ensure a successful hunt. Paintings will often represent life events, which can then be read, passing down important information for generations to come. Some art demonstrates celebration and ceremony, while other works portrays sorcery and magic.

A Kangaroo.

Photo: Chris Johnson

When visiting the art sites at Nourlangie rock, massive weathered sandstone and sheer-cliffed outcrops rising from the Arnhem Land escarpment, one of the most striking and well-preserved works was of Namarrgon. Frozen in time, Namarrgon is the 'lightening man', the spirit who wears a belt of lightening as a band around him. He is the spiritual ancestor who is responsible for the violent electrical storms that occur every year. It is believed that if this site is disturbed, widespread trouble will result.

Due to the incredible age of much of this work, the elements have taken their toll. They are extremely fragile and can be damaged by water, people and buffaloes that stir up dust and rub up against the rock.

As well as being extremely important to the traditional owners of Kakadu who would like us to learn more about their culture when we visit the park, this treasure of rock art is an important historic and scientific record of human occupation of the region.

What a wonderful place.

To learn more about Kakadu National Park, visit the PBS Living Edens - Kakadu website.

Log by Genevieve Johnson

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