Religious Belief Systems Post 1945 Flashcards
What is the dreaming? (Recap)
The Aboriginal beliefs about creation and existence, including stories about ancestor spirits that shaped the world and still abide in sacred sites, establishing rules governing the relationships between the people, the land and all things for Aboriginal peoples.
What connects to the dreaming?
It is metatemporal- Rituals, land, art, songs, languages, mythology, relationships, division of labour, animals, totemic sites, celestial bodies
What is kinship?
Kinship is the system of relationships traditionally accepted by a particular culture and the rights and obligations they involve- defines relationships in the community
How does kinship link to dreaming?
Connected to knowledge of the dreaming being passed down from elders- the only way an Indigenous person learns about their way of life, history and spirituality, is through their kin- also sacred law
Kinship tribe example
The Paakantyi people believe that the Ancestral being Ngurali who shaped Bourke determined the various laws within their kinship and organisationn
Kinship quotes from scholars/elders
Elder Bob Randall- the completeness of the oneness
M Harvey-All things in our country here have Law, they have ceremony and song, and they have people who are related to them
What are totems?
Animals or plants that are incredibly important to indigenous groups and individuals. Totems are assigned to clans, moeities, skin names and individuals
How do totems link to dreaming?
Creates a transcendent bond between the individual, their land and the dreaming.
Totem quote from scholars/ elders
“It is where you become associated with an animal and a plant, they become you and you become them.”
What is ceremonial life? (Coroborees)
Aboriginal ceremonies connect people to the dreaming, recreating an eternal moment of the dreaming that allows participants to spiritually connect with their spirit ancestors
Totem example
The Darug of Western Sydney have the goanna, lizards and cockatoos as their totem
Corroboree example
Male initiation ceremonies: Piercing, circumcision, pain show submission to the elder authority and prove themselves worthy to share and understand the dreaming to others- dances and rituals connect to dreaming
Elder D Sweeney
Elder D.Sweeney “It’s our way of connecting with everything and the dreaming and it’s really important.”
What are obligations to land and people?
- Obligations to land and people extend from the fact that the land is not only a place of ancestors, but a connection to an individual’s identity
- It provides for them all their needs, and they have an obligation to care for it
- If they do not care for it and perform sacred ceremonies, the land will lose its ability to renew itself, and natural disasters occur (they have an obligation to care for it)
- Ancestor spirits
- No concept of land ownership
- The dreaming, the land an an individual or group of people are inextricably and inexorably linked
- SYMBIOTIC
West Arnhem Land obligations example
The people of West Arnhem Land believe that the Mimi rock pictures were painted by spirits thousands of years ago- helps them understand the relationship they have with the dreaming, their country and their Ancestor spirits
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What is dispossession?
The action of depriving someone of land, property or other possessions
Immediete effects of dispossesssion
The genocide included: mass killings, massacres, poisoning of water holes, rape, sexual slavery, the introduction of diseases, introduced species, the introduction of alcohol, being forced off the land and the Stolen Generations
-Some of the effects included 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 (Genocide)
Long-term effects of dispossession (Separation from land)
- Deprivation of property, independence, culture and spirituality
- No ceremonies, rituals, rites of passage couldn’t occur- The leadership of Elders was undermined, sacred sites were destroyed and they lost connections to country (totems etc)
- Loss of purpose, belonging and fractured identity
Separation from kinship
Loss of belonging, purpose, place in life- low self-esteem and feelings of racism
- Kins couldn’t visit- no information of dreaming from elders and celebration of the dreaming in the community
- Traditional roles, knowledge and ceremonies were stopped
Stolen generations
Loss of language, culture, spirituality, and identity due to government policy such as White Australia Policy.
- Many children were abused and neglected
- Lack of constant information and spiritual opportunities provided- lack of stability, exploitation, poor living conditions
- Destruction of family and kin relationships
- Complete assimilation and loss of Indigenous spirituality- assimilated into White Christian religion
- Not able to care for and have that obligations to land aren’t met.
Supporting stats for dispossession
• Although First Nations people are 2.7% of the Australian population, they account for 20%
of prison populations
• Only 1 in 10 Indigenous Australians are financially secure
• In comparison to their white counterparts, Indigenous people have about 10 years less life
expectancy and suffer from drug-related mentally illnesses at 5x the rate
