Aboriginal Belief Sustems And Spirituality Flashcards
Supernatural element of aboriginal spirituality
Human culture and natural environment intimately and linked to one another
Close relationship insures the survival of culture
Universe came into being through creative activity of Primordial spirits
What are the key features of Aboriginal spirituality
Land Origins of the universe/stories/ancestral beings Sacred sites Totems Law Rituals
What is the dreaming
A term used for aboriginals to describe the relations and balance between spiritual, natural and moral elements of the world
What does the dreaming do
It establishes rules linking the relationship between aboriginal people and the land and all things associated with life
Transcends time
It exists within and beyond on the ordinary world
What does the dreaming encompass
Everything to do with the spirit ancestors, including first beings themselves, their creative activity in forming the world, the period of this activity, and the continuing relationship between the ancestors of the natural environment they created
What are songlines
Song lines are trails the cross the nation that reveal a story of an ancestor or creative being. the Trail contains sites that reveal secrets to survive
How are singlines taught?
Passed down through generations
Why are sacred sites so important?
They believe that ancestors lay dormant at these sites
How can sacred sites be connected
With dreaming stories and may have significance to several tribal groups
What are examples of scared sites
Trees, rocky outcrops, waterholes or clearings
How can one enter a sacred site
One must be initiated and ceremonies relating to the mythological event are often held at or near them
Art is a _________ link to landscape
Metaphysical
Why do they cover themselves in clay
Clay makes you part of the land and your ancestors as well as being natural sunblock
What is the art used for
To tell stories and showcase history
What is the kangaroo fire drive
The burning of the land- the fire pushes the animals towards them (ambush)
A ceremony, life lesson, hunt for food- lesson of the dreaming
The origins of the universe
The aboriginals have various drew time stories to explain world creation
What are dream time stories
The origins of important landscape features
What is the rainbow serpent
The rainbow serpent is a story that explains the origins of the physical world. Rainbow serpent arrived looking for his people and carved out all the physical features, he found a man and talk about how to live and then he ate boys and they turned into rainbow lorikeets and then he was angry that people defied him and then he killed everyone or they turned into their totems
Why are totems important
They form an important aspect of personal identity. Totems are given before birth and they could be linked to dreams or experiences the mother had
What do dreamtime stories teach
Skin groups and totems, initiation rights and custodianship, territorial rights, rituals, marriage, social organisation and behaviour, kinship,
What are some examples of dreamtime stories
The fertility mother The rainbow serpent Wagalak sisters Namorrodor Brolga
