Early Australian Anthropomorphs: Jabiluka's Dynamic Figure Rock Paintings

Abstract

Early depictions of anthropomorphs in rock art provide unique insights into life during the deep past. This includes human engagements with the environment, socio-cultural practices, gender and uses of material culture. In Australia, the Dynamic Figure rock paintings of Arnhem Land are recognized as the earliest style in the region where humans are explicitly depicted. Important questions, such as the nature and significance of body adornment in rock art and society, can be explored, given the detailed nature of the human figurative art and the sheer number of scenes depicted. In this paper, we make a case for Dynamic Figure rock art having some of the earliest and most extensive depictions of complex anthropomorph scenes found anywhere in the world.

Memorialization and the Stencilled Rock Art of Mirarr Country, Northern Australia

“…Our results stem from this work that included the documentation of almost 700 sites between 2011 and 2015 (e.g. Hayward 2016a,b; 2017a,b; Johnston 2017; Johnston et al 2017; Jones & May 2017;May et al 2017;2018;Miller 2016;Wright et al 2014;2016). This area is renowned for its rich rock-art and archaeological heritage, with recent excavations in Mirarr Country dating occupation back to over 65,000 years bp (Clarkson et al 2017).…”

Dynamic Figures of Mirarr Country: Chaloupka’s four-phase theory and the question of variability within a rock art style

“…In contrast, Lewis's (1988) chronology is largely constructed from observations of technological changes in depicted material culture, principally spearthrowers, but other material culture associated with different styles and regions were considered as well. Even though some differences are noticeable between Chaloupka's and Lewis's chronological models, their main sequences both hold Dynamic Figures in a similar position as the first substantial group of depicted human figures with distinct items of material culture (May et al 2017). Brandl (1982:169, 172-173) was the first researcher to identify Dynamic Figures, which he described as 'early' Mimi art, as a specific, chronologically meaningful rock art style for western Arnhem Land.…”

“…The current known distribution of Dynamic Figure art falls within an area that measures northsouth about 180 km in length and east-west 200 km in width, stretching from the Cadell and Mann rivers in the east to the outliers of the Arnhem Land escarpment to the west, and from the Wellington Ranges in the north to Birdie Creek in the south (Chaloupka 1984b(Chaloupka , 1993Chippindale et al 2000:66, Figure 1; cf. Gunn and Whear 2007;May et al 2017).…”

Maliwawa figures—a previously undescribed Arnhem Land rock art style

“…Maliwawa males are usually in profile and often have a bulging stomach above a penis. Penises are rarely depicted in Dynamic Figure paintings (Chaloupka 1984b;Johnston 2018;May et al 2018) but are more common for X-ray and related recent paintings. A few Maliwawa females are also shown with an extended abdomen.…”

“…(e.g. seeChaloupka 1984b;Johnston 2018;May et al 2018), some Maliwawa Figures are arranged in complex scenes of activity. Importantly, human figures are frequently depicted with animals, especially macropods, and these animal-human relationships appear to be central to the artists' message.…”