Geology and Landscapes

Indigenous geologists

Hard rocks were prized to make axes and spearheads. Stone axes can be made from hard rocks like quartzite or basalt. Expert stone workers use another stone to knock off flakes to shape the stone into an axe head or spear point. These days some spearpoints are made from glass and ceramic insulators.

Flat rocks could become grinding stones for crushing seeds to make flour or for crushing ochres to make paints. The rock shelves around many art sites are pockmarked with hollows from grinding paints.

Some of the materials used in painting, both for body painting and for decorating implements or in rock shelters, also originate as earth materials. Ochres, which can be yellow, orange or red, are weathered iron oxides called limonite, goethite and hematite. White paints are usually kaolinite or another white clay mineral. Although most black paints are made of charcoal from wood, on Groote Eylandt (NT) the Anindilyakwa people use psilomelane, a locally available ore of manganese. 

Some of these goods were often collected and traded with neighbouring groups, and there are trade routes along which these goods were moved.

Activities: Indigenous geologists

Landscapes

For most Indigenous people, including Indigenous Australians, the landscape around them was created and continues to be maintained by Creation beings. Stories that people tell often explain how some features are formed as well as telling them of their responsibilities to look after the country. Usually one individual, family or group will have responsibility for an area or site, but some sites can be very important and many people will be responsible (e.g. Uluru).