Keepers Of The Secrets: Aboriginal Art From Arnhemland In The Collection Of The Art Gallery Of Western Australia
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Markings: Previous owner
From the sacred landscapes of Arnhem Land emerges a profound visual testament to one of the world's oldest living cultures — Keepers of the Secrets presents a curated selection of Aboriginal artworks held within the prestigious collection of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, illuminating the rich ceremonial and spiritual traditions encoded within bark paintings, sculptures, and sacred objects. Michael A. Overskall chronicles the deep cosmological narratives of Arnhem Land's Aboriginal communities, unpacking the layered symbolism of Dreamtime stories, clan designs, and ancestral knowledge systems that have been passed down through generations of custodians — the true keepers of these secrets. This landmark publication stands as both a scholarly resource and a cultural act of witness, arguing powerfully for the continued recognition of Aboriginal artistic traditions as living, dynamic expressions of sovereignty and identity rather than mere ethnographic artefacts. Overskall's writing is measured and respectful, balancing curatorial authority with cultural sensitivity, while the works themselves — vibrant, intricate, and charged with ancestral power — demand a reckoning with the depth and complexity of Australia's First Nations heritage. For anyone seeking to understand the spiritual and artistic foundations of Arnhem Land's communities, this volume raises a question that lingers long after the final page: what else remains unspoken, held close by those who guard the knowledge?
Author: Michael A. Overskall
Format: Hardback
Genre: Australian history
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Markings: Previous owner
From the sacred landscapes of Arnhem Land emerges a profound visual testament to one of the world's oldest living cultures — Keepers of the Secrets presents a curated selection of Aboriginal artworks held within the prestigious collection of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, illuminating the rich ceremonial and spiritual traditions encoded within bark paintings, sculptures, and sacred objects. Michael A. Overskall chronicles the deep cosmological narratives of Arnhem Land's Aboriginal communities, unpacking the layered symbolism of Dreamtime stories, clan designs, and ancestral knowledge systems that have been passed down through generations of custodians — the true keepers of these secrets. This landmark publication stands as both a scholarly resource and a cultural act of witness, arguing powerfully for the continued recognition of Aboriginal artistic traditions as living, dynamic expressions of sovereignty and identity rather than mere ethnographic artefacts. Overskall's writing is measured and respectful, balancing curatorial authority with cultural sensitivity, while the works themselves — vibrant, intricate, and charged with ancestral power — demand a reckoning with the depth and complexity of Australia's First Nations heritage. For anyone seeking to understand the spiritual and artistic foundations of Arnhem Land's communities, this volume raises a question that lingers long after the final page: what else remains unspoken, held close by those who guard the knowledge?