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Storytelling and Song often accompanied by dance movements have been a central element of Aboriginal Australian life since the beginning of time. The story of the Aboriginals is in the land; the law is imprinted upon their sacred spaces. The Dreaming Tracks distinguish all features of the land created by their Spirit Ancestors as they travelled across it. These songlines are the footprints of their Spirit Ancestors as they sang Beingness into the landscape, setting the law. Starlore was passed down from generation to generation through the teachings and storytelling of the Elders. There are songs for every event including: hunting, funerals, seasons, animals, and landscapes. 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. Elders are respected by the clans and the tribe because they pass on the traditional stories and skills. The Elders use every available opportunity to teach the children about their way of life and their relationship to the sacred world.
Stories are told as they
walk to the waterholes, as they grind seeds, and as they sit around the
campfire. In Aboriginal kinship stories, the rules for relationships between
people are delineated. They provide the Dreaming Tracks and the law of the land. The songlines of the
Dreaming Tracks have one characteristic melodic form throughout, even songs
depicting the travells of an ancestor across thousands of miles.
Uluru National Park Country Grasses Dreamtime songs are a series of short verses that describe happenings or locations associated with ancestors. Ceremonial songs include portrayal of pertinent occurrences with dance movements. Today the journeys of the Spirit Ancestors are brought to life through these songlines. By performing the appropriate ceremonies and singing certain songs at precise points along the Dreaming Track, the Aboriginals gain direct access to the Dreaming. Many groups travell along Dreaming Tracks with their children, educating them by telling them stories of the Dreamtime. Through the verses of these songs, Aboriginal Australians know every part of the landscape and where to find sources of water and food. They also use the songlines when they move about within the territory of the tribe or when visiting other tribes... Continue on
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Aboriginal Australia Totemic Dreamtime 
