HOW IS ABORIGINAL SPIRITUALITY
DETERMINED BY THE DREAMING
The fundamental tenet that
underpins Aboriginal spirituality is a
concept known as the Dreaming
Everything in the land is
linked to Dreaming.
Humans and the spirits
are connected to it
The Dreaming is a meta‐temporal
concept, which means it is a
concept that incorporates the past,
present and future reality as a
complete and present reality.
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 influence of the Dreaming is embedded
in all aspects of Aboriginal life. T
KINSHIP
kinship defines where a person fits into
the comunity, while establishing strong
bonds of sharing an obligation
The system of relationships, traditionally accepted
by a particular culture and the rights/obligations
involved
Govern everyday life through
determining individual
responsibilities to the clan
Kinship is the It is the
tangible expression of
Dreaming in everyday life.
Based on family relations and totem
relationships (which represents a
connection to the ancestral beings)
CEREMONIAL LIFE
Death and burial rituals, balance
rites, coming of age, chanting and
singing for seasonal change and
well-being
The complex and spiritual core of the Dreaming for each
group is recognised and revered in ceremonial life,
encompassing the expression of art, the passing down of
stories, the performance of rituals and totemic
representations
Art is used to pass on sacred
knowledge and provides maps of
the land – sacred sites,
waterholes, territorial boundaries
Totems represent the
person as they existed
in the Dreaming
Stories are a major way of
teaching Aboriginal
children about right and
wrong behaviour in society
OBLIGATIONS TO LAND AND PEOPLE
The land acts as a
dwelling place for
ancestral spirits
Ownership of the
land means they have
a responsibility to
care for it & nurture it
The land & all forms of life it contains are
regarded as a sacred trust that must be
preserved/ passed on in a timeless cycle of
mutual dependence
Land is important due to: o
Economic uses – source of food &
water & gathering materials to make
objects
“Land is the generation
point of existence."
-Patrick Dodson
Land is context of dreaming,
inhabited by the ancestor spirits
whom the people maintain a strong
link with.