contemporary aboriginal spiritualities

Question 1

the dreaming

Answer 1

the spiritual aspect of aboriginal religion that encapsulates both the spiritual and physical dimensions, giving meaning to all aspects of life

Question 2

purpose of the dreaming

Answer 2

• rites of passage
• passing on social information
• personal connections
• spiritual connections

Question 3

kinship (kanyini)

Answer 3

a highly sophisticated network of relationships which clearly effects belonging and responsibilities

Question 4

sacred law

Answer 4

These laws determine things as specifically as who you can marry, how to raise a child, and the different roles and responsibilities for individuals within the tribe.

Question 5

totem

Answer 5

A spirit being, sacred object, or symbol (such as a plant or animal) that acts as the emblem of a group of people, such as a family, lineage, or tribe.

Question 6

purpose of ceremonies

Answer 6

Ceremonies are believed to be able to connect them to the Dreaming. Ceremonies recreate an eternal moment of the Dreaming, and thus allow participants to spiritually connect with their spirit ancestors.

Question 7

male initiation ceremonies

Answer 7

a man will undergo pain to show submission to the authority of the elders, and thus prove himself worthy to learn more of the secrets of the Dreaming.

From this, he is taught new totemic dances, and chants, and he is thus able to connect with the Dreaming at a deeper level.

Question 8

immediate effect of dispossession

Answer 8

removal from families and traditional lands, poor assimilation policies that attempted to deal with the ‘Aboriginal Problem,’ and a huge reduction in the population of Aboriginal Australians.

Question 9

continuing effects of dispossession

Answer 9

• Lower life expectancy
• Higher rates of infant mortality
• Over-representation in prisons
• Higher unemployment rates
• Higher drug and alcohol abuse
• Higher use of government social services

Question 10

dispossession defenition

Answer 10

The action of depriving someone of land, property, or other possessions.

Question 11

terra nullius definition

Answer 11

Land that is legally deemed to be unoccupied or uninhabited. Australia was declared ‘terra nullius’ by European settlers.

Question 12

land rights movement

Answer 12

a religious and political movement of Aboriginal peoples to secure rights to their land and ensure the continuation of their spiritualities, which are inextricably connected to the land.

Question 12

eddie mabo

Answer 12

representing the Meriam peoples of the Murray Island in the Torres Strait, took the matter to court after the Queensland Government began to deny the Mer people use of their land. They argued that their families had lived there since ‘time immemorial.’

Question 13

native title

Answer 13

The rights which Aboriginal people have to land and waters according to their customary laws, but viewed from, and recognised by the Australian legal system.

Question 14

native title decided:

Answer 14

• Native Title to land had existed before 1799 and might still be in existence on land that had not been sold or given away.
• That for Native Title to be claimed, the Aboriginal community would have to prove they had continuously lived there since 1788.
• Any land which the government had sold or given away for their exclusive use was no longer liable to Native Title

Question 15

wik decision

Answer 15

• In 1996 the Wik and Wik Way peoples of Cape York argued that their Native Title claim did not extinguish with pastoral leases
• This decision gave the Wik and the Wik Way peoples the right to camp and hunt on the land as well as conduct ceremonies and rituals.

Question 16

importance of the dreaming for the land rights movement

Answer 16

The Dreaming and the land are inextricably linked. The land is their mother. Therefore, the identity of every Aboriginal person is tied to the land.