GATHERING ON LAND (TRIPTYCH – Set of 3)

My inspiration for this series of 3 paintings on canvas was the gathering of the tribes. The red and yellow ochre is symbolic of the earthy colour of the soil and brown and yellow leaves. Aboriginal people lived day to day in family groups. At times of ceremony, one to several hundred members of a single tribe came together. The largest ceremonies and gatherings consisted of different tribes meeting together when there might be over 1,000 people at one gathering. In Australia, tribes are really “language groups”, made up of people sharing the same language, customs, and lore or law. A tribe or “language group” of several hundred people is made up of bands of about 10-20 people each, who join together for day-to-day hunting and food gathering. Each band of people can be called a “horde” and in each horde are several families.