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RE: Dreamtime - sand sculpture
Thank you for all that information, As I said this piece is from our own imaginings. I had read somewhere about the use of Pituri by some tribes and with the piece used that to form our interpretation knowing full-well it was far from the truth.
With these kind of project the process of the sculpture happens so fast you just need to make something quickly and mostly it is just fun, especially in those days. now I try to be a bit more measured in my work.
I understand there is much misinformation and romanticising of cultures foreign to us. Similar things are done for instance to Indigenous Americans, both North and South. So, if you've had no direct contact with said people, how are you to know any better.
But having spent a little time talking with indigenous Australians, I know what a hot topic it is. Foreigners (Europeans) invaded their lands, forceably and unintentionally through disease wiped out large portions of their population. Then those who survived were removed from their lands, people, families, culture and language. You then get the more foreigners making up fanciful interpretations of the shreds left of their culture, naturally they're quite upset.
Further on the topic of the Pituri, everything I have thus read on the topic indicates that the active chemical substance is a nicotine compound. So, if ever you've smoked tobacco yourself, other than a bit of light-headedness, it has no psychoactive properties. It appears that from all available European records it was used as stimulant to help them with strenuous activities, such as long treks through the bush or desert. It is to be noted, that the particular tribes who engaged in its use were wiped out and there is no known surviving cultural knowledge. Further, as I pointed out in my previous comment, such knowledge of Pituri was for the privileged few (initiated), most notably old men. Europeans while they did note the use and effects of the plant, did not bother to ask what it meant for Aboriginal people, whether there was any sacred or spiritual aspect to it's use. So anything that you read today about their use of it is pure speculation or pure fantasy.
This quite detailed article on the topic is a tantalising glimpse of its use.
https://prehistoricdrugs.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/the-aboriginal-drug-pituri-2/
The previous link I provided, also gives a first hand perspective on the general indigenous attitudes towards traditional cultural use of psychedelics. It is to be noted, that there is a dearth of information of such use by these people, either because it was sacred and closely guarded secret that died out with the people, or as the commentator of the above link puts it, their ceremonies were "family orientated" affairs, where rhythmic dancing and singing was used to induce trance like states.
An excellent research resource of all things chemical and plant based that affect human consciousness can be found at Erowid.org.
I hope you understand, my intent is to inform and not attack you. I still love your creativity and work.
Wow @leoplaw, thank you so much for taking the time to give such an in-depth explanation. I understand that this is not an attack and is something I really hoped for, to learn more about their cultures. I do feel however that me making this piece can very easily be taken as a sign of disrespect to them especially as they have faced so much at the hands of western colonisation . I assure you and all readers that this is not the case. I was just trying to learn and understand more and I don't want my work to add to their difficulties , I am happy that due to the ephemerality of sand this piece is no more and that with this post we came to talk about why it could be offensive.This is a good lesson for me to be more careful in how I research and make my sculptures, so, Thank you again.
I hope you don't mind that I add this comment thread to the main post as I think it is very valuable and adds to the documentation of the piece.
Sure. But remember, I'm just a whitey repeating what I've been told, directly and indirectly, along with what I've read. The original source is always best.
Oh, something I did't include in my rant, and I don't know if you picked it up in any of the links I gave you, the plant, Pituri, was not smoked, but combined with ash and chewed. This gum was stuck behind the ear to always have it on hand. Socially, they (the old men, the elders) would then pass it around and chew it until it was returned to the owner who would stick it behind his ear again. So it was kind of like chewing tobacco and a nicotine patch. Sometimes, fact is stranger than fiction. ;-)