Each group believes in different supernatural ancestors that created the natural world. They have emerged from land features which are considered sacred sites. Sacred sites may be land /rock formations, parts of rivers/seas or burial grounds. The Land is regarded as sacred to aboriginals because ‘The Dreaming’ occurs on it. The dreaming consists of creation stories about how the ancestral spirits moved through the land creating rivers, lakes, mountains, animals and plants.
Assignment 1: Reflective Paper (750 words) While a variety of factors have shaped the diversity of Indigenous Australian philosophy and practices across the Australian continent, one of the central characteristics of the Aboriginal worldview is the concept of the ‘Dreaming’. Outline some of the key aspects of this belief system and reflect on this in comparison to your own worldview. The Dreaming is described by the Aboriginal people as the era of their creation. The belief underlying the concept of The Dreaming helps them understand their very existence (Edwards 1988, p.17). According to Edwards (1988, p. 17), the Aboriginal people believe that they came from the land on which they live and have occupied the land since the era of The Dreaming.
Aboriginal spirituality views the past, present and future as aspects of time whereas the Dreaming isn’t. The Dreaming still exists in today’s society and is the environment that Aboriginals lived in. Aboriginals are able to express their spirituality through the Dreaming because it provides them with an answer to their most asked question: How did everything come to exist? The creation process is described through the telling of Dreamtime stories. This allows Aboriginals to gain an understanding about the creation of nature and Ancestral Beings.
Another aspect worth noting is the Art, which is viewed as a transfer of knowledge from person to person and the final feature is the Rituals and Ceremonies which are the primary link between Creation and the current world. The Dreaming is the most basic part of Aboriginal religion as it is commonly seen as the essence of Aboriginal spiritual beliefs about everything from the creation of the world to spiritual and physical existence. The link between Aboriginal people, the land and everything associated to the Aboriginal lifestyle is created through the Dreaming. The knowledge of all aspects, including how Aboriginal people interact with each other and different tribes, of Aboriginal life is provided by the Dreaming. A point worth observing is that the Dreaming does not make reference to one point in time, or a particular event.
Cultural experiences shape the way people see and understand the world around them, and the two cultural experiences which most powerfully shape people’s perspectives on life are family and religion. Family can change a person’s perspective or view because the importance of family is building bonds and sticking together no matter what changes a person. Family can change a person’s perspective or view because the importance of family, building bonds, and sticking together no matter what changes a person. In the story An Indian Father’s Plea, cultural experiences in a Native American upbringing are lightened, ‘At the age of 5, he has already been through quite and education compared with his peers in Western Society. As his first introduction into this world, he was bonded to his mother and to the Mother Earth in a traditional native childbirth ceremony.
Furthermore, as the author of the biography of Silko, the writer of “The Man to Send Rain Clouds ,” and “Coyote Holds a Full House in His Hand,” remarks, “She concentrates on the everyday life of the people she knows, the distinct mythical, historical, and present-day worlds in which they simultaneously exist.” Consequently, living between two worlds and two cultures adds to the life experience of many Native Americans who blend their ancient traditions with modern life to create a unique life experience. Their connections to their ancestral cultures allow them to incorporate many aspect of the Native American culture into the modern world, which they now have to experience. For instance, in the “The Way to a Rainy Mountain,” the old man who died under the big cotton tree is being buried with Native Americans and Christian traditions. This tradition is incorporated when Leon asked the priest to sprinkle holy water over the dead body of the old man who was wrapped around a red blanket, and whose face was painted with
Aboriginal Spirituality Funerary Rituals Good afternoon/morning and welcome to MessageStick, tonight we will be delving into the spiritually and culturally rich world of the indigenous Australian to examine their rituals and how they connect to the values and beliefs upheld by Aboriginals in the past and present day. To truly understand the importance of ritual in Aboriginal Spirituality, ritual itself must first be defined. Ritual is found in every single race and culture that has ever existed and there is no doubt that it is one of the most important characteristics when defining humanity. Today, in a throw-away world where nothing is forever and society is as changeable as the weather, ritual has become a way of reconnecting with the spiritual world and expressing values, attitudes
We gain knowledge of their past through Aboriginal oral traditions, and archeological digs. We do know that the base for the Aboriginal belief is in the Dreaming, or the Dreamtime. The Dreaming has different meanings for different Aboriginal groups. In general the dreaming can be referred to as the timeless time of creation, when the rules governing relationships between the people, the land, and all things that pertain to Aboriginal life was created. The Aborigines believed that every person’s soul exist forever, in an important way, in the Dreaming.
The topic: While a variety of factors have shaped the diversity of Indigenous Australian philosophy and practices across the Australian continent, one of the central characteristics of the Aboriginal worldview is the concept of the ‘Dreaming’. Outline some of the key aspects of this belief system and reflect on this in comparison to your own worldview. INTRO: As stated in the topic, there are many ways that have influencial development in culture and worldviews within a person and within a group. These influences make up a person’s “self”, the way they view themselves, the world and their own rationality. A majority of worldviews are developed through surroundings, so, culture.
Argumentative Essay It is accepted that most societies have legal and political systems in place. The types of systems depend greatly on the needs of the society implementing them. The following essay examines the legal and political systems of traditional Aboriginal societies. Firstly, Indigenous customary legal system will be discussed; secondly typical penalties for breaking customary laws will be explored. Thirdly, indigenous political organisation will be examined; and finally how these two systems allowed for effective functioning of indigenous societies will be explored.