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The art of healing: Australian Indigenous Bush Medicine

Henry Forman Atkinson Dental Museum & Medical History Museum

The health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is among our nation’s most dire social problems. To reduce the unacceptably high rates of illness and premature death suffered by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, we must combine the trusted ways of holistic healing that have been practised on this continent for millennia with the most recent Australian and international research, education and clinical practice.

The exhibition The art of healing: Australian Indigenous bush medicine explores the enduring presence and evolution of Indigenous medicine, and presents, through contemporary art, examples of specific treatments and broader approaches to healthy living from across Australia. It affirms that traditional healing is thriving—an intrinsic part of the lives of many Indigenous communities.


Image:
Cat. 55
Mulkun Wirrpanda
Yukuwa 2014
linocut
40.0 x 46.0 cm (image)
MHM2017.40, Medical History Museum