Aboriginality Spirituality Determined by the

Dreaming
Dreaming Definition

The fundamental tenet that underpins Aboriginal spirituality is a concept

known as the Dreaming. The Dreaming is a term referring to Aboriginal
spiritual beliefs about creation and existence. According to Aboriginal
belief, all life as it is today - human, animal and plant is part of one vast
unchanging network of relationships which can be traced to the ancestral
spirit beings of the Dreaming. The Dreaming involves all knowledge
and understanding in Aboriginal societies, and hence incorporates all
beliefs and practices of Aboriginal communities.

The Dreaming includes an explanation of the origins of the universe,

that is, how the world came into being as a result of the actions of
ancestral spirit beings upon the land. These ancestral beings could be
found in the form of animals, plants, humans or part humans. They
determined the rules by which all living creatures should live by.

The Dreaming is inextricably connected to the land, as the land is the

physical medium through which the Dreaming is communicated, since it is
within the land that the ancestor spirits of the Dreaming continue to dwell.
The Dreaming is a metatemporal concept, which means it is a concept
that incorporates the past, present and future reality as a complete and
present reality.

The Dreaming is embedded in all aspects of life

The influence of the Dreaming is embedded in all aspects of

Aboriginal life. The different facets of Aboriginal life, from the
ceremonial dimension of life, to the ritualistic obligations owed to the land
and people, as well as the intricate kinship system are all intrinsically
connected to, and are derived from the Dreaming. Thus, because the
Dreaming is so intimately connected with every dimension of Aboriginal
life, the process of telling and learning the stories of the Dreaming is a life
long one.

Kinship

Definition

Kinship ties identify a complex system of belonging and

responsibilities within a clan. It is based not only on familial relations
but also on relationships springing from one's totem, usually a plant or
animal, which represents a person or group's connection to the ancestor
beings within the land. Kinship ties govern the day to day life of the
Aboriginal people by determining issues from whom an individual is
permitted to talk to and marry, to determining what are an individual's
responsibility is to other members in the clan.

Significance of Kinship ties

Kinship ties also assign the responsibility to transmit the knowledge of the
Dreaming from elders to the younger generation. People are initiated into
the Dreaming by different degrees according to their age and position in
the community. This process of learning the Dreaming is a life long
pursuit.

Obligations to the land and people

Dreaming is inextricably connected to the land

The land is of paramount importance to Aboriginal spirituality. Aboriginal

people have traditionally regarded the land as their mother and hence
have worked to deepen their understanding and appreciation of the land.
The Dreaming is inextricably connected to the land, as the land is the
physical medium through which the Dreaming is lived and
communicated. The land provides the foundation for Aboriginal beliefs,
traditions, rituals and laws because the stories of the Dreaming are
embedded in the land. Furthermore, the land acts as a dwelling place
for ancestral spirit beings. Since the land is revered as a mother of the
people, the identity of an Aboriginal person is inextricably linked to the
land. At the commencement of many formal public events in Australia an
acknowledgement of the traditional owners of the land indicates this
significant link between the indigenous people and the areas in which they
have lived for thousands of years.

Sacred sites

Whilst all land is important to all Aboriginal people, particular sites, known
as sacred sites or ritual estate have a special significance for particular
Aboriginal groups as they are connected with particular events in the
Dreaming. Aboriginal people have special ritual responsibilities to take
care of, and to learn from these sacred sites which are off-limits and
hidden from the non-initiated. For example, Aboriginal people are
responsible for performing prescribed rituals such as balance rites, which
aim for the proliferation of a particular animal, plant or natural
phenomena that is connected with a particular spirit being from the
Dreaming.

Ceremonial Life
Art

Art communicates the Dreaming

Art is a very important way of communicating the Dreaming because

it illustrates the actions of the ancestral spirit beings in the land. However,
art does not offer a simple, straightforward explanation of the Dreaming;
rather art has multiple levels of meaning. At face value, paintings offer
an aerial representation of the land and its inhabitants, using certain
symbols to represent particular features of the land, plants and animals.
At a deeper level, paintings offer a narrative representation of the
activities of an ancestor spirit upon the land. Even more profound levels of
meaning reveal the subtler aspects of the Dreaming stories; however such
access to the higher levels of meaning is only known by initiates.

Stories

Stories from the Dreaming describe Aboriginal law and lifestyle

The Dreaming is primarily expressed through stories that describe how

the ancestral spirits, often in the form of animals or people, moved
through the land creating rivers, lakes and mountains and other natural
phenomena. Their conflicts and other interactions provide a foundation
and explanation of various aspects of Aboriginal tradition and law, by
explaining the creation of the natural world and how the Dreaming shapes
the day-to-day life of people and animals. Learning the stories of the
Dreaming, a life long process, is an important tool for the socialization of
Aboriginal children as it is a major way of teaching Aboriginal children
about right and wrong behaviour in society.

Rituals

Rituals from the Dreaming relive activities of ancestor spirits

Ceremonies and rituals, which are derived from important aspects of the
Dreaming, are important because they are understood as a moment of
reliving in the present moment, the creative activities of the ancestor
spirits. Thus, a ceremony is not simply a retelling of the story but rather
they represent the reliving of the story in a powerfully sacred way.
The ancestral beings are made present through the people, objects, words
and movements of the ritual. An example of an action used in traditional
ritual is the smoking ceremony in which smoke is used to cleanse and
heal. Smoking rituals can be used symbolically at public events but other
traditional uses include the use of smoking ceremonies during
pregnancies.

Totems

Totems represent the individual as they existed in the Dreaming and carry
ceremonial responsibilities

Totems are the embodiment of each individual in his or her

primordial state. In other words, totems represent that person, as they
existed in the Dreaming, whether it is in the form of an animal, plant or
natural phenomena. They are thus links between an individual or
community and particular ancestor spirits in the land. Totems carry with
them, ceremonial responsibilities commonly known as balance rites.

Balance rites aim to assist the proliferation of a particular species, which

embody an individual's ancestral spirit being as they existed in the
Dreaming. For example, suppose that in the Dreaming, people in a
particular tribe were part echidna and part human. As a result, this tribe
would have important ritualistic responsibilities towards echidnas, as this
animal represents the embodiment of their ancestral spirit being. It must
be noted however, that we should treat the Western conceptualization of
totems with caution, because it is often difficult to capture and understand
the multiple nuances of meaning involved in this powerfully sacred
concept.

Source:
http://studiesofreligion.org.au/members/resource/07_australia_post1945/spiri
tuality01.html