Aboriginality of Australia Photo Gallery by Sheila Smart at pbase.com

Aboriginality of Australia

The aboriginal people have been in Australia for the past 45,000 years plus. Here is my tribute to a very hardy race of folk who in 1967 (and long overdue) were recognised by the Australian Government. Music and art play an important part of aboriginal culture. The images here are of aborigines living in Sydney. Uanuthorised use of these images will be vigorously pursued by legal means. All images are available in both colour or monochrome.

Warning to Aboriginal viewers: The following may contain images of people who are deceased. No disrespect intended nor meant.

All images ŠSheila Smart - 2008

Mudda Mudda	Young aboriginal busker	Aboriginal hand	Cedric
Wayne, didgeridoo player	Alice	Aboriginal child with didgeridoo	Aboriginal boy
Cedric tryptych	A pensive Cedric	Portrait of Cedric	Sorry in skywriting over Opera House
Wayne, a portrait	Reuben, Aboriginal dancer	Reuben, aboriginal dancer	Cedric portrait
Aboriginal didge player	Young aboriginal dancer	Wayne, aboriginal didgeridoo player	Rodney, aboriginal busker
Dancer acting as kangaroo	Aboriginal boy dancer	Busker with clapsticks	Aboriginal busker at Quay
Cedric profile	Les: aboriginal didgeridoo player	Sonda Turner Nampitjinpa	Sonda Turner Nampitjinpa
Turtle - aboriginal didge player	Cedric - aboriginal busker	Aboriginal woman	Aboriginal busker in Blues hat
Cedric - portrait of an aborigine	Cedric signing CD	Little aboriginal girl with phone	Cedric - aboriginal busker
Cedric, portrait of a busker	Cedric - portrait of a busker	Cedric in mono	Freddy the busker
Max and tourist	Aboriginal lady	Max, aboriginal elder	Didgeridoo player
Alan Dargin	Didgeridoo player	Alan Dargin	Deep in thought
Aboriginal woman at Quay	Young aboriginal woman	A candid portrait	Aboriginal boy profile
Shells	Aboriginal young man	Aboriginal dancer with flag	Aboriginal Dancer
Aboriginal Dancer	Little aboriginal girl	Aboriginal man at Quay	Aboriginal dancer
Dancer	Little girl	Close up of aboriginal man	Aborigine with great hair
Friend of Russell	Little aboriginal girl	Aboriginal singer	Painting by Peter Birch, aboriginal artist
Pretty aboriginal girl	Painting by Peter Birch	Aboriginal boy busker with didge	George with sunnies
Aboriginal mum with daughter	Russell	Aboriginal with beard	Two singers - two cultures
Dancer	Pensive girl	Busker	Busker singing
Aboriginal lady busker	Artist Peter Birch	Aboriginal man at Manly	Aboriginal boy in deep thought
Rodney Weatherall - 1965-2004	Close up of Alice	Aboriginal didgeplayer - nice smile!	Silhouette of busker with didge
Rodney Weatherall - 1965-2004 - Rest in peace	Rodney - RIP - 1965-2004	Busker	Aboriginal boy busker
Aboriginal girl starting to dance	Aboriginal girl with swirling hair	Aboriginal dancing child	Didgeridoo
Silhouette of didgeridoo player	Aboriginal flag with didgeridoo busker in silhouette	Aboriginal lady with girl on phone	Lady with clapstick
Busker	Aboriginal girl	Russell Dawson, didge player	Russell Dawson, didge player
George, dancer and didge player	Aboriginal painter	Two cultures	Dancer
George	Dance group	Russell Group with Morton Bay fig	Pretty young woman
Aboriginal dancer	Aboriginal dancer

post a comment

endre novak		03-Jul-2009 21:29
fantastic collection!

Alain		19-May-2009 21:10
you have made a great album, it helps so much. thanks alot

Russ		19-May-2009 03:42
It would be nice to see what more aussie aboriginal women look like.

Russ		19-May-2009 01:39
It would be nice to see what more aussie aboriginal women look like.

Rob		21-Mar-2009 23:31
What a great gallery.

Diane		17-Jan-2009 21:30
Your photos are beautiful. Thank you.

Guest		20-Dec-2008 18:01
Thank You very much this has helped me alot, There is no better place to find these aboriginal pictures

Judie		20-Dec-2008 05:09
This is the only was I get to see the Australian Aboriginals, on the internet. I live in Maryland in the U.S. These pictures are great. Thankyou

Natty		19-Dec-2008 13:38
Thanks a lot for such exciting pictures!!

LynnH		17-Nov-2008 02:42
Wonderful gallery. Love the portraits of Cedric most of all. Happy to vote!!

James Campbell		20-Sep-2008 23:51
Having lived in New Zealand and witnessed the growing recognition and appreciation of Mâori culture I was dismayed to find that Australia did not extend this same respect to Aborigine people. The paucity of images such as these on the internet are a reflection of this. My thanks to you Sheila for the work you do, especially in this stunning record of the first Australians.

kaka		20-Aug-2008 20:58
it was really interesting!!!!

sada		20-Aug-2008 20:57
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiccccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Guest		15-Jun-2008 05:09
Thank you so much for providing such wonderful photos. There is a definite shortage of really good photos and images of indigenous people and I am so happy to have found your site. Please keep up the good work

Sangeetha		17-May-2008 06:00
Your pictures are wonderful! Thank you for doing this and for reminding us of the Beauty of Mankind!

Michael Jackson		11-May-2008 09:31
LOve love it, you really have collected good pics

steven wey		11-May-2008 09:18
Good Job Man!! I love those Pictues

Glenda		08-Apr-2008 04:54
Wow... fantastic photos. You really captured the beauty of our indigenous people. A real pleasure to view. Thank you so much for sharing these with us.

Art Vandaleigh		07-Mar-2008 19:12
these photos are awesome. My group will definately use them in our research project on the culture of aboriginals

masha		12-Feb-2008 20:37
the pictures is so beautiful.those people are real australians,not white english criminals,who came there without invintation!this is the real faces of the country,and they are beautiful!

Noelene		15-Jan-2008 00:38
As an introduction to aboriginal culture for my five year old Finnish grandson, I found your gallery of pictures terrific.

Richard Bugbee		22-Dec-2007 20:08
I danced with Russell Dawson at Warana in 1991. I so cool to see him continuing the culture.

firstbrook		20-Dec-2007 10:43
A great record of these proud people Sheila...well done

endre novak		25-Nov-2007 20:50
outstanding gallery and collection of images. V

Chris Westinghouse (ProDigi)		24-Nov-2007 06:00
What a beautiful tribute to a beautiful people.

Guest		12-Nov-2007 20:32
You are really talented in capturing the culture and emotion in people! Go you! :D Mary

john harding		25-Oct-2007 06:27
Just want to say congrats, as someone who lived in Sydney for most of the 90's and met many of the buskers while working as reporterfor SBS Indig magazine program called ICAM, I am pleased that they are honored. for many white they are the only or first contact with Kooris. therefore they are ambassadors. Again thanks for honoring them.

Quincey		02-Oct-2007 00:34
I came to your website because my young co-worker had never heard of the Aboriginal people. We both loved the images and the people. I am also a person of color and love explaining to people the we are everywhere. Thank you for being a part of the history lesson.

Ondra		10-Aug-2007 07:38
Breathtaking pictures big thanks Sheila...

Tomasz Wojczyk		05-Jul-2007 19:11
Outstanding images; very unique gallery.

Edmund Li		02-May-2007 17:23
I am interested in the aborginal culture as well, love to see your work so much. well done

enny jameson		10-Mar-2007 15:33
breathtaking gallery, great work.

Galina Stepanova		01-Feb-2007 20:09
Fantastic portrait collection.

thechebb		31-Jan-2007 08:39
A fantastic photo gallery - Thank you for sharing! Cheers & voted!

shawnkraus		27-Jan-2007 21:16
These are absolutely Beautiful! Voted!!!!

EDIT CREATIVE COLLECTIVE		18-Jan-2007 15:29
what a gallery... a thought provoking gallery...

Bernard Bosmans		31-Oct-2006 11:36
This is fair dinkum, a magnificent and remarkable gallery. Beautiful tribute Sheila. I came to these shores in 1954 as a young bloke (24) and after a couple of years offered citizenship. By then had discovered that the the original and oldest residents were not recognised and were not even counted in the census. Instead of taking on citizenship, I joined the Aboriginal Advancement League in protest. Thank you for sharing these wonderful portraits.

Carshena Holladay		18-Sep-2006 22:53
Sheila your pictures are beautiful. I am a black-american and often wonder what our cultures have in common. But I am afraid it is only skin color. As I age, I have become interested in learning about other cultures around the world. This begins my research of this amazing group of people. I will continue to read and learn everything I can about them.

Jimmy Barnes		15-Aug-2006 23:43
wow ive never seen such textual artistic work!!! im amazed of how much talent these artists have

Jim Ross		16-Jul-2006 18:00
Wonderful gallery of amazing portraits... Gmv..

Alexandre Bédard		15-Jun-2006 07:06
Very great gallerie, I like the emotion that your picture shows. Nice work.

Thomas Spurr		11-Jun-2006 13:25
great shots..................

Greg Little		11-Jun-2006 09:07
Outstanding gallery. Nice work.

Matylda Lempel-Chareza Photography		29-May-2006 10:55
outsending,vote

Debi		02-May-2006 02:28
Oh, and you have my vote here! Debi

Debi		02-May-2006 02:27
Your work never ceases to amaze me! I love visiting! Debi

Eva		11-Apr-2006 20:00
Beautiful photos!

Brian with an Eye		23-Jan-2006 10:06
Thank you for beautiful images, Sheila. Your gallery is very fine - voted. Your images are all the more emotive because the situation of these folk is heart-rending, while at the same time the politics - on both sides - is so frustrating.

George Efstratiou		19-Jun-2005 13:11
It is so great of you to share your work with the world. Bravo sheila as the greeks say.Good on you. Regards to Russell from Cyprus, A freind i have met and made.

Martin Schiff		18-Jun-2005 07:12
Hi Sheila. I really love your work. Thanks so much for sharing it. Is that Turtle Tamwoy in the 4th row from the bottom, second from the right? It sure looks like him. I'm in Orlando, Florida and got to know him quite well when he was here at Epcot. The whole group came to my house for a "barbie" and we jammed for hours. -- Martin

colleen way		17-Jun-2005 15:59
What a unbelievably beautiful collection of portraits. They give off haunting vibes of a people's struggle to simply live the way they know so well. Stirred up some disturbing, sad feelings in my heart and soul. Since I play the yidaki, I loved those the best. I need to get some of these, to help me connect with what is truly important in life, the family of man. Thank you

Derek Daniel		15-Jun-2005 12:38
Wondeful Gallery, I think you have really captured the spirit of the people

Todd Banger		09-Jun-2005 01:21
Great portrait pictures. As a journalists I would like to see more pictures that tell the story of these people.

Benoit		04-Apr-2005 01:44
Hi Sheila , I must say that I am impressed with most of the pictures in your gallerie. Thanks for sharing.

Umberto Pini		30-Dec-2004 11:25
Ottimo lavoro ! Wonderful photos ! Happy new year. Umberto

GP Merfeld		07-Nov-2004 23:17
Wonderful Cultural Imagery! Absolutely beautiful work... Aloha, GP.

Johan Gerrits		31-Oct-2004 13:08
Thanks Sheila for your warm comments on my gallery, what a great shots you captured here, I hear almost the didges here.

Sheila Smart		11-Jul-2004 07:28
If I see him again, Tom, I'll pass on your message. He's not one of my regular subjects.

Tom the Pom		10-Jul-2004 20:45
tom@tomthepom.com

Tom the Pom		10-Jul-2004 20:43
I know the man in the photo 11 down left hand row. (aborigional didgeridoo player - nice smile) I would love to get back in touch with him, does anyone know of his whereabouts? if so please tell him to mail Tom the Pom! peace.

Mette		13-May-2004 15:53
wondeful, wonderful pictures.... I'm a girl from denmark. I have a school-projekt about aboriginals and i thought that this just is some of the most beautiful pictures i´ve ever seen!! Just love them so much!! SorrY about my english... Mette, 13 years old.

monique jansen		18-Apr-2004 13:02
a wonderful tribute to the original inhabitants of Australia, beautifully rendered portraits.

monique jansen		10-Dec-2003 18:50
amazing shots of an ancient culture and an excellent way of showing some of that culture to a broader audience. Love the humanity in the shots, and the way the faces jump out of the frames

Claude Renault		06-Dec-2003 08:50
All the pictures in this gallery are very beautiful. The first time I saw as many pictures of aborigenes. Good job

John Connor		05-Dec-2003 09:32
Sheila, Your amazing talent, and work serve to preserve the moment, the history, and the aboriginality of Australia, "The Land Down Under" that we can see, you love. Thanks for sharing, Happy Holidays, . . . I'll return to see Australia through your eyes . . . I'm here in Iowa viewing, Your digital music for the eyes, and listening to John Williamson sing of Australia . . how could it get any better than that! Best regards, John Connor

Michael Lee		03-Dec-2003 11:32
Fantastic collection. Beautiful photos. Please arrange to have this collection saved for posterity, some museum. This culture is slowly erroding and being absorbed into modern Australia and will be gone in a few more generations. Sadly!

Beverly Brott		02-Dec-2003 14:33
Hi Sheila, Your work is just wonderful The portraits are especially strong. Peter Birch is sexual and artistic intensity rolled into one, at least that's the impression I get from the photo. I have also seen some of your dp.review posts and will be sending you an email asking about some lenses, techniques and stock photo advice (if you don't mind).

Sheila Smart		03-Nov-2003 03:35
Thanks. Its my contribution! Cheers Sheila

elkin		02-Nov-2003 05:27
Your pictures are so magnificient that they should be recognised as a world heritage type of things in all decent museums, if you know what I mean. As for government of Australia... it's just another savage British "community" which was created from all UK punks moved to this continent to spend their lives in prison... God bless aborigionals !!!

Jo		18-Sep-2003 19:42
Fantastic, I have just spent a weekend with my boyfriends family from Sydney.... in Athens of all places, we received an invite to Sydney and your photos are wonderful and vibrant.... I can't wait to come over and see Austrailia for myself now.

Jal		17-Sep-2003 14:15
Fantastic album Sheila! You have real brought out the culture and art of the country. Jal

Casey Williams		02-Sep-2003 12:32
All of your images are beautiful, but this gallery gets my vote!

Sheila Smart		02-Jul-2003 02:48
Thanks Dan.

danyal		02-Jul-2003 01:09
My gosh. Each of pictures tells a story and they are all great.

Rodrigo Viterbo		29-Jun-2003 03:51
Hello Sheila. First I discovered the didgeridoo, than the aboriginal culture and now you gave me the opportunity to see those great people in a normal city. I would like to get in touch with the aborigene named Rodney, I would like to buy him a didgeridoo. Could you help me on that? Keep woth those great photos please

Denise Dee		27-Jun-2003 21:19
Hi Shelia, these faces and people are so compelling that it bothers me that they are framed in grey. It pulls my eye to the frame away from the person, and I have to pull it back... thanks, denise

Sheila Smart		17-Jun-2003 11:29
Thanks Craig. The image of the aboriginal lady in black and white was cropped the way it is because she was peering over a box but I think it works anyway! cheers and thanks for your kind comments Sheila

Craig Edgar		17-Jun-2003 11:06
Images 12873697 and 1045328 kind of say it all Sheila. I have resited the urge to crop but I can see that it can change the impact an image has dramatically. I continue to visit your galleries and see something different in images I have looked at multiple times. Craig

click on thumbnails for full image