Ancestral Connections unlocks the inner meaning of Australian Aboriginal bark painting. Drawing on more than ten years of fieldwork among the Yolngu—an Aboriginal people of Northeast Arnhem Land—and applying both anthropological and art historical methods, Howard Morphy explores systematically the graphic representation of traditional knowledge in Yolngu art. He also charts the role that art has played in Aboriginal society both present and past. The rich symbolism of Yolngu art links the Yolngu directly with the "Dreaming," the time of world-creation that continues as the spiritual dimension of the present. Morphy shows how a complex dialectic of "inside" and "outside" interpretations of painting structures the system of knowledge in Yolngu society, and how European interest in this art has caused certain changes in the conditions of its production. The "inside" significance of the art, however, has not changed; it retains its dual ability to represent and to constitute relationships between things. Ancestral Connections is a major contribution to the anthropology of art. A subtle commentary on the colonial encounter in northern Australia, the book demonstrates how the Yolngu have used their art—against all odds—as an instrument of cultural survival and as a component of the economic and political transformation of their society.

Ancestral Connections: Art and an Aboriginal System of Knowledge

Arts & Photography

Morphy, Howard

History & Criticism

University of Chicago Press

Ancestral Connections unlocks the inner meaning of Australian Aboriginal bark painting. Drawing on more than ten years of fieldwork among the Yolngu—an Aboriginal people of Northeast Arnhem Land—and applying both anthropological and art historical methods, Howard Morphy explores systematically the graphic representation of traditional knowledge in Yolngu art. He also charts the role that art has played in Aboriginal society both present and past. The rich symbolism of Yolngu art links the Yolngu directly with the "Dreaming," the time of world-creation that continues as the spiritual dimension of the present. Morphy shows how a complex dialectic of "inside" and "outside" interpretations of painting structures the system of knowledge in Yolngu society, and how European interest in this art has caused certain changes in the conditions of its production. The "inside" significance of the art, however, has not changed; it retains its dual ability to represent and to constitute relationships between things. Ancestral Connections is a major contribution to the anthropology of art. A subtle commentary on the colonial encounter in northern Australia, the book demonstrates how the Yolngu have used their art—against all odds—as an instrument of cultural survival and as a component of the economic and political transformation of their society.

Religion in Aboriginal Australia: An Anthology

Bell, Diane

Charlesworth, Max

Religion & Spirituality

Univ of Queensland Pr

A textbook on aboriginal religious practices.

A survey of the great variety of Aboriginal art.

Aboriginal Art A&I (Art and Ideas)

Phaidon Press

Over the last 25 years there has been an explosion of interest in the Aboriginal religions of Australia and this anthology provides a variety of recent writings, by a wide range of scholars. Australian Aboriginal Religions are probably the oldest extant religious systems. Over some 50,000 years they have coped with change and re-invented themselves in an astonishingly creative way. The Dreaming, the mythical time when the Ancestor Spirits shaped the territories of the Aborigines and laid down a moral and ritual law for their occupants, is the fundamental religious reality. It is the basis of the Aborigines's view of their land or country, kinship relationships, ritual and art. However, the Dreaming is not a static principle since it is interpreted in different ways, as in the extraordinary movement in contemporary indigenous painting, and in attempts at an accommodation with Christianity. The contributions of anthropologists, cultural historians, philosophers of religion and others are included in this anthology which not only guides readers through the literature but also ensures this still largely inaccessible material is available to a wider range of readers and non-specialist students and academics.

Aboriginal Religions in Australia (Vitality of Indigenous Religions)

Dussart, Françoise

Reference

Routledge

The museums, libraries and colleges of Oxford contain some of the greatest collections of records and objects from Australia's recent past. This richly illustrated guide looks at how Oxford perceived Australia as the city's collections grew during the 18th and 19th centuries and how Australia fought against its perceived image. Eight contributions examine, for example, the botanical collection of William Dampier, the papers of Captain Charles Sturt (1795-1869), the evolution of anthropology and the Australian universities of the 19th century.

Australia in Oxford

Politics & Social Sciences

Anthropology

Pitt Rivers Museum

This attractive book has been published to complement an exhibition of Native American Baskets in the Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford. Contributions are: Baskets in the Pitt Rivers Museum (Linda Mowat) , Basketmaking (Linda Mowat) , Red Earth People and Southeastern Basketry (Rayna Green) , Meaning, Production and Identity in the Northeast Woodlands (Ann McMullen) , Northwest Coast Baskets in the Pitt Rivers Collection (Andrea Laforet) , California Baskets and Basketmakers (Sally McLendon) , Southwestern Baskets (Claire Farrer) , Mexico and Guatemala (Stuart Carter) , Life of a Basketmaker in Terra del Fuego (Penny Dransart) , Northern Andes and Intermontane Valleys of Columbia (Marianne Cardale Schrimphh) , Form and Function in the Central and South Central Andes (Penny Dransart) , The Amazon (Peter Rivière) , Aesthetics in a Cross-Cultural Perspective (Howard Morphy) , and Basketmakers Today and Tomorrow (Linda Mowat) .

Basketmakers: Meaning and Form in Native American Baskets (Pitt Rivers Museum Monograph)

Dransart, Penny

Museums, Infinity and the Culture of Protocols (Museums in Focus)

Museums, Infinity and the Culture of Protocols enters a dialogue about museums' responsibility for the curation of their collections into an infinite future while also tackling contentious issues of repatriation and digital access to collections. Bringing into focus a number of key debates centred on ethnographic collections and their relationship with source communities, Morphy considers the value material objects have to different 'local' communities - the museum and the source community - and the value-creation processes with which they are entangled. The focus on values and value brings the issue of repatriation and access into a dialogue between the two locals, questioning who has access to collections and whose values are taken into consideration. Placing the museum itself firmly at the centre of the debate, Morphy posits that museums constitute a kind of 'local' embedded in a trajectory of value. Museums, Infinity and the Culture of Protocols challenges aspects of postcolonial theory that position museums in the past by presenting an argument that places relationships with communities as central to the future of museums. This makes the book essential reading for academics and students working in the fields of museum and heritage studies, anthropology, archaeology, Indigenous studies, cultural studies, and history.

Over the last 25 years there has been an explosion of interest in the Aboriginal religions of Australia and this anthology provides a variety of recent writings, by a wide range of scholars. Australian Aboriginal Religions are probably the oldest extant religious systems. Over some 50,000 years they have coped with change and re-invented themselves in an astonishingly creative way. The Dreaming, the mythical time when the Ancestor Spirits shaped the territories of the Aborigines and laid down a moral and ritual law for their occupants, is the fundamental religious reality. It is the basis of the Aborigines's view of their land or country, kinship relationships, ritual and art. However, the Dreaming is not a static principle since it is interpreted in different ways, as in the extraordinary movement in contemporary indigenous painting, and in attempts at an accommodation with Christianity. The contributions of anthropologists, cultural historians, philosophers of religion and others are included in this anthology which not only guides readers through the literature but also ensures this still largely inaccessible material is available to a wider range of readers and non-specialist students and academics.

Aboriginal Religions in Australia: An Anthology of Recent Writings (Vitality of Indigenous Religions)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Morphy, Howard. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Morphy, Howard

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Morphy, Howard. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Ancestral Connections: Art and an Aboriginal System of Knowledge

Ancestral Connections: Art and an Aboriginal System of Knowledge

Religion in Aboriginal Australia: An Anthology

Religion in Aboriginal Australia: An Anthology

Aboriginal Art A&I (Art and Ideas)

Aboriginal Religions in Australia (Vitality of Indigenous Religions)

Australia in Oxford

Basketmakers: Meaning and Form in Native American Baskets (Pitt Rivers Museum Monograph)

Museums, Infinity and the Culture of Protocols (Museums in Focus)

Aboriginal Religions in Australia: An Anthology of Recent Writings (Vitality of Indigenous Religions)