ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Dreaming (Australian Aboriginal art)

Imagine a picture that tells a story of a dream that someone had while they were sleeping. This is what Australian Aboriginal art is often about. The people who create this type of art believe that dreams are very important and can tell us things that we wouldn't know otherwise.

When they create their art, the aboriginal people often use symbols and patterns that represent different things. For example, circles might represent a waterhole, and wavy lines might represent a river. They also use different colors that might have special meanings, like red for the earth and orange for the sky.

Sometimes, the aboriginal people will also paint pictures of animals in their dream. Each animal might have a special message or meaning that can help us understand our own lives better.

So, dreaming in Australian Aboriginal art is a way for people to connect with their dreams and the messages they might contain. It's like a special language that they use to communicate with the spirit world and with each other.