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Aboriginal Australia Totemic Dreamtime
Animal Totems Shamanism
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
Traditional music, song, and dance were a vital and powerful part of sacred ceremonies. Corroborees Ceremonies are dramatic reenactments through song and dance of the tribal history. There are different types of rituals that fulfill various purposes.
Ceremonies are performed by Aboriginal Australians for their country. There are non-secret ceremonies around campfires where one group of men will chant songs while another group of men whose bodies are decorated with sacred symbols will enact legendary occurrences through dance movements before men, women, children, and Elders.
There are also ceremonies for
youths wrapped in secrecy, where women and adult men are not allowed. After
decorating their bodies with their totemic symbols, the young men use dance
movements to express their totemic Dreamtime. It is an important step for the
youths in integrating their tribal law and lore.
Totemic Dreamtime Kangaroo
Storytelling plays an important and an integral role in everyday Aboriginal Australia life. It is used to educate children about Aboriginal Australia cultural heritage; to pass on knowledge about Creation, ancestral beings, and places, and, how the land, plants, animals, and humans came into being; to explain Aboriginal Australia spirituality and laws; and to pass on information about the boundaries of tribal lands. Although the overall themes are the same, Dreaming stories vary throughout Aboriginal Australia.
For instance, the story of how birds got their colors in Western Australia is different from the story of how birds got their colors in New South Wales. Traditionally these stories have been passed down by the Elders through song and dance usually around campfires.
String Games involve String figure designs often resembled objects that were, and in some parts of Australia
still are, used in everyday life such as dilly bags and baskets, or they
represented animals and people, or abstract ideas such as the forces of nature.
As people played the string game, designs would change quickly from one thing to
another. This game was also used to help tell stories...
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Read Aboriginal Australia Articles
Animal Totems Shamanism,
Belonging Place Taking Care,
Corroborees Ceremonies,
Cultural Heritage,
Dreaming Tracks Songlines,
Glossary Terminology,
Kinship Elders,
Musical Song Dances,
Rainbow Snake Sacred Symbols,
Spiritual Beliefs,
Storytelling Custodianship
Visit other Beliefs Faiths Religions Traditions
Aboriginal Dreamtime,
Alchemy Alchemist,
Cosmos Astronomy,
Buddhism Buddhist,
Christianity Biblical,
Daoist Confucian,
Druidry Treelore,
Heathenry Ásatrú,
Hinduism Vedas,
Islam Sunnah,
Judaism Talmud,
Native American,
Paganism Wiccan,
Shamanism Shaman,
Shintoism Kami
Aboriginal Australia Totemic Dreamtime Copyright © 2002-2008 Maureen Grace Burns, Blessings Cornucopia. All Rights Reserved.
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