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Aboriginal Australia Totemic Dreamtime
Spiritual Beliefs
The life of an individual Aboriginal, a person of the Dreamtime, is lived according to the guidelines laid down for the ancestors by the creators. By adhering to the traditions and beliefs practiced by the tribe for generations, an individual fulfills the laws and spiritual expectations of the Ancestral Spirits.
At the end of Dreamtime, after the Ancestral Spirits gave form to the land and established community relationships, they changed from human and other forms into animals, stars, hills, and other things, enlivening the landscape with their powers.
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.
Traditionally these stories have been passed down by the Elders through song and dance usually around campfires. Complex community and kinship patterns determine the ownership of Dreaming Stories; and, ancient initiatic rite and law protects the conveyance of the ceremonial knowledge and wisdom.
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.
There were neutral passageways between tribal lands. Aboriginal law in Australia required respectful recognition of tribal boundaries. Anyone travelling outside their territory needed to obtain the permission of the tribes in neighboring territories to pass through their areas. A number of smaller groups (called clans, bands, hearth groups, family groups, or sub-tribes) living in the same area of the land, sharing a Dreaming Track, comprised a tribe.
There are many different Aboriginal Australia tribes who have their own Dreamtime folklore, customs, languages, and totems; but, there are also many commonalities they share such as: strong kinship and family structures, totems, Elders, skin names, Dreaming, territoriality, ceremonies, songs, storytelling, and strict boundaries between men's and women's business.
Storytelling and Song often accompanied by dance movements have been a central element of Aboriginal Australian life since the beginning of time. Starlore was passed down from generation to generation through the teachings and storytelling of the Elders.
The positions of the
planets and stars were used by the Aboriginal Australians for gathering food;
for finding their way from one place to another; and for the timing of rituals
and ceremonies. There are songs for every event including: hunting, funerals,
seasons, animals, and landscapes.
Aboriginal Totemic Kangaroo Clan
Aboriginals traded and bartered with other groups in Australia on a regular basis, holding corroborees where marriages were arranged; information about tribal practices and beliefs was shared; and, new songs were sung.
All Aboriginal tribes tell stories about the Rainbow Serpent. Although some elements of the Rainbow Serpent Story are known only to initiated members of the tribe, the illustration of the Rainbow Serpent has become public knowledge.
Rainbow Serpent Stories are Creation Stories so each of them is descriptive of the creation of the landscape where the storyteller lives. Rainbow Serpent artists often add clan symbols to the body of the Rainbow Serpent, symbolic of the connection between the clan and the land. The Rainbow Serpent is linked with fertility, abundant plants and animals, protection, regenerating rains, watercourses, and peace.
A female Rainbow Serpent, as the original mother creator, and, a male Rainbow Serpent, as the transformer of the land, are the two Rainbow Serpents most commonly depicted in Aboriginal ceremonies, art, and oral traditions. When the Rainbow Serpent is not respected or laws are transgressed, the Rainbow Serpent can act as a destructive force, bringing floods and storms... Go back
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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