Aboriginal Belief Systems and Spirituality
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HSC 2U RELIGION
FOUNDATION STUDY ONE: ABORIGINAL BELIEF SYSTEMS AND SPIRITUALITY.
The nature of Aboriginal spirituality:
The dreaming as being fundamental to Aboriginal Cultures and societies:
A complex network of faith, knowledge and practices derived from creation stories which in turn dominate all aspects of Ab. Life.
Is the unseen spirit world expressed through song, dance, ritual, symbols.
Fundamental to ab. Spirituality.
Encompasses physical and spiritual aspects of Ab. Life.
Symbolic of creation phase- believe land created in present shape by journeys of ancestor spirits.
Believe ancestor spirits still present in land features e.g. rocks, trees.
Believe when created land, spirits left sacred sites. These sites used for rituals–re-establish a link between the tribe and dreaming.
Dreaming is LAW- governs ab. behaviour, sets out structure for society, rules for moral actions, instructions for religious ceremonies/rituals etc.
Acts as guide for ab. Person throughout life.
Sacred stories- justification for law- discuss how land formed and life founded by ancestor spirits. All things explained in these stories.
Oral tradition, passed down by word of mouth through the generations.
Concept of time is cyclical, not linear- meaning dreaming is past, present and future. (Always present.)
Main religious rituals are to do with preserving and renewing life.
No sense of first creator, issue of who made ancestors of world does not arise.
Dreaming is reflected in land- see land as “whole environment” e.g. water, air and other features are all unified by the dreaming.
Nature of dreaming varies for each individual and community.( personal and communal)
Is an offence to claim dreaming of another clan.
Story telling- vital- pass on to younger generations- to follow examples of ancestor spirits.
Ceremonies performed bring to life power of dreaming (as performed by ancestor spirits).
Ancestors seen as metaphysical (things that relate to the origin and structure of the universe) – world derived from travelling of ancestor beings.
Dreaming stories of each area- reflect plants, animals etc. as everything has meaning through the sacred stories.
Are not to be discussed publicly.
Elders possess knowledge of sacred stories- differs for male and female, passed down through generations through rituals, song, dance, art.
ELDERS AND LAW: society ruled by elders, power based on knowledge of law ( sacred stories)-
Responsible for wellbeing of land and ppl.
Arrange marriages, initiations and ceremonies, fixed problems, arranged punishments.
Empowered with dreamtime, never ending cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
Aboriginal Spirituality and its inextricable connection with the land ( links with dreaming, totems, spirit ancestors, kinship and rituals)
Land is whole environment, linked by dreaming.
Believe they must live in harmony with the land; it does not belong to them.
Every aspect ab. Culture- spiritual and physical.
Ab. Are part of land, and it is part of them, thus if loose part of land is like loosing part of themselves.
Is sacred and provides everything.
Living Reality- ancestor spirits continually present in land forms.
Is core of all spirituality, full of life and power.
See “country” (refer to place where they belong and their place of dreaming) as part of identity- children taught from early age through stories, songs etc. Identify with it on spiritual, emotional and physical levels.
Special ritual sites, reconnected ab. With dreaming.
Ritual Estates- area of land tribe or totem has ritual responsibilities- responsibility to care and nurture land- spiritual use.
Economically use land for food, water etc.
Today great care still taken if approaching sacred land of another clan or totem.
Sacred trust of o/ship of land to be passed on to future gen.
Ab. Connections with spirits gained through land. Is central to spirit life as identify with land considered image of sacredness formed by spirits, remaining in land.
KINSHIP- fabric for ab. Society, individual/clan. (Systems of r/s accepted by culture and rights and obligations they involve.)
Each person defined role, in terms of relationships with other members. E.g. man not allowed to talk to mother in law.
From early age children grow up with knowledge of their position in clan/ society and its rules.
All relationships are respected, everyone belonged.
Isolation rare, unless break law.
Is all inclusive network of reciprocal obligations of giving and receiving, reinforces bond of kinship. – based on sharing of resources to benefit group.
TOTEMS: animal, landform etc ppl symbol of particular spirit ancestor.
Belong to clan/ individual totem.
Belong to totem according to where conceived or born.
“Guardian spirit”- individual totem.
Related to others of the