Symbols in Aboriginal art have long been used to tell a story.

As Australian Aboriginal people had no written language for tens of thousands of years, symbols that vary from place to place provided a means of communication representing people, landmarks, events, animals, plants and The Dreaming or Jukurrpa.

Expressed with dots, circles, straight lines and curves, traditional symbols add significant cultural and spiritual meaning when applied to the body in ceremonies and on surfaces such as sand, tree bark, rocks and paintings.

Dots were initially used in contemporary Australian Aboriginal art to protect and conceal secret stories and rituals from an uninitiated public. Today many painted stories still require permission from Aboriginal elders to produce.