australian aboriginal beliefs and spirituality

Question 1

the dreaming

Answer 1

the dreaming is a complex network of knowledge, faith and practices which dominates all spiritual and physical aspects of aboriginal life.
- the dreaming establishes th rules linking the relationship between aboriginal people, the land and all things associated with aboriginal life

Question 2

aboriginal origins of the universe

Answer 2

• Every land feature in the environment has a story from the Dreaming attached to it.
• The original spirits also brought all living creatures. Each spirit founded a line of descendants, comprising a natural species, and its corresponding human group, which are linked as a single totem of Dreaming.

Question 3

aboriginal sacred sites

Answer 3

Places within the landscape that have a special meaning or significance under Aboriginal tradition

example: Kata Tjuta
This sacred site is located within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Territory. This rock formation carries spiritual significance for the Anangu people. Kata Tjuta is a series of 36 boulders. This sacred site has various creation stories, including one Dreaming legend of a snake king named Wanambi.

Question 4

what is stories of the dreaming

Answer 4

dreaming stories are an accurate and oral history for aboriginal people. They are beliefs, they are passed on to young people in an interwoven network of stories and ceremony
- lifestyle and law
- explain creation
- different layers of meaning
the dreaming is regarded and reality by aboriginal people

Question 5

diversity of the dreaming

Answer 5

There is a diversity of cultures, languages, kinship structures and ways of life among Aboriginal people across Australia. Aboriginal peoples are comprised of many different language and/or tribal groups.

Question 6

symbolism and art

Answer 6

• All elements of the Dreaming are incorporated in traditional Aboriginal Art. This can include law, values, customs, ceremonies, and obligations of Aboriginal people.
• Art can be used for rituals or to identify the ownership of Dreaming and to strengthen kinship ties.

Question 7

The inextricable link between the Dreaming, land and identity

Answer 7

• Land sustains Aboriginal lives in every aspect – spiritually, physically, socially and culturally.
• Land is central to Dreaming. Dreaming links a person to the land and with objects within the land. It tells people what rights and responsibilities they each have with respect to the land.

“The land is my backbone… I only stand
straight, happy, proud and not ashamed
about my colour because I still have land… I
think of land as the history of my nation”
— Galarrwuy Yunipingu, Aboriginal musician

“We don’t own the land, the land owns us.
The land is my mother, my mother is the
land”.
— S. Knight