Aboriginal Symbols of Family & Activity
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are warned that this website contain images, voices and names of people who have passed away.
Indigenous Symbols, Iconography and Imagery

Many aboriginal artists depict the tools and/or weapons that are used by their tribes. These could be coolamons and digging sticks mainly used by the female of the tribe, boomerangs and spears that are used by the male of the tribe. Whilst the genders usually paint only the tools that their gender would use, it does not mean they may not depict tools used by the other gender.

The Aboriginal artist often depicted tools and weapons in their art work. These being a reflection of what they used in everyday life, whether it is the digging stick and coolamon for gathering bush tucker, or the boomerang used in hunting and ceremonial purposes.

Tools and Weapons

Aboriginal symbols and their meaning
Aboriginal symbols and their meaning

Interpretations of symbols should be taken in context of the whole painting , the region from which the artist originates from, the story behind the painting, the style of the painting, with additional clues being the colours used in some of the more modern works.

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Boomerang © Gallery Gondwana