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For the Aboriginals of Australia, spirituality and the sacred is deeply rooted in the landscape and in their relationship to the environment which sustains them. Traditional Aboriginal lands are mainland Australia and most of the islands. Prior to 1788, the Aboriginal Australia population has been estimated at more than 750,000. The country then was pristine and bountiful. Besides food, "bush tucker", the land provided them with natural remedies for healing, "Bush Medicine". Aboriginals took care of the environment in Australia, making sure that all hunting and gathering activities were balanced; and, resources were conserved. Every part of an animal hunted or plant gathered was utilized in some way either as food, baskets, tools, etc. They also moved their camps around with the seasonal cycles, allowing the areas of their territory to rest and renew. Along the Dreaming Tracks there are Sacred Sites, areas of land or sea, where significant events took place during the Dreamtime. These are increase centers where special ceremonies are performed for "Taking Care" of a particular species.
The original
ancestor spirits taught others many songs for healing; for controlling the
weather, and for telling tribal history. The propagating powers they left behind
in the country to ensure plenty were best accessed during corroborees through
their Dreaming symbols and songlines.
Aboriginal Australia music included traditional ceremonial songs handed down through the generations which replicated the songs sung by the ancestors during the Dreamtime. Dreaming, territoriality, ceremonies, songs, storytelling, and strict boundaries between men's and women's business. The land is their life, their mother, their way, their nourishment, and their spiritual connectedness. Dreaming Tracks delineate the area of land created by the Ancestral Spirits where a tribe was created, their belonging place. Ritual ceremonies called Corroborees are performed at sacred sites which tell the Dreamtime lore connected with the place. Traditional music, song, and dance were a vital and powerful part of sacred ceremonies. The Elder Storytellers who "Belong" to a particular a clan or a tribe are custodians of the Stories of the Dreaming about the law and the celestial and terrestrial landscapes are passed down from generation to generation so that the children can retain their belongingness and connectedness to the sacred world by teaching them ways to achieve harmony in relationships with others and within the community; and, emphasizing the values of nurturing, sharing, balance, and cooperation... Continue on
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Aboriginal Australia Totemic Dreamtime 
