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Aboriginals belong to a place, an area of land in Australia where their totemic ancestors were born, lived, and died. This "belonging place" was the territory of land created for their kin group, their clan, and their tribe during the Dreamtime. The sacred symbols of these totemic bloodlines were implanted in the Dreaming stories used by the Elders to teach the wisdom of the ancestors to each new generation. Aboriginals sing their country; and, perform ceremonies for their country, using ochre depictions of the Dreaming images.
Storytelling and Song often
accompanied by dance movements have been a central element of Aboriginal
Australian life since the beginning of time. They sang songs and performed
ceremonies to ensure the propagation of each species and the fruitfulness of the
land.
They perform their ritual obligations to the land by singing for the country the songs of the "Dreamtime", often accompanied by dance, and sometimes sand drawings. Danceman and Songman were respected men who were esteemed by the group because of their specialized song and dance skills. The songman performed songs passed down from his ancestors and also composed songs about everyday life. There are songs for every event including: hunting, funerals, seasons, animals, and landscapes. He was often asked to perform for other groups where he led others in a chorus. The Danceman specialized in miming the movements of animals and other ceremonial totemic portrayals. Songs could vary in length from several days to several weeks to several months. Although dance techniques vary between tribal groups, most of the dancing was done with lots of foot stomping which is now called shake a leg. There were also arm, foot, and body movements that imitated the actions of birds and animals. Headdresses and body decorations enhanced the connection between dancer and totemic Dreaming. There were sacred ritual dances. There were dances for Dreaming events, for rain, and for successful hunts. There were also campfire dances where women, children, and men shared clan totem dances. Stories of the Dreaming were told around campfires, where things of concern were also discussed and important information relayed. Dreaming law and lore told the tribe about their spiritual history, how to treat each other, and how to conduct their daily life. Suitable punishments for individual transgressions of these tribal and totemic laws were determined by knowledgeable Elders... Continue on Go back
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