The Dreaming is a concept in Aboriginal spirituality that is continuous and ongoing. It encompasses everything within the Aboriginal culture and lifestyle. A central meaning of The Dreaming is that of a sacred, heroic time long, long ago when man and nature came to be as they are; but neither time nor history as we understand them is involved in this meaning (Stanner, 1987, pg. 225). It’s about storytelling and passing down the stories and culture from generation to generation. These stories tend to be based on the land, the culture and their identity. Aboriginal people are brought up on spiritual stories as it is a way of knowing their history as there are stories of their ancestors. The Dreaming has to come from within you. The Dreaming also
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It is the heart and soul of The Dreaming and an extremely important part of the Aboriginal culture and lifestyle. Aboriginal people have a profound spiritual connection to the land in which they live on. Their ancestors would have lived on the same land as they do, giving them a historical connection to the land. For Aboriginal peoples, country is much more than a place. Rose (1996) states “Country is a place that gives and receives life. Not just imagined or represented, it is lived in and lived with”. Rock, tree, river, hill, animal, human – all were formed of the same substance by the Ancestors who continue to live in land, water, sky. Country is filled with relations speaking language and following Law, no matter whether the shape of that relation is human, rock, crow, wattle. Country is loved, needed, and cared for, and country loves, needs, and cares for her peoples in turn. Country is family, culture, identity. Rather than owning land, each person belongs to a piece of land which they’re related to through the kinship system. That person is entrusted with the knowledge and responsibility to care for their land, providing a deep sense of identity, purpose and belonging. This intimate knowledge of the land and ways of relating to it are also reflected in language, including many words and concepts that have no English equivalent. This deep relationship between people and the land is often described as ‘connection to Country’. …show more content…
It is a complex system that determines how people relate to each other and their roles, responsibilities and obligations in relation to one another, ceremonial business and land. The kinship system determines who marries who, ceremonial relationships, funeral roles and behaviour patterns with other kin. However, Kinship isn’t necessarily blood relations, Kinship allows Aboriginal people to have a strong link to their Indigenous heritage and a strong connection to their land. Kinship brings together the urban Aboriginal experiences with the traditional culture, which allows them to bring together the customs, clans and cultures from different areas of Australia. Due to different Kinship groups having different customs and cultures, this means that different Kinship groups will also have varied ideas of The Dreaming. By brining different Kinship groups together, it allows the Aboriginal people to gain a greater understanding of other Aboriginal cultures, which allows them to greater understand their own culture. Page (2005)
It is the heart and soul of The Dreaming and an extremely important part of the Aboriginal culture and lifestyle. Aboriginal people have a profound spiritual connection to the land in which they live on. Their ancestors would have lived on the same land as they do, giving them a historical connection to the land. For Aboriginal peoples, country is much more than a place. Rose (1996) states “Country is a place that gives and receives life. Not just imagined or represented, it is lived in and lived with”. Rock, tree, river, hill, animal, human – all were formed of the same substance by the Ancestors who continue to live in land, water, sky. Country is filled with relations speaking language and following Law, no matter whether the shape of that relation is human, rock, crow, wattle. Country is loved, needed, and cared for, and country loves, needs, and cares for her peoples in turn. Country is family, culture, identity. Rather than owning land, each person belongs to a piece of land which they’re related to through the kinship system. That person is entrusted with the knowledge and responsibility to care for their land, providing a deep sense of identity, purpose and belonging. This intimate knowledge of the land and ways of relating to it are also reflected in language, including many words and concepts that have no English equivalent. This deep relationship between people and the land is often described as ‘connection to Country’. …show more content…
It is a complex system that determines how people relate to each other and their roles, responsibilities and obligations in relation to one another, ceremonial business and land. The kinship system determines who marries who, ceremonial relationships, funeral roles and behaviour patterns with other kin. However, Kinship isn’t necessarily blood relations, Kinship allows Aboriginal people to have a strong link to their Indigenous heritage and a strong connection to their land. Kinship brings together the urban Aboriginal experiences with the traditional culture, which allows them to bring together the customs, clans and cultures from different areas of Australia. Due to different Kinship groups having different customs and cultures, this means that different Kinship groups will also have varied ideas of The Dreaming. By brining different Kinship groups together, it allows the Aboriginal people to gain a greater understanding of other Aboriginal cultures, which allows them to greater understand their own culture. Page (2005)