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Symbols and
Sea Charts
Have you ever thought about the symbols we use to represent place?
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This
innovative unit for grades 5 to 8 was designed by Karen Wilson, a
teacher at the Tasmanian Marine Discovery Centre. Her aim was to
incorporate local Aboriginal perspectives, history and art with an
understanding of the environment. The uniting thread was the use of
symbols. The unit integrates across learning areas of The Arts,
SOSE, English and Mathematics and is a great example of a rich,
contextual, multi-purpose, multi-intelligence approach to learning.
Hopefully you will get lots of ideas from it for further creative
design. So
what do students do? (the brief answer) Students look at the symbols used in sea charts to describe the environment. They then look at aboriginal art techniques and symbols and what is being portrayed in Aboriginal paintings of the environment. They then explore a particular environment (foreshore, school, community area) creating maps of their micro and macro-journeys based on the symbols they have learnt about from both European and aboriginal perspectives. They then tell the story of their journeys and their picture representations, mirroring the importance of story telling in aboriginal cultures.
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Objectives
of the unit: To develop student’s knowledge and appreciation of:
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The Unit in more detail
Can set the scene by a story of an explorer or seafarer journeying into the unknown… 1.
Looking at Sea Charts This can be done as a
whole class activity or in smaller groups. It may be teacher directed or
set up as a question or problem-solving activities and it can involve an
element of research. For example, look at the symbols on sea charts ….
What do they mean? Look at the numbers (soundings), symbols
(lighthouses, weeds, safe anchorages) and what they mean. What types of
shapes and symbols are used? Explore these symbols as
another language. What other languages and ways of communicating in a
symbolic way do we possess? For example, all the different subject areas
such as music and science have specific languages and symbols: other
symbolic languages include semaphore, lighthouse lights which have
special flashing message, safety signals, ships flags, divers’
language underwater, sign language… Discuss how the maps
were made… the result of many people making journeys over time, that
they have redone many times throughout history, retold many times to
build up a picture of the environment. These are the stories of European
culture. What are the stories
from an aboriginal perspective… best camp sites, sacred sites for
ceremonies, first contact with explorers, shipwrecks. Introduce the
social aspect with stories of real people whose lives have touched your
chart… both from European and aboriginal cultures. What other stories come
from your charts? Geographical for instance – what is the land and sea
like? What does it support? Look at the natural and built environments
– has one influenced the other? Discuss the perspective
that is presented, that of a bird’s eye view. Can students think of
anything else represented in this way? Use examples of aerial
photographs, satellite imagery, weather maps, aboriginal art works. 2.
Looking at Aboriginal Art Techniques There are many ways of
introducing children to Aboriginal Art techniques. A very useful
approach is through speakers from your local Aboriginal community. Most
states have an Aboriginal Education unit or a Lands Council that will
assist you with speakers, materials and reference materials. The important aspects to
draw out of the artworks for this purpose are that there are different
artistic styles from different regions, for example x-ray style
paintings depicting internal and external details, monochrome stick-like
figures from Oenpelli, use of cross-hatching from Arnhem land, circles
and dots from the Desert region, and the many modern interpretations. Examine the different
types of symbols used…. Where did these symbols come from? Discuss the
importance of the environment, spiritual and creative aspects of their
creator’s lives. What do these symbols represent? Look at why Aboriginal
people paint. Communication of history, strengthening of Dreaming,
telling stories, passing information on about their environment or
social issues they want to bring to the attention of the community.
These stories are retold over time. Students bring their interpretations
to the examples they view. Why are the charts made?
To tell stories about the environment, safe passages, land forms, good
places to live, to pass on information, to communicate knowledge, maps
are redone (retold) over time. What are the
similarities between sea charts and Aboriginal art forms? Discuss the
symbols, the purposes, the means of communication, the fluidity – the
continual evolution. 3.
How can we map, or tell a story about our environment using the
ideas gained from looking at sea charts and aboriginal art techniques? Micro-journeys Look along mudflats,
foreshore, any inter-tidal area and look for patterns that could be used
as symbols: eg. Mollusk trails, bird prints, human foot prints, wave
ripples, shell patterns. Micro-journeys of shore
and inter-tidal animals can be mapped out or drawn using the symbols and
patterns that you have found, or make up symbols of your own. Symbols
and/or colour can also be found foe the background too, as students
should be encouraged to fill up the whole page, just as maps and
examples of Aboriginal artworks do. Stories or assumptions
or hypotheses then can be made and passed on so that the process of
retelling is incorporated. Students can produce something from a small
area or use the whole foreshore area. It is interesting to get students
to produce sand maps if this is appropriate to your area, leaving them
to be washed away with the tide. This also helps to illustrate how easy
it is for oral traditions to be lost or undervalued. Macro-journeysYour journey, the bigger
picture can take place in the same way. Think about the symbols you
would like to use, take your students for a walk along a beach or around
your community. How would they symbolize rocks, plants, dunes, houses,
etc? Look at your environment and think about the symbols explored
through Aboriginal art. Include your home, the points of interest on
your journey, any side trips, places or things of significance. Language, eg poetry or
descriptions other than images or textures that have been found or
created can also be incorporated. 4.
Retelling
This component is essential to this unit.
It emphasizes a unique component of aboriginal culture and is a good
strategy for discussing the value that different cultures place on the
written and spoken word. |
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