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Down to the present day, the people have preserved their rich tradition of ceremonies, songs and stories describing the land and its flora and fauna. In extensive ceremonial cycles the indigenous people ensure the preservation of nature and all the living beings within it. As part of these ceremonies, sand drawings were produced which described certain sacred places using symbols and many dots in an abstract form. After the ceremonies they were destroyed. These sand drawings constantly renewed and reinforced the close relationship between the Aranda and their land.

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The Hermannsburg watercolours are characterised by soft hues and a high degree of naturalism. Unlike the Dot paintings with their secret iconography, they are immediately comprehensible whilst also perplexing the viewer through the unusually intensive red and purple colours which really do occur in the evening twilight in the mountains of the Western MacDonnell Ranges, lending exceptional beauty to the natural scenery. The watercolours mainly show places which provide water for the human population and which are associated with the sacred creation stories of the Dreamtime.

The paintings on display are part of the Australia collection of the Grassi Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig. It is the only relatively large collection of Hermannsburg watercolours in Europe.