[NATURE OF RELIGION ANDBELIEFS]

o
Behaviour
how to treat themselves, others and the environment
o
6resent
role 'odel#) guidan!e and dire!tion
or individuals to develop theirunderstanding o their aith and how to become better
people#ociety and culture
o
"ontributed greatly to the
#urvival and develo$'ent of hu'an 7ind
?umans have survived and developed because o their capacity to ma'e sense othe world
around them and to use various materials to improve their lie
eligion has been one such system by which humans have made sense o theirplace within the
universe and what it is they need to do in order to survive bothhere and ater death
o
eligion helps
'aintain order and "ell8&eing
or most members o society
Through principal teachings that ac'nowledge the ultimate responsibility oindividuals towards a
divine being and their obligations and duties towards theirneighbour, religion has
in#tru!ted generation# on the 'ean# of $re#erving$ea!e and har'on%
?ave at times created hostilities and wars, but the underlying motivation oauthentic religions is
to
re!ogni#e the funda'ental goodne## of a !o''onhu'anit% and a !o''on de#tin%Au#tralian
A&original Belief# and S$iritualtie# 9 The Drea'ing
9utline the nature o the Dreaming in relation to:

origins o the universe

sacred sites

stories o the Dreaming

symbolism and art9rigins o the universe

The Dreaming
e$lain# the origin# of the univer#e
%the creation o the physical world,animals and plants which inhabit the world& having been the
actions o ancestral beings

To Aboriginal people the Dreaming is not a myth but metaphormaphal, which means it
in!or$orate# the $a#t) $re#ent and future realit% a# a !o'$lete and $re#entrealit%

No #en#e of !reation or the .r#t !reator
#acred sites

An individual is
inetri!a&l% !onne!ted to the land
gives lie, ood and shelter andwhere their ancestor(s dwell

#acred sites that carry signifcance because they are
a##o!iated "ith variou#drea'ing event

$ach Aboriginal tribe has the
re#$on#i&ilit% to !are and learn fro' the#e #ite#
! e!g!carrying out prescribed rituals li'e balance rites#tories o the Dreaming
[NATURE OF RELIGION ANDBELIEFS]

Storie#) #ong#) art and !ere'onie#

recall the 3ourneys o the ancestral beings %such asshaping the land, laying down the law and
responsibilities& and their interactions withpeople and their bestowal %gits& o land

hen Aboriginal communities ta'e part in 'inship, song, dance, art, rituals and stories, itre=ects
how
the Drea'ing i# a lifelong $ro!e##

An!e#tor #$irit# !reated the ani'al#) $lant#) ro!7# and other for'# of land

9nce ancestor spirits created the world, they changed into trees, the stars, roc's, wateringholes
or other ob3ects, ma'ing these sites sacred with special properties

#ince ancestors never disappeared this ma'es the Dreaming a never ending story, lin'ingthe
past, present and uture
Our story is in the land ... it is written in those sacred places ... My children will look afterthose
places, That's the law.
-ill 1eid3ie, 4a'adu elder!
Ea'$le: ;irria' the <angaroo and =areen the =o'&at
o
+irriam and areen had a ma3or fght because areen would not let +irriam in hiscamp when it was
raining
o
+irriam was so angry that he threw a stone at areen7s ace E why the wombat hasa =at nose
o
areen struc' +irriam with a spear near his tailbone E why 'angaroos have tails
o
ombats live in boroughs because o this and 'angaroos sleep outside with noshelter#ymbolism
and art

E$lain# the !reation of the natural "orld) and the la"# "hi!h #te' fro' thi#

sed as a means
of tea!hing A&original !hildren a&out ethi!# and &ehaviour in#o!iet%

Art has many

la%er# of 'eaning
and is lin'ed by their
#trong de#ign# and religiou##igni.!an!e

+ost artwor's contain a heavy amount o mythological symbolism %they represent storieso
supernatural beings and events&:
o
F
st
layer obvious and open to everyone
o
The lower layer some degree o experience or relationship with Aboriginal people orculture
o
The deepest layer only available to the $lders! They are sacred and thereoreprotected and
secret! 9nly initiated $lders can ully understand and appreciate the ullstory and understand the
meaning and signifcance o it

Aboriginal art is
religiou#
, but at the same time
re$re#ent# #e!ret 2 #a!red#igni.!an!e
through its totems, carved trees and incised stones

epresents the
!lo#e !onne!tion &et"een the an!e#tral &eing#
and
the value# and!u#to'# of A&original $eo$le
Discuss the diversity o the Dreaming or Aboriginal peoples

There are about
>?? A&original nation#
within Australia and, so,
Drea'ing #torie#di@er
greatly

$ach o these nations had its
o"n diale!t
by which they communicated! As a result, thereare di>erences in the Dreaming accounts
[NATURE OF RELIGION ANDBELIEFS]

#ome groups that are

!lo#e to ea!h other geogra$hi!all% #hare 'an% !o''onele'ent# of their Drea'ing #torie#
ecognise the importance o the Dreaming or the lie o Aboriginal peoples

Envelo$e# the 'o#t e##ential a#$e!t# of their #o!iet%

such as creation, history,ancestry, ol'lore, laws, rituals, ceremonies, culture and philosophy

"losest translation o the Aboriginal concept o how the world wor's

The $a#t) the $re#ent and the future

+a'es the
identit%
o an Aboriginal person

Dreaming stories contain a lot o meaningC
the truth fro' a #tor% i# "hat #et# the la"for the $re#ent

Dreaming stories
give 'eaning to hu'an life

All their
rule#) la"#) "a% of life and hu'anitarian "a% of &een i# #ha$ed &% the#torie# and e$erien!e#
that The Drea'ing
Investigate the inextricable connection o the Dreaming, the land and identity

 The
land i# the !ore of all #$iritualit%
the land is not dead, it is alive with power andthe Ancestral -eings who live in it! The land is the
Ancestors and as long as the land lives,so do the Ancestors! The land is not 3ust soil or roc's or
minerals, but
a "holeenviron'ent) and i# #u#tained &% $eo$le and !ulture

It is impossible to discuss the belies and spiritualties o Indigenous Australians withouttal'ing
about the land

It is the
land that give# the' their identit%

the Land i# '% 'other

The 3ourneys o the Ancestral -eings %the Dreaming& shaped the landscape and gave birthto
its people 3ourneys that are re8enacted in the rituals and ceremonies o the people
andexpressed in their art