The First Nations People of Australia are the oldest continuous culture on Earth, comprising over 250 distinctly separate nations and language groups with different histories and performative customs (Casey, Telling 8). Their traditional practices of storytelling through art, dance, and song have been a consistent means of cultural expression within this vast and complex landscape. These participatory frameworks of revealing and embodying systems of knowledge have existed since time immemorial, with evidence of First Nations dance and storytelling found in Arnhem Land dating back to 54,000 years ago (Eckersley 131).
This essay was produced for AustLit by intern Susan Moran.
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Image: Patyegarang (Jasmin Sheppard). Bangarra Dance Theatre. Image credit: Greg Barrett. Reproduced courtesy of Bangarra.