Part 2 Sacred Rituals 7-13

7/29/2019 Part 2 Sacred Rituals 7-13

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PART 1: The Dreaming

Important Words

Dreaming – beginnings when ancestral beings formed the land, its features, animals, plants,the laws that kept everything in existence. The Dreaming is an ever-present reality

Totem – animal or natural species considered related though the spirit ancestors to an

individual or group of people, and taken as their symbol

Traditional Aboriginal Life

- Australian Aboriginals and Torres strait islanders have occupied Australian land for

the past 50,000 years (Approx.)

- Estimated around 300,000 aboriginal people and over 500 languages at the time of

settlement 1788- Due to great distances between tribal groups, did not share a uniform set of beliefs

or carry out the same rituals or ceremonies, although did have some similarities

- Similarities could be due to common challenges (dry arid land, droughts, difficult

cultivation of food, drought, flood)

The Dreaming

- ‘Dreamtime’ is an English word used to describe aboriginal concepts of beginning

- In relation to history, time is an unknown concept in aboriginal understanding The

Dreaming is an ever-present reality which describes the formation of the world andeverything in it.

- There are many Aboriginal deities; some are regarded as supreme creator beings,

others are regarded as ancestral beings.

- The 'Dreaming' is a more correct expression of an event that cannot be placed in

time

- While there are variations in different tribal groups they all have common themes:

- creation of the universe

- creation of life

- reason for night and day

- reason for the seasons- why people die

- reasons for the existence of different tribal languages

- reasons for natural disasters

- how life came about.

Origin Mythology

- The universe, or the earth and sky, has always existed along with the supernaturalancestral beings.



- They believe that at the beginning of time the sun, moon and supernatural deities

lay dormant

- At some point in time these supernatural beings awoke and rose from the earth,

marking the beginning of the dreamtime

- Purpose of dreaming is not to explain creation in chronological order but toemphasis that creation is an interconnected network of land, plants, insects, animals,

fish and humans

Supreme Creator – Sun Mother

- According to tradition, the supreme father of all spirits was the only one awake while

all lay dormant

- He woke the sun mother to go an wake all the sleeping spirits

- The sun mother did and as she did all the plants began to grow

- She went into the caves and her light gave birth to all the insects

- Her heart melted all the ice and created rivers and streams

- Then she created fish, birds and animals

- Eventually she created two children, the morning star and the moon

How did humans come to be?

There is no uniform agreement as to how human beings came to be.

1. Some traditions maintain, they were created at the same time as all the animals;

some ancestral beings looked like men or women, others like animals, and somecould interchange their form from animal to human.

2. Other traditions maintain that animals and plants were created first; those ancestral

beings who kept the laws given to them were turned into human beings, while the

law-breakers were turned into the various rock formations and landscapes we see in

Australia today.

Polytheistic Approach

- polytheistic tradition maintain that ancestral beings travelled around the land

creating the physical features of the environment, as well as its peoples, plants andanimals

- After the period of ‘creating’, some ancestral beings were transformed into a

particular site where their spirits remain. Others moved on, leaving part of their

spirit behind.

- This helps explain how the Dreaming is relevant not only to the past, but also to the

present and the future.



Part Two: Sacred Stories

Aboriginal sacred stories of the Dreaming often explained the origin of the universe

and everything in it

Individuals 'owned' myths according to their totems, and passed them down

generations

Aboriginal sacred stories exhibit a common theme as well as variations.

Myth – a story that attributes the way the world is to work, as well as the will of the

gods and the condition in which human beings find themselves

Nature

Sacred stories are set in the time of creation

Seek to explain the origin of the universe and everything in it

Address the issue of evil and present the supreme creator as lawgiver and law

enforcer.

Dreaming stories seek to explain the condition in which human beings find

themselves

Transmission

Sacred myths were acted out in rituals; initiation ceremonies of (only certain) young

men.

Other myths were for general hearing and were passed on from generation to

generation, usually around the campfire at night.

They set out laws, explained why things were as they were and sometimes simply

entertained.

Myths might be told by a wide number of people in different areas with several

versions being known.

Various groups across the land would own different sections of the myth, with no

local group owning the complete myth.

Popular storytellers were those who embellished the stories with hand, facial and

body movement, and who whispered and shouted and made the telling a dramatic

event.

Sacred stories are how Aboriginal people made sense of the world and answered the

many questions of human existence.

Creation of the Universe

These stories all have a common theme

They thought world and all life have always existed, but were at first dormant.

New living things were formed because ancestral beings were able to change their

form.

The landscape came about as a result of the activities of ancestral beings.

Sacred stories embed the unfolding of creation within a context of 'violence'

Ancestral beings quarrel with one another, often motivated by greed and jealousy.



Violence and evil are part of life because they came from the ancestors who gave

rise to humanity and whose spirits reside in each person.

Presented as lawgiver and law enforcer, the supreme being taught human beings

how to behave in relation to one another, and the land.

Creation of the Sun

Cooperation of All Ancestor Beings

Aboriginal people recognised that the sun shared its warmth and light equally with

all living beings.

Like all peoples of ancient times, Aboriginal people regarded the earth as a flat entity

with a layer of sky on top.

To them, the sun was above the sky, or in some traditions it was buried beneath the

surface of the earth, and therefore, could not be seen through this layer.

The sun was made visible when ancestral spirits cooperated and worked together toraise the sky above the sun. This is reflected in the beginning of the sacred story,

titled 'The First Sunrise'.

Understanding and Accepting the Human Condition

Life's Big Questions

Many Dreaming stories are concerned with such issues and have played an

important role in maintaining stability within tribal communities by promoting

acceptance of the status quo, i.e. the way things are.

We now look at some sacred stories about:

1. arranged marriages

2. importance of cooperation and commitment

3. not committing murder

4. existence of many languages

5. death.

Arranged Marriages

In ancient times, marriage was not regarded as a love contract between two parties.

It was the single most important means of ensuring the survival of the tribe and of

providing protection for it by strengthening the bonds between families. For this

reason, marriages between men and women were regulated and arranged by the

elders of a tribe.

Do not Murder

Observance of rules is essential to the survival of any society, and this also applies to

Aboriginal tribal society. A basic rule is to respect other human beings and not kill

them. Murderers are banned from Aboriginal tribes for the rest of their lives to

prevent them from killing again.

Existence of Many Languages



Australia's Aboriginal tribes were in a similar position, except that the isolation they

experienced was over a significantly greater area and time span, so far and long in

fact, that the various Aboriginal groups, even in ancient times, communicated in

different languages.

As a result, they explained the different languages they observed within a worldview

that was familiar to them - violence.

violence is symbolic of speaking in different languages, and arises (among other

things) from misunderstanding - from not being able or willing to understand or

accept the other person's point of view.

Death

Aboriginal people, like their ancient counterparts, naturally contemplated the

question of why people died and what happened to them after they died.

It is no surprise that breaking the law, i.e. being violent, is presented as the reason

for people dying.

For Aboriginal tribal people, the violence of a human ancestor is the cause of death.

an animal is not allowed to be killed because its protection ensures the survival of

everyone.

Aboriginal people believed that when a person died, the spirit continued to live. It

needed to be released so that it could return to its own country and ancestral spirits,

or to totemic sites where it could be born again in a different person.

PART THREE

FOCUS

Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People believe their sacred sites

were created and shaped into their particular formes during the Dreaming and

demonstrate imprints and physical proof of the actions of ancestral beings.

Sacred sites are places for ritual and ceremony.

Aboriginal people believe that the power of ancestral spirits is present at these sites,making them forever sacred.

WORDS TO REMEMBER

Bora Ring- circle or oval marked in the group and associated with Aboriginal rituals and

gatherings

Middens- sites of previous occupation by Aboriginal people marked by food remains



Songlines- tracks made by localised ancestral beings during the Dreaming

SACRED SITES

The three sisters, Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kakadu National Parks, are just some examples of

Aboriginal Sacred Sites, they are believed to be sacred due to their unique features that

were thought to have been created and shaped into their particular forms during the

Dreaming, with imprints and physical proof of the actions of ancestral beings.

Sacred sites are where rituals and ceremonies take place as the Aboriginal People believe

that the power of ancestral spirits is present at these sites, therefor making them forever

sacred.

THREE SISTERS

- The three sisters are found in Katoomba in the blue mountains

- The three sisters; Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo are rock formations

- According the Aboriginal Mythology the sisters were ancestral being who fell in love

with three brothers from a neighbouring tribe

-

A Major tribal war was ensured when the three brothers were prohibited frommarrying them, as a result endangering the lives of the three sisters.

- To protect them the witch doctor turned the three sisters into three rocks.

- He had the intention to reverse the spell once they were safe but he dies in a battle

leaving the sisters behind as rock formations

Uluru

There are several difference account s on how Uluru came into existence.

-

Uluru originated when two boys were fighting each other, they climbed on to the topof a table top mountain, ‘Mount Connor’, where their bodies became preserved as

large boulders

- Uluru was scarred during the wars of the serpent spirits, causing many cracks and

crevasses to emerge

- Uluru rose from the earth in response to the bloodshed in a battle between two

tribes

Kata Tjuta

- Is a group of thirty plus giant done-shaped rocks on a desert plain in Uluru National Park.



- The largest is home of Wanambi, a serpent ancestor with long teeth, mane and long

beard.

- During the wet season he is curled in a water hole on the summit and during the dry

season he resides in the gorge below.

- His breath is the wind blowing through all of the gorge - The eastern side of the rocks are believes to be the home of the ancestors called the

bird men who had curved beaks and mice-women

- The pillar who represents Malu, the Kangaroo man , who is dying in his sisters arms,

a lizard woman (Mulumara)

- The rocks on the south west are believed to be the camp of the poisonous snake man

Liru.

Nambung and Kakadu National Parks

- Pinnacles in the Nambung national park are a serious of limestone pillars rising out of

the sand

- Some believe that the area is avoided as the pillars are believed to be Fossilised

Ghosts

- Kakadu was formed by ancestral spirits in the dreaming along with plant and animals

inheriting the area

- All are said to have tracks known as dreaming tracks

DREAMING TRACKS

- Dreaming tracks mark the path followed by localised ancestral beings during the

dreaming

- Also known as Songlines

- They are recorded in story, song and dance

- Aboriginal people could navigate extensive distances by repeating the words of

Songlines that described the locations of water holes, geographical features and

various landmarks.- They songs could guide navigators through different tribal regions where different

languages were spoken.

- They relied on melodic contours and rhythm rather than words

- Dreaming tracks formed an important network of highways, connecting all Aboriginal

Tribes throughout Australia.

- They played a central role in ceremony and ritual due to their spiritual significance

- Sites in Eurobodalla National Park are not accessible to the general public due to the

sacred sites containing Shell Middens etc.



BORA GROUNDS

IN ADDITION TO THE WELL-KNOWN LANDMARKS INDIVIDUAL TRIBES ALSO CREATEDTHEIR OWN SACRED SITES IN THE FORM OF BORA GROUNDS, A BORA GROUND

CONSISTS OF THREE BORA RINGS WITH ONE BEING LARGER THAN THE OTHERS, AND

ALL LINKED BY A PATH RUNNING FROM THE EAST TO WEST. IMAGES AND

DECORATIONS WITH SACRED MEANINGS WERE ETCHED INTO THE SOIL, AND

CARVINGS WERE MADE ON NEARBY TREES TO MAKE THE PRESENCE OF A BORA

GROUND.

- The larger bora ring was usually associated with the more public ceremonies inwhich women were allowed to attend as spectators.

- The seconds smaller ring was a place where male initiation rituals were conducted

and was only accessible to initiated men and initiates.

- It is not clear what the third ring was used for

- Bora grounds are still significant because they played a role in the expression of

spiritual beliefs and celebration of Aboriginal ceremonial life

Some parts of northern NSW and southern Queensland have trances of the Bora Rings for

example Lennox Head in NSW.

A smaller but spectacular ring was discovered in Nudgee, Queensland. It is unique because

there is evidence in literature about its ceremonial use by neighbouring Aboriginal groups.

Men would assemble there for ritual ceremonies, tribal dances and general gatherings.



burial sites

Due to the Aboriginal people’s beliefs about death and life after death their burial grounds

are very sacred. As indication they are usually marked with carved trees, stone markers or

by stones or logs laid on the top of the sites.

When a person dies the spirit lives on, it needs to be released so it can return to its own

country and ancestral spirits, or even totemic sites where is could be born again into

another being.

- The Walbiri people of the central desert believed that a person spirited originated in

the dreaming and will eventually return there.

- Secret caves contain hidden Dreaming stones

-

Stones are believed to be the storehouses of disembodied spirits that could enter awoman again and be reborn.

- After death spirit returns to the cave, same process over and over

- The placement of bones in secret caves marked the final stage in mortuary

ceremonies which could continue intermittently for a number of years.

- White clay was used to pain spirit figures on cave walls

The Tiwi people of Bathurst and Melville islands had very elaborate and extended

ceremonies. Pukumani Poles (burial poles made of hardwood) were carved and painted

in complex designs using earth colours. They were to be erected in the deceased



person’s tribal country where the body was buried. When the ceremony was concluded

grave posts were left to the elements.

Part Four: Symbols and Art - Expressions of the Dreaming

Focus:

Symbols/artworks played a central role in communication

Artwork usually depicted connection with the land or religious beliefs/stories from the

dreaming

Indigenous people are creative in finding/using naturally occurring pigments

Important Words:

Engraving: carved writings/designs

Pigment: colour

Communication:

Aboriginal tribes had no written language, instead using pictures/symbols to

communicate where to find things e.g. food, water, sacred sites or dreamingstories/beliefs

Indigenous Australians had a symbol system that was both simple and complex

The symbols were simple, but often elaborately combined with others to create a

more complex meaning

The amount of symbols that you knew depended on your social status e.g. a tribal

elder would be able to recognise significant details in an artwork that were hidden

from others

Common Symbols:



Traditional Art:

Art has always been a part of the Aboriginal lifestyle, some pieces dating back around

52 000 years

Artwork took the form of engravings, paintings, imprints, stencils and sculptures

This was usually done on rocks, bark , wood, sand and people

Art was considered to be a supernatural power given to everyone by the ancestral

beings

Art is considered a participation in the dreaming, making most aboriginal art religious

in nature

Can depict everyday activities, but mostly focuses on the relationship between the

ancestral beings, the aboriginal people and the land

Art was also used in various rituals and to illustrate important ceremonies e.g.

initiation.

Ancestral Beings: Most art is concerned with the bond of the people to the ancestral beings

Most images are abstract, however, they contain important information to the

initiated, e.g. location of food, evil spirits

Diversity in Traditional Art:

As Aboriginal people did not live in a constant environment, they had to use whatever

material s they had to create art

They were very creative in finding pigments and appropriate media

Rock engravings, rock paintings, stencilling, wooden sculptures and bark paintings

were the most common form of artwork

Rock engravings were carved into soft rock e.g. sandstone located on cliff faces, cavesand rock shelters

Rock paintings were usually made in sheltered areas where they would be better

preserved

Stencilling involved forming an image by spraying the colour, usually with one's mouth,

around the object being stencilled. Hands and feet were the most popular

Wooden sculptures were only used to mark initiation and burial sites. The grave poles

were made to encourage the spirit of the deceased to return to his/her ancestral

home

Some sculptures were also used a totem poles, depicting the ancestral being of a

particular tribe Bark paintings were painted on the inside of a strip of bark. What you were allowed to

paint depended on your social status. The uninitiated were only allowed to paint

stories that could be told to children, whereas the initiated could paint secret

information

Part 6: Importance of the Dreaming in the Lives of Aboriginal People

- The Dreaming is at the heart of Aboriginal beliefs and spirituality.

- It explains the creation of the world and people, laws, why there was good and evil

as well as the purpose of life.



- The Dreaming explains that the world was created by ancestral beings from a

featureless mass.

- Ancestral beings were said to control food supply and the weather.

- Evil was believed to be a result of ancestral beings fighting and breaking the law.

- Mythologies created principles for the people to live by.- The land and all its creatures are as one, a living organism.

- Sacred sites are said to be the resting places of ancestral beings and are sites for

special ceremonies and a reminder of spirituality.

- Aboriginal art contains symbols and records the stories of ancestral beings and the

Dreaming. Art also contains information needed for survival such as locations of food

and water sources, location of sacred sites and places to be avoided and knowledge

of the boundaries of their country.

- The Dreaming is the source of individual and social identity and interconnects clans

and the land, promoting social cohesion.- Aboriginal people believe that they belong to the land; it provides a sense of identity.

- Kinship relationships determine whom a person can marry, which ensures group

continuity and cohesion within the clan. The Dreaming affirms the legitimacy of

prearranged marriages.

- Each member of an Aboriginal clan possessed a clearly defined status within that

clan, providing hierarchal roles and therefore responsibilities.

Part 9: Obligations to Land & People – Honouring the Dreaming:

Focus:

- The Dreaming proposes that humans as well as the rest of the earth were all created

by ancestral beings

- Each person is responsible for the land and all living things according to customary

laws.

- Principle of reciprocity- Ones obligations to other people and Aboriginal society.

Important definitions:

- Payback – negative expression of the principle of reciprocity that operates to avenge

wrongdoing

- Reciprocity – system of kinship obligations by which, goods, services, favours and

obligations are exchanged; 'looking after one's own'

Connection with the dreaming:

- Dreaming proposes that Ancestral beings created the Earth and all living things.

Ancestral beings also left their life-essence in creation. This is why creation is so

sacred. Everything co-exists.



- The Ancestral beings also gave laws to Aboriginal people to help them coexist with

creation. This interdependence is expressed in the obligations people have for each

other and with the land

Obligations to the land:

- All people possess some essence of the Ancestral beings that created his or her

county which is why every person is a custodian of the land and all it sustains. This

duty is organised by clan because they bestow ownership of the land. Members of

the clan have the right to access places such as hunting sites and gathering the

resources of the territory.

- Australia’s Aboriginal people do not exploit the land as they are taught to be

caretakers of its living and non-living resources. Clan members are restricted from

hunting totem animals and there are restrictions regarding the eating and

preparation of certain foods. These protocols are made to make sure the

environment remains sustainable.

Sacred Sites:

- Clan members are responsible for maintaining sacred sites. These sacred sites are

inhabited by the ancestral beings and people perform rituals here to honour them

and to ensure a fertile future and the wellbeing of plants and animals. These

benefits of these rituals are said to be shared between all regions which practice

them creating a sense of interdependence.

Promoting wellbeing of the land:

- Clan members participate in activities such as spreading seeds, leaving small

amounts of food behind for animals to feed, or controlled burning which encourages

the well-being of the country.

Obligations to other people:

- Aboriginal people taught to share food from a young age and are very generous.

Reciprocity refers to a system between people regarding exchanges of goods,favours, and services. Basically “One must look after ones own.” It often operates

between tribes or even language groups. It also contains wrongdoings and payback.

Elders:

- Male elders are responsible for honouring and maintaining laws and looking after

sacred things. The female elders are responsible for fertility and marriage and caring

for young girls.

Part 11: Land Rights –

Reclaiming the Dreaming:



- In Australia, the land rights movement is the struggle to reclaim the lands and

Dreaming from which Aboriginal people have been dispossessed, making the

movement both political and spiritual

- Aspects of native title have been addressed legally by the Mabo judgment, Native

Title Act (1993) and Wik decision- Considerable work remains in reclaiming Aboriginal land and sovereignty and until

then the Dreaming can never fully be reclaimed. From an Aboriginal perspective this

is because the judgment and subsequent legal decisions after the High Court

decision, and legislation have failed to deliver fully what belongs to them.

- The story of Aboriginal land rights is the history of Australia since first European

settlement in 1788

Important Words:

- Colonisers – people who help found a colony

- Common Law – system of law in which judges' decisions are informed by decisions in

cases previously settled, i.e. by following a precedent or similar case; also called

'case law'

- Mabo Judgment – High Court ruling that native title exists where Aboriginal people

have maintained an ongoing connection with their country, according to their

traditions and customs; overturned terra nullius

- Native Title – rights and interests possessed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

peoples under traditional laws and customs and recognised by Australian common

law

- Native Title Act 1993 – part of the Commonwealth Government response to Mabo

judgment

- Right of Extinguishment – use of common law provisions to extinguish native title in

relation to pastoral leases

- Wik Decision – High Court ruling that pastoral leases did not give pastoralists

exclusive possession of land and did not necessarily extinguish all native title rights

and interests

Principle of Native Title:

- Native title is a principle of Australian common law that acknowledges the fact that

Aboriginal people did not necessarily lose their land and waters during British

settlement

- Aboriginal right to ownership of land was recognised by British authorities very early

in the life of the colony

- In 1837, the British Parliamentary Select Committee on Aboriginal Tribes, affirmed

that the native inhabitants of any land have an incontrovertible right to their own soil

however, which seems not to have been understood.



- The principle of terra nullius had been applied to Australia from the very day of first

settlement in 1788 on the basis that Aboriginal people had no laws and customs in

relation to the land.

- When in fact they had complex systems and laws relating to ownership and

management of the land, but it was convenient for the British to ignore this in viewof the growing demand for land by settlers.

- The principle of terra nullius was affirmed in law by the British Privy Council in 1889

The Struggle:

- Aboriginal people's long and historical struggle to reclaim the land that once

belonged to them reflects the lack of recognition of Native Title in Australia until

1992 when the doctrine of terra nullius was overturned by the High Court Mabo

judgment

- Until then native title was the basis of the land rights movement in this country.

Mabo Case:

- In 1982, Eddie Mabo and four other Meriam people of the Murray Islands

commenced legal action in the Australian High Court, seeking recognition in law of

their traditional land rights.

- The basis of the claim was that the Meriam people's rights to their land had not been

extinguished by Britain's claim to sovereignty, because they continued to enjoy their

land rights after occupation.

- After ten years of litigation, the High Court finally made its ruling by a majority of six

to one.

- The judges conceded that the British Crown had acquired sovereignty, but stated

that it did not automatically acquire full ownership of the land. OR. Aboriginal people

did not lose ownership of their land, unless the Crown acted in a way that indicated

it intended to take ownership of the land.

- This meant that vacant crown land, national parks and possibly some leased land

could be claimed for Native Title

- The High Court ruled that native title exists where Aboriginal people havemaintained an ongoing connection with their country, according to their traditions

and customs.

- Significance:

o The Mabo judgment is significant as it overturned the fictional notion of terra

nullius. In effect, the High Court admitted the error of common law to fail to

recognise native title and made a ruling to ensure that the legal system could

no longer refuse to recognise it.

Native Title Act 1993:



- The Commonwealth Government responded to the Mabo judgment by passing the

Native Title Act 1993.

- Developers, miners, pastoralists, tourist operators, etc. needed access to land, as

well as the certainty of maintaining title to it.

- The Native Title Act sought to balance the interests of these parties with Aboriginalpeople's property and cultural rights in five ways.

- The Native Title Act:

o Recognises and protects native title.

o Provides for the validation of any past grants of land that may otherwise have

been invalid because of the existence of native title.

o Provides a regime to enable future dealings in native title lands and imposes

conditions on those dealings.

o Establishes a regime to ascertain where native title exists, who holds it and

what it is, and determine compensation for acts affecting it. o Creates a land acquisition fund to meet the needs of dispossessed Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander peoples who would not be able to claim native title.

Wik Decision:

- Pastoral leases are a special form of land title and cover vast areas of land in outback

Australia.

- They bestow on leaseholders the right to graze cattle across large areas of land

without being restricted to specific pockets of land for continuous and extended

periods

- High court judges drew on historical evidence in reaching the Wik Decision. Historical

records confirmed that early colonial legislation granting pastoral leases aimed to

put a stop to the violence perpetrated by settlers on Aboriginal people and common

law records indicated that pastoral licenses could be revoked if squatters inflicted

harm on Aboriginal people.

- On this basis, majority of the presiding judges concluded that the purpose of pastoral

leases had never been to exclude traditional Aboriginal hunting and gathering rights,

or to remove Aboriginal people from the land.

- Therefore, the High Court ruled that pastoral leases did not give pastoralists

exclusive possession of land and so, did not necessarily extinguish all native title

rights and interests. The High Court also found that native title rights and interests

survive when they coexist harmoniously with the rights of pastoralists. However,

where there was any inconsistency between the two, the rights of the pastoralists

would prevail.

- This has given Aboriginal people access to their traditional lands, even if it coincides

with pastoral leases.

- The Ten Point Plan in 1997 was seen as a backwards step in terms of Native Title asfar as the Aboriginal people were concerned.



The Land Rights Movement – Reclaiming the Dreaming:

- Britain took sovereignty over Australia without negotiating with and obtaining

consent from Aboriginal people. Historically, there have been instances of

cooperative coexistence between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians, but

these are greatly outnumbered by conflicts arising from forced removal of

indigenous people from traditional lands.

- These conflicts embrace two interconnected issues:

o The first issue concerns the physical loss of traditional land and country.

o The second issue relates to Aboriginal people being stripped of their own

sovereignty and it being replaced with British rule and laws.

- Aboriginal people lost both their traditional lands and the laws and rules governing

their lives and relationships.

- These losses, have significantly impacted on their capacity to sustain and perpetuatethe Dreaming - core of Aboriginal spirituality constantly renewed in traditional rituals

and stories of the Dreaming.

Land Rights Movement:

- The land rights movement has always been about reclaiming the Aboriginal right to

land and sovereignty - their right to reclaim the Dreaming, since European

settlement

- The land rights movement became formalised in 1966 when the Gurindji people

conducted a strike in protest against poor conditions and pay. What was initially a

wages and conditions issue soon became a land rights issue. Nine years later, the

Whitlam Government granted the return of some Gurindji traditional lands.

- This was a significant turning point for the land rights movement. It became a

national symbol of Aboriginal people's struggle to reclaim land and sovereignty and

reclaim the Dreaming.

Aboriginal Tent Embassy:

The Aboriginal Tent Embassy demanded:

1. Control of the Northern Territory as a State within the Commonwealth of Australia;

the parliament in the Northern Territory to be predominantly Aboriginal with title

and mining rights to all land within the Territory

2. Legal title and mining rights to all other presently existing reserve lands and

settlements throughout Australia

3. Preservation of all sacred sites throughout Australia



4. Legal title and mining rights to areas in and around all Australian capital cities

5. Compensation money for lands not returnable to take the form of a down-payment

of six billion dollars and an annual percentage of the gross national income

- While these demands were rejected, the Tent Embassy became an important symbol

of Aboriginal people's estrangement from the land and was added to the AustralianRegister of the National Estate in 1995.

- It is recognised nationally as a site representing the Aboriginal struggle to reclaim

land and sovereignty.

In Conclusion:

- The Mabo judgment and Wik decision were important wins for the land rights

movement.

- Considerable work remains in reclaiming the land and sovereignty enjoyed by

Aboriginal people before European settlement.

- Until this happens, Aboriginal people can never fully reconnect with the Dreaming.

Part Seven: Kinship - Living the Dreaming

Ancestral beings gave laws and rules to Aboriginal people that controlled all aspects of life.

These laws defined people’s identity and place within groups. It governed how each

person was to relate to others and the physical environment.

Western law is recorded in thousands of books. Whereas the Aboriginal law is enforced

through a highly developed and complex religious and social structure, called kinship.

Kinship is based on a highly expanded concept of family. It regulates social and spiritual

relationships and acts as a framework for establishing:

individual identity

stable relationships

social cohesion and harmony

In Aboriginal society the immediate family is made up of a number of different groups. The

non-indigenous part of society uses the lineal system. Aboriginal system is classificatory.

These are the two different systems:

The lineal system is the familiar, family tree:



While the classificatory family tree, has a completely different picture of relationships:

1. Ego has one blood brother, one blood sister and the brother of Ego’s mother is his

uncle

2. The sister of Ego's mother is not an aunt. Instead, she is also Ego's mother and is

called his classificatory mother, instead of biological mother.

3. Similarly, the sister of Ego's father is an aunt, but the brother on Ego's father's side,

is his classificatory father.

4. The children of Ego's classificatory father and mother are not cousins; they are his

sisters and brothers.

5. The children of Ego's aunt and uncle are his cousins.

Kinship rules

Unlike the linear family tree, the classificatory is all encompassing and complex as distant

family members are added. Rules and regulations become enforced, because every person

is placed in one or more kin category, where rights and responsibilities are associated with

these categories.

These rules regulate behaviours, ensuring that everyone respects and nurtures this

interconnected and finely-balanced network of relationships. For example, kinship rules

define who will look after the children of deceased biological parents, as well as who will

care for the sick and the old.

What they do



These kinship rules maintain the spirit of the dreaming. They are the very heart of

Aboriginal spirituality which, through Dreaming mythology, places every individual within a

network of interconnected relationships with other people, the land and all it contains.

The kinship system has several levels in the classification of kinship groups. These levels

are significant in so far as they govern other important aspects of life, such as hunting,religion and marriage.

The tribe

The highest kinship level is that of the tribe or nation. A tribe is made up of people who

share the same language, customs and general laws. This is the reason they are also

referred to as language groups. People from other tribes are regarded as outsiders.

All members of the tribe share the same ancestral beings and land. They occupy a

particular area of land known as the tribe’s country. Collectively, the tribe is considered to

own the land and be its custodians.

Totemic groups link individuals to the Dreaming and consist of people who share the sameobject, plant or animal to which each is ancestrally connected. Totemic groups are the

building blocks of clans.

Clans

Clans are sub-units within a tribe where members share common territory and totems.

Consisting of groups of extended family, the clan has its own unique name. Usually the

men born into a particular clan remain in the territory belonging to that clan.

Women are given more flexibility as they may go live on a different territory belonging to

the clan of their husband. Due to clans being associated with territory, land ownership is

transmitted through the male.

Every totem has specific rituals and duties associated with it. The clan system ensures that

these rituals and responsibilities are attended to within and beyond the borders of the

tribal territory. From a spiritual perspective, this division is significant as it helps to

perpetuate the Dreaming through tribes and generations.

Moieties

The moiety system divides all members of a tribe into two groups. Essentially, the moiety

system places a person into one of two groups according to their connection with plants,

animals, the physical landscape and ancestral beings.

Moieties supplement family kinship groups by setting rules for social behaviour.

An important aspect of moieties relates to their spiritual significance. Every tribe has its

own Dreaming, linked to the tribe's ancestors. While individual Dreaming’s have many

aspects unique to a particular tribe.

This macroscopic Dreaming links and unifies all individual Dreamings. Moieties serve as a

mechanism for this to happen, because people from different tribal groups belong to the

same moiety and share their Dreaming stories with all members of the moiety. As these

individual Dreamings are shared, people become linked and united in a more global

Dreaming.

Marriage



The principle rule for married is the two marriage partners must come from opposite

moieties. Specific rules vary between tribes, but commonly revolve around subdivisions

within the tribe known as sections or skin names. There are a number of systems, but the

most common are four-division, six-division and eight-division section systems

Four-Divisions section systems

The cycle of the four-division sections is always started by the woman. It is formed by

dividing the two moieties of the tribe into two sub-sections, making a total of four groups,

two from each moiety.

1. A woman from 'A' (Banaga) marries a man from 'B' (Garimarda) and the children

become 'C' (Burungu).

2. A woman from 'B' (Garimarda) marries a man from 'A' and the children become 'D'

(Balyirdi).

3. A woman from 'C' (Burungu) marries a man from 'D' (Balyirdi) and the children

become 'A' (Banaga).

4. A woman from 'D' (Bayirdi) marries a man from 'C' and the children become 'B'

(Garimarda).

Six-division section system

A six-division section system has two moieties and they are divided into three sub-sections

each. One moiety consists of the Purungu, Yiparrka and Panaka divisions; the other moiety

comprises the Tjarurru, Milangka and Karimarra divisions. Marriage partners are created in

the following manner.

1. A Purungu man will marry a Milangka or Karimarra woman and have Tjarurru

children.

2. A Yiparrka man will marry a Tjarurru woman and have Milangka children.

3. A Panaka man will marry a Tjarurru woman and have Karimarra children.

4. A Tjarurru man will marry a Panaka or Yiparrka woman and have Purungu children.

5. A Milangka man will marry a Purungu woman and have Yiparrka children.

6. A Karimarra man will marry a Purungu woman and have Panaka children.

Eight-division section system

In the eight-division section system the two moieties of the group are divided into four

subsections each and marriage partners are selected in the following manner:

Marriage and descent are governed as follows.

1. Man '1' may marry woman '2' or woman '6'.

If he marries woman '6' (the preferred order) his children become '4'.

If he marries woman '2' his children become '8'.

2. Man '2' may marry either woman '1' or '5'.

If he marries woman '5' (the preferred order) his children become '7'.

If he marries woman '1' his children become '3'.



The classificatory system, unlike the linear family tree, is all encompassing and becomes

increasingly complex as remote family members are added. However, it provides a simple

and transparent framework for enforcing rules and regulations, because every person is

placed in one or more kin categories and has the rights and responsibilities associated with

these categories. The workings of kinship rules become apparent from the following rules

and protocols associated with kinship groups.

Australian Aboriginal kinship is based on a highly expanded concept of family. It embraces

all the social relationships a person is born into and creates during life. Kinship is the single

most important means of organising and regulating social and spiritual relationships and

acts as a framework for establishing:

Part Eight: Ceremonies - Remembering the Dreaming

Important words:

Ceremony – formal celebration of an event

Embodied – describes a spirit or spiritual force with physical or tangible formRitual – particular way of doing things; set order of actions

Role of Ceremony

Accessing the Dreaming

Ceremonies provide access to the spiritual world and perpetuate the dreaming, it is

very important in the aboriginal life.

Sacred stories of the dreaming are passed on from generation to generation

They believe that they bestow spiritual beings by coming into contact with their

ancestors.

Dreaming beliefs and sacred stories are kept by specific members of the tribe who

express it to others through ceremonies.

Ceremonies can be performed in dance, while others can be through body design

and symbolism.

Some ceremonies involve people from different tribes who bring gifts of food,

objects and raw materials to trade.

A feast and ceremony that is celebrated around us is The Bunya in Queensland.



Rituals and Roles

Some ceremonies usually follow a certain pattern each time they are performed

which are known as rituals.

Many ceremonies are open to all members of the aboriginal community includingchildren but some are considered secret and only include those who are initiated.

Aboriginal men and women play different roles in the ceremonies.

Some of the scared rituals are performed by both men and women shoes songs,

dances and stories complement each other.

Men’s and women’s ceremonies are held separately as its believed the strength of

the spiritual force embodied in these rituals could harm those of opposite gender or

their presence could impair the ritual’s success.

Sacred Rituals

Types

Traditional rituals are usually associated with birth, coming of age, death and

fertility. Important roles are played by individuals depending on their social position

and ancestral inheritance.

The main sacred rituals played are:

Birth rituals

Male and female initiation rituals

Rituals associated with death

Increase rituals

Many aboriginals still practise these traditions in Australia today

Birth Ritual

When a woman was ready to give birth she would have to go outside of the camp

and into a cave or special shelter with a her mother, mother-in-law or another

married woman

The women then would help with the actual birthing process and perform the

special rites and songs that helped the birth proceed smoothly

The placenta is buried after the birth, it’s a spiritual connection between the child

and the land

A smoking ceremony is held, the mother would crouch over or lie down on the

smoking leaves as part of a cleansing process

The baby then gets held over the smoking fire to make it strong and quiet and then

covered with the ashes to it is dark skinned like its parents

After this process the father is then allowed to see the child



Male Initiation

Men are responsible for carrying out many public and private rituals and for passing

the knowledge down to the next generation

For boys to be considered an adult they had to go through the initiation process

After this the boy is no longer considered a child but as a young man.

This process is done between the age of 6-16 years usually the time of puberty and it

sometimes involves circumcision

The male elders of the community teach the young men going through the process

of initiation ways of the tribe and sacred myths and rituals

Ceremonies are held for the whole community and sometimes several communities

Mothers and potential mothers-in-law must prepare the food for the initiation

ceremony

The young men would travel to sacred sites as part of the ritual

The women and girls would have to remain out of sight until the young men left the

camp

At the initiation there would be dancing, body painting and singing.

Some of the parts of the ceremony are for the whole community and some are just

for those being initiated

Female Initiation

Women have separate sacred rituals The knowledge that their rituals were based on were:

Bringing health and healing to individuals as well as the land

Resolving conflict and restoring social harmony in the community

Girls become initiated when they go through puberty

As the girl goes through puberty they are taken away from the camp where older

women would pass on knowledge and teach her songs and myths as well as how to

behave as a young woman

A bath, painting and decorating the body is a part of the ritual

After that she would return to the camp into a public reception where everyone

would now know that she is ready to be married and she is then considered to be an

independent wife and mother.

Only a woman that had two or more children was considered fully initiated and is

then allowed to access more meanings of rituals and being allowed to perform more

rituals



Part eight continued: Ceremonies- Remembering the Dreaming

Death Rituals

- Aboriginals believed that after death, the spirit of the individual lives on. In order for

it to return to its own country and ancestral spirits or to totemic sites (to be born

again in a different person), it needed to be released.

- All traces of the dead person, removed to encourage the spirit to leave e.g. clothes

and belongings, for years the individuals name will not be spoken of.

- Green branches used to sweet away all traces of the dead person. Their dwelling

would be smoked to chase away the spirit.- The family would move camp.

- Rocks were hit and sticks broken near children’s ears to prevent thoughts of the

dead person

Various ways of burying the body by different groups:

- Cremate, bury them immediately or wait a set time, expose the body in a tree or on

a platform and later come to collect the bones (after: bones would be carried around

in a container before being placed in a hollow tree or cave).- Mourning: relatives of the deceased would cut and gash themselves until they drew

blood. Painting the body with white clay represented sorrow and refrain from eating

certain foods. Widows were not allowed to speak but communicate by hand signals.

- Deaths of anyone who was not an infant or elderly were assumed to be caused by

someone: by magic or direct fight.

- Revenge would be taken on the person thought responsible by spearing men in the

thigh or beating women.

Increase Rituals

- Members of certain totems would carry our increase rituals to ensure: plenty of each

species of animal and plant life for the future, and necessary rain or good weather

for a good growing season.

- The people would enter into the spirit world (world of ancestor spirits who shaped

the earth and created the animals and plants) and identify themselves with an

ancestor spirit, becoming one with the spirit being in the eternal act of creation.

- Ways which increase rituals could be carried out include:



Touching up cave paintings

Creating new paintings, sand pictures or bark paintings

Rituals singing and dancing, displaying sacred objects and painting bodies with

certain patterns

Ritual actions such as crushing and scattering pearl shells to bring rainRituals actions of striking bushes or trees to release spirits

Calling out certain names

Letting of blood (or red ochre as a substitute in sacred places

Ceremonial objects

- Sacred rituals performed at sacred sites (bora grounds) and the sites were marked by

scarring the immediate surroundings (trees)

- Preparation of sacred objects (bark paintings, sand paintings, icons of spirit beings

moulded or carved in clay, body ornaments such as waist belts and arm bands).- They painted their bodies using natural earth pigments and created sacred designs

to enable them to enter the spirit world.

- Ceremonies performed by men and boys: headband with shell pendant, nose bone,

large pearl shell pendant, European brass buckle belt , shields, spears, long sword

clubs and a boomerang.

Ceremonial Song, Music and Dance

- Helped connect traditional Aboriginal people to the Dreaming

- Each language group possessed sacred stories specific to ancestral beings of their

own country, with great diversity in song, music and dance

- Songs formed a ‘map’ of a tribes country and traced the travels of ancestral beings

- Songs: about a variety of themes such as hunting, birth, death, healing the sick,

waterholes and creation, and were usually chanted to music

- Common musical instruments: didgeridoo, music sticks, seed rattlers, and

boomerangs used ad clap sticks.

- Certain language groups: did not use didgeridoos but women would use ceremonial

drums made from the skins of goannas, snakes, kangaroos and emus

- A variety of garments were worn during rituals: wrist and ankle bands made from

animal skins. Men often wore garments made from kangaroo skins or some other

type of animal fur, women wore skirts made feathers.

PART 9 OBLIGATIONS TO LAND AND PEOPLE – HONOURING THE DREAMING

Focus:



The Dreaming proposes that humans as well as the rest of the earth were all created

by ancestral beings

Each person is responsible for the land and all living things according to customary

laws.

Principle of reciprocity- Ones obligations to other people and Aboriginal society.

Important definitions:

Payback – negative expression of the principle of reciprocity that operates to avenge

wrongdoing

Reciprocity – system of kinship obligations by which, goods, services, favours and

obligations are exchanged; 'looking after one's own';

Connection with the dreaming:

Dreaming proposes that Ancestral beings created the Earth and all living things.

Ancestral beings also left their life-essence in creation. This is why creation is so sacred.

Everything co-exists.

The Ancestral beings also gave laws to Aboriginal people to help them coexist with creation.

This interdependence is expressed in the obligations people have for each other and with

the land

Obligations to the land

All people possesses some essence of the Ancestral beings that created his or her county

which is why every person is a custodian of the land and all it sustains. This duty is

organised by clan because they bestow ownership of the land. Members of the clan have

the right to access places such as hunting sites and gathering the resources of the territory.

Australia’s Aboriginal people do not exploit the land as they are taught to be caretakers of

its living and non-living resources. Clan members are restricted from hunting totem animals

and there are restrictions regarding the eating and preparation of certain foods. These

protocols are made to make sure the environment remains sustainable.

Sacred Sites

Clan members are responsible for maintaining sacred sites. These sacred sites are inhabited

by the ancestral beings and people perform rituals here to honour them and to ensure a

fertile future and the wellbeing of plants and animals. These benefits of these rituals are

said to be shared between all regions which practice them creating a sense of

interdependence.

Promoting wellbeing of the land



Clan members participate in activities such as spreading seeds, leaving small amounts of

food behind for animals to feed, or controlled burning which encourages the well-being of

the country.

Obligations to other people

Aboriginal people taught to share food from a young age and are very generous. Reciprocity

refers to a system between people regarding exchanges of goods, favours, and services.

Basically “One must look after ones own.” It often operates between tribes or even

language groups. It also contains wrongdoings and payback.

Elders

Male elders are responsible for honouring and maintaining laws and looking after sacred

things. The female elders are responsible for fertility and marriage and caring for young

girls.

Documents

Part 2 Sacred Rituals 7-13