Bill Harney points out Aboriginal rock art

UNC Asheville's Distinguished Speaker Series will present "The Land of the Lightning Brothers," an evening of authentic Aboriginal storytelling, rock art, native percussion and didjeridoo music at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19. The program will feature Aboriginal Tribal Elder Yidumdama Bill Harney, of the Wardaman tribe, with storyteller, musician and honorary tribal member Paul "Walking Stick" Taylor.

At this all-ages event, Harney and Taylor will provide a full multimedia experience, sharing the essence of their Australian homeland through music, art and story. Audiences will experience Wardaman tribal culture straight from the North Territory of the Australian brush, a region famous for its internationally recognized rock-art sites. A CD, book and original art sale will follow the presentation.

"We want the world to know of our heritage and the thousands of years of our history as a significant people," Harney said.

To complement the program, Taylor and Harney will present a free talk on "The Aboriginal Skies: How the Australian Wardaman Culture Sees the Stars" at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at UNC Asheville's Humanities Lecture Hall. This multimedia 60-minute talk will focus on the stars as viewed Down Under and the stories associated with them by the Wardaman culture.

General admission tickets to "The Land of the Lightning Brothers" are $10 for adults and $5 for area students. To reserve tickets by phone, call UNC Asheville's Highsmith University Union Box Office at 828/232-5000. To purchase tickets online, visit www.uncatickets.com.

For more information on this or other events in UNC Asheville's 2008-09 Cultural & Special Events season or to purchase group tickets, call 828/251-6991 or click on www.unca.edu/culturalarts/.