Today, I was reading from a book about contemporary Indigenous art, titled Songlines and Dreaming, written by Patrick Corbally Stourton. In it he talks about the meaning of Indigenous Art, and the regions in which the styles originate from. Below are a few quotes I have taken from the book, which I believe translate well to what we have been looking at in class discussions.


Aboriginal paintings convey a message of hope. (p 9)
The power of imagery, coupled with the technical brilliance and richness emanated from a people whose material circumstances contrasted so harshly with the world for which these paintings were almost certainly destined. (p 9)
The appeal of Aboriginal to a Western society may stem from the similar approach it has to movements such as pointillism and minimalism. (p 11)
Their (Indigenous artists) skills are grounded in tradition, based on centuries of accumulated knowledge which has been handed down over the generations. They produce sophisticated art forms, neither ethnic nor artefact; theirs is meaningful contemporary paintings of an immensely rich intellectual order. (p 11)
Where there is no record of the history of the language, art, music and dance encapsulate the importance of communication. (p 13) 
Relationship to the land remains an absolutely basic to Aboriginal life. (p 14)
Preserving the land in its original purity is the main focus of the Indigenous population. Their vision is one in which the earth and their spirituality are inseparable. (p 14) 

Stourton, P C. Songlines and Dreaming. (London, Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd, 1996)