#19 ALIARA BIRD - Spiritual Women Dancing: Aboriginal Art: 31x43cm
ARTISTS: Aliara Bird Mpetyane
REGION: Mulga Bore Utopia Region NE Alice Springs
LANGUAGE: Anmatyerre
TITLE: Spiritual Women Dancing
MEDIUM: Painting - acrylic on canvas
"Spiritual Women are an integral part of Aboriginal dreamtime stories. The ancestor spirit came down to the earth in human form and created most of the things that their future generations would need. They created the animals, rocks, waterholes, plants, rivers, mountains and other necessary essentials. During creation time, the spirit women were dancing, singing and entertaining the forefathers in the evening.
The ancestors created the relations between various groups of people, between individuals, their relations with lands, animals and how to preserve the relations. Ancestors taught them how to maintain close harmony with each other. The ancestors disappeared after their creations; they stayed in the sacred sites. For this reason, land is always close to the heart of Aboriginal people. The material value of the land is not what the Aboriginal people think is important. They look at the land as part of the Dreamtime, to be preserved for future generations to appreciate."
Biography:
Aliara Bird is the Daughter of the Artist Colin Bird and Colleen Wallace Kngwarreye. Her Grandmother is the late Ada Bird Petyarre, a high respected senior from Utopia. Aliara grew up surrounded by habitual routine of the painting and first began painting herself as an early teenager. The late Ada Bird was a strong influence in this. Aliara was very close to her Grandmother.
Aliara's Mother Colleen Wallace is a self taught Artist who comes from a strong family tradition of Eastern Arrente painters including Therese Wallace (Colleen's Mother) and Gabriella Wallace (Collen's Aunt). Colleens most popular Paintings illustrate Dreamtime Sisters who are good Spirits dancing the Awelye (Women's Ceremony) and looking after Colleen's Country.
