Throughout the history of humankind, decorations, dresses, and jewelry have been an integral part of any celebration or ceremony. Almost every culture has a tradition of donning clothing and accessories appropriate to the occasion to communicate its significance and enjoy donning its beauty. Numerous ancient cultures, including the Australian Aboriginal culture, used elaborate body adornments as part of their ceremonies and practices that are found even today in art auctions online.
Jewelry Use in Indigenous Culture
The indigenous history shows that the people wore very little jewelry and accessories every day. However, ceremonies like corroborees see all the members adorned with headdresses and beaded necklaces. The ceremonies relating to Fecundity necessitated men and women to wear necklaces, which is seen in contemporary aboriginal cultures. The unique factor about these pieces is that the jewelry materials vary depending on the resources available in the particular region. These materials include snake vertebrae, dried fruit, plant seeds, reeds, grasses, feathers, and shells. These materials also symbolize the beliefs and values of the culture. For example, the string of hair they use to bring the ornament together signifies the interconnection of their families and communities.
The Weaves of Torres Strait Islands
The Torres Strait Islands hosts one of the oldest indigenous communities in the region. The initial inhabitants of the island are believed to have migrated from Papua New Guinea and Indonesia around 70,000 years ago when the land was attached to Australia. As a result, the Torres Strait now has influences from Aboriginal, Torres Islander, Malay, Papua New Guinean, Chinese, Japanese, European, and Pacific Islander cultures in its decorative tradition. The community follows the strong tradition of creating body decorations by weaving natural materials readily available in their regions, such as pandanus and coconut leaves. Using these materials, they create the most beautiful jewelry, brackets, fishing nets, and other decorative items that pay homage to their culture.
Pearls and Precious Ornaments
The pearling industry that began in the 1860s led to the incredible diversity visible in this culture that led to the designing of unique jewelry traditions. These jewelry pieces include turtle shell neck pendants, carved pearl shells, and wooden carvings. The string jewelry art of the aboriginal communities signifies the connection they have with the land. The echidna quill necklace, seed and shell necklace, earrings, anklets, and bracelets are well known. Many of these unique pieces are available in art auctions online.
Dharis or Headdresses
Headdresses form an integral part of the Torres Strait Island culture as the aboriginal community wears them during ceremonies. Dhari is the Eastern island Meriam Mir terminology for headdresses. It is referred to as a Dhari in the western and central islands, where the community speaks Lagaw Ya. The headdresses are mainly seen in ceremonies that involve dancing. They are designed, produced, and worn by men. Aboriginal artists create traditional dharis from Torres Strait pigeon feathers and frigate birds. However, today, artists use numerous materials like plywood, cardboard, cane, and chicken feathers to design beautiful headpieces. The night performances with dhari create a shimmering effect when the performers dance by shaking their heads to the beats.
The colors, materials, sizes, shapes, and process of creating and wearing these ornaments hold a lot of significance and meaning in the lives of the aboriginal community. There are numerous programs, galleries, art auctions online, art centers, and museums that work tirelessly to keep the indigenous jewelry tradition alive. They collaborate with indigenous artists from various regions of Australia and display their art pieces for the world to behold, admire and contribute to their growth.
