A visual analysis
The Bradshaws are figures painted on rock surfaces in the Kimberley. When we look at them we see the sum total of the archaeology that has been found for this cultural period. I could find no reference to any artefacts that could be associated with them. In the Bradshaws we see a series of figures that display great skill in their execution. We see figures of a certain elegance that project a delicate aura. They are enhanced stick figures. They are epitomic figures (Deregowski 1995:8), there is no implication that the figures are 'in the round', they have neither shade nor shadow. The Bradshaws are decorated to varying degrees-from the images of !people more decorated than any other rock art that has been encountered in this collection to images of great simplicity.
The predominant decorations of the Bradshaws are appendages to various parts of the body and a variety of associations. A small number seem to have had a simple application of either different colours or colours having constituents of lesser durability applied directly on the bodies.
A conspicuous feature is the lack of discernible sexed depiction and of sexual role differentiation. A consensus seems to have been reached that the preponderance of the Bradshaw images are male (Welch 1996:76). The argument appears to stem from ethnography or a personal predilection. The evidence is very sparse in the images.
A small and highly subjective sample:
There is no indication that the above images are of either sex. I have therefore described them as unsexed.
The Bradshaws, as they appear on the rock walls of the Kimberley are enhanced stick figures with complete infill. Many of the published images bear a great deal of decoration and they appear to stem from a culture that displayed little sexual differentiation. A verbal description of a rock art genre is difficult. For a visual assessment I refer you to THE BRADSHAWS. There you will find images of the Bradshaws that will convey, better than words, how the Bradshaw images appear. A selection of Algerian images is at ALGERIA
The comparisons
Images were taken from publications and then compared to the Bradshaws in an attempt to find aspects of affinity. The collection is not a completely representative sample. There were 2,230 useable images collected from publications. These images are a subjective selection. This was not a situation that had been sought. It occurred through collecting what was available rather than an all encompassing or random sample.
The images were grouped on a geographical basis. 20 quite large groups of significant diversity resulted. These groups were then split into genres on the basis of visual appearance.
The construction of genres assisted in the visual comparison to the Bradshaws as each genre had a certain homogeneity that assisted comparison between them. Any errors in this grouping would have had no effect on the statistical result as the Correspondence Analysis treated the geographical aggregate as a whole and thus ignored the genres.
Visual analysis has the advantage that the process is cheap, easy and can process an enormous amount of data very quickly. A disadvantage is that it is not possible to keep complete control of the process, or of aspect weighting. In some cases a single conspicuous aspect may be responsible for the grouping. In others a number of qualities may be responsible.
It is not possible to display all of the images here. The following table shows by geographical unit the number of genres identified and images collected.
Figure 5.
Results
This analysis resulted in three genres showing some affinity: Algeria, Genre 2-Algeria, Genre 12-Arnhem Land, Genre 9 and three genres showing significant affinity: Algeria, Genre 4-Arnhem Land, Genre 2-Arnhem Land, Genre 3.
All of these affinities required detailed assessment.
Some affinity
Algeria-Genre 2-Images:1
Figure 6: (after Muzzolini 1986: 129)
Affinities with the Bradshaws: Bangles on upper arms and one on the image's left wrist, fan-like decorations at left shoulder and right elbow, full infill. An object is mostly hidden behind the image that could be a form of tri-sash. All of these aspects are common Bradshaw features and could indicate the existence of some form of relationship.
Disparities with the Bradshaws: A common feature of the Bradshaws is a narrow chest and this image has a frontal chest. This figure could not be described as an enhanced stick figure. Finally the image does not look like a Bradshaw. It is undoubtedly a more realistic depiction and it lacks the demeanour of the decorated Bradshaws. It is the single instance of arm decoration in 206 images in the geographical unit. The mostly hidden object must be accepted with caution as its form depends largely on presumption.
It was interesting to see where the statistical analysis placed this figure. Algeria-Genre 12-Images: 1
Bradshaw and Algerian images compared:
Figure 7: (after Crawford 1968: figure 66) (after Lhote 1960: 204)
Affinities with Bradshaws: The Algerian image is very similar to an image in the Kimberley. The stance and the demeanour would place them in the same group.
Disparities with Bradshaws: The Algerian image is very similar to one image in the Bradshaws. The Bradshaw image does not resemble the remainder of its genre. It is a sport. Both images are stick figures and there are limited ways a stick figure can be drawn. This is a prime case for affinity by chance. The association of a bow with the Algerian image could indicate that if there was an influence it would be more likely that the Bradshaws influenced the Algerian figure than vice versa. No bows were shown in the Australian sample.
This resemblance must be regarded as being most likely due to chance.
Arnhem Land-Genre 9-Images: 13
A number of images have been removed from this page at the request of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. You will have to seek these images in the referenced publications.
See (Brandl 1982: figure 136, 175) (Chaloupka 1977: figure 12)
Affinities with the Bradshaws: They are all enhanced stick figures. Beehive head-dress, a few boomerangs and barbed spears. Some limited decoration.
Disparities with the Bradshaws: Only one image displays three aspects of similarity, the others displaying one or two. These images do not appear to display strong affinity.
Still, this genre could not be ignored as there were thirteen images out of twenty-one that displayed some similarity.
Significant affinity
Algeria-Genre 4-Images: 2
Figure 9: (after Lhote 1960: plate 24)
Affinities with the Bradshaws: Both images display tri-sashes and are full infill. These are two characteristics that are frequently displayed in the Bradshaws and there are two images from Algeria that display them.
Disparities with the Bradshaws: The Algerian images are realistically shaped where the Bradshaws are not. These two images and the image in Genre 2 total only three images in a sample of 206 from Algeria.
It was necessary to test this by other means.
Arnhem land-Genre 2-Images: 49
A number of images have been removed from this page at the request of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. You will have to seek these images in the referenced publications.
Compare the three images from Arnhem Land (in Brandl 1982: figures 81, 80, 105) with the following three images from the Kimberley (in Walsh 1994: 220, 264,176)
Affinities with the Bradshaws: Beehive head-dresses, enhanced stick figures, boomerangs, barbed spears, infill, little or no sex depiction, decorations on arms and legs that are in similar positions to Bradshaw decorations. The substantial lack of a head or face that is replaced by the elaborate head-dress, the existence of a number of tri-sashes, and the apparent ceremonial nature of the decorations are all aspects of affinity. There are 49 examples in a genre of 59 images.
Disparities with the Bradshaws: The images are far more active and the infill is mostly stippled as against the Bradshaw's full infill.
It is not known if there is a reason within the landscape for the use of stippling.
Arnhem Land-Genre 3-Images: 27
A number of images have been removed from this page at the request of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. You will have to seek these images in the referenced publications.
See (Brandl 1982: figure 4, 99, 173)
Affinities with the Bradshaws: Beehive head-dresses, enhanced stick figures, spears, boomerangs, full infill and no sexual depiction.
Disparities with the Bradshaws: Less decoration, do not display the variety found in the Bradshaws and the beehive head-dresses, while of the same shape have a tendency to be more upright and are depicted using a different technique.
There are 27 examples of this in a genre of 29. There were six related features. On this basis Genre 3 must be a contender for affinity with the Bradshaws.
In summary, there are consistent and significant commonalities between the Bradshaw genre and three Arnhem Land genres. From this investigation it would appear that of the 117 worldwide genres studied there are only two geographical areas that show an affinity with the Bradshaws. These are Algeria and Arnhem Land. The Algerian affinity is of a different form to the Arnhem Land affinity. The three Algerian images displayed look-alike similarities. In the Arnhem Land case it is not one look-alike aspect of affinity. The more obvious aspects have been mentioned but consider also the gentle muscle depiction, the posed stance, the showing of all limbs and the method of portrayal of movement. All of these aspects are present but through the differing methods of infill they do not immediately strike the eye. They are similar in design and inspiration at these many more levels. I describe this greater number of affinities as a greater depth of affinity. This deeper way is indicated by the multitude of levels at which similarities exist. This aspect rules out serendipity as an explanation of relatedness.
There were also many more images similar to the Bradshaws in Arnhem Land than in Algeria-both proportionally and in raw numbers. In Algeria there were 3 images displaying affinity out of 206 and in Arnhem Land there were 89 images displaying affinity out of 315.