WITH brightly coloured prints being smoking hot this season, there has never been a better time to get a little wild.

As we all know, make up is no modern invention. The art of adorning the body and face with colourful paints has been practised throughout the tribes of the world for centuries, although I suspect it wasn't a matter of vanity for them.

The use and meaning of the paint differs from tribe to tribe, and from people to people. Sometimes it would only be worn by the chief, a high priest, or perhaps a witchdoctor in the tribe. Depending on the tribe or people, it would have been used for many different things; ritual, hunting, camouflage, or merely to frighten the enemy. The decorating of the face and body has been a large part of certain cultures and societies from the beginning of time.

There are many aboriginal people all over the world, but those indigenous to Australia have inherited many face painting designs from their ancestors and still use them today. The earth pigment ochre, a yellowish-brown or golden colour, is a staple element in the painting and designs, which are usually applied in circles or stripes. They often signify a spiritual meaning but can also show the social status of the person. The person must stick to their design and cannot change this at will.

The painting of the body and the face would also be used in important ceremonies, and still are today among certain people. The Yolngu, an indigenous Australian people who live in the north-eastern Arnhem Land of Australia, paint the bodies of their young boys before initiation takes place. The chests, and occasionally the upper-arms and thighs of the boy would be painted in clan patterns and various other designs, including totemic designs. Other people, such as the Tiwi, adorn themselves with colours and patterns for important occasions such as funerals. In North-west Queensland, men would cover their forehead in charcoal and paint a trail of white from one eyebrow to the other, down the front of the ears then along the arms, whilst the rest of the body was coated in red.

The stripes and colourful designs aren't a world away from what most women, and some men, carefully paint on themselves everyday in the Western world. From our carefully painted eyeliner to our bright eyeshadows and well-applied lipsticks, we all have our own rituals. Make up may change according to the ceremony; bright for a party, dark for a funeral. So when you look at it, we're not so different after all. Why not let the animal in you out this Summer?