Red Ochre

Here is an excerpt from Color, by Victoria Finlay. Her first chapter is about ochre. She spends most of the chapter in Australia, trying to understand the significance of ochre for the Aboriginals.

"...ochre is not only sacred but also dangerous. Red ochre is an integral part of the initiation ceremony of young boys when they become men"..."The paint is part of the secret of initiation - and perhaps it is even the secret itself. Many people have speculated on the significance of this red earth - and anthropologists have tended to focus on the symbolism of red as representing men's blood (meaning death), or women's menstrual blood (signifying, perhaps, the potential for giving birth). But there is an alternative theory, a curious one: that the iron in red ochre somehow acted as a kind of magnet, to show Ancestors and Aboriginal people the way along sacred paths."

Here is a picture I found on the Web when I did a search for this post. I'm not sure if this artist is Aboriginal even, but I think it's gorgeous anyway. Here is the website where I found it: 'Out from Alice'. The artist is called Ochre Lawson and it's called Papunya in the Wet. Have a look at that website. There are some wonderful paintings there.

















You'll find at this website some Aboriginal prints.