Beliefs:
The beliefs of the Aboriginal community, factor from their beliefs of the land. They believe that they don’t own the land but the land owns them, the land is like there mother, they show great respect and understanding of it. The Land is the beginning of everything, there is a oneness with each other, with the land and with the nature surrounding them it connects them all as one. They believe in Kanyini which is the belief that Aboriginal people should have a connectedness in 4 concepts, beliefs, land, family and their Aboriginal spirituality. The believe that all natural objects possess some sort of soul, everything should be cherish and never taken away. Their system of beliefs comes and is expressed through Dreaming. The Aboriginal Community believes that everything is sacred, that everything is family, from the elders, brothers, sisters and animals. The land shapes most of the Aboriginal peoples belief systems, they belongs and are apart of it, it’s their body an its in their blood. Rituals: The Aboriginal People’s rituals are a time where they come together to remember and identify their spirit ancestors. Dance, songs, musical instruments are usually apart of these ritual, there is a basic structure to prepare for any ritual. Often there a place is prepared, objects are refurbished and cleansed and the participants are often prepared with decorative designs which are painted all over their bodies. There are many different types of rituals; Rites of Passage - which is the journey from childhood to adulthood, which can represent life and death. Ancestral Spirit-beings are celebrated in many rituals. “Increase Rituals” which celebrate the nature, animals and food. Reconciliation which is the ritual that people come together to express their mistakes, resolve conflicts and ask forgiveness. And lastly the Healing Rituals which can be about nurturing someone who is sick or mending relationships between partners and people. They believe in harming and healing which harming means he good for the community and also the punishment of those who do wrong things. Spirits are usually called forward to help those in need, by ordinary people in the community. Symbolic actions like smoking the sicks person over a fire of we branches, is showing the person being clean, and cleansed. |
Symbols
In the Aboriginal Religion many symbols are used to create stories, especially through paintings and art. These symbols tell stories about life from past, a journey experienced by elders and spiritual leaders and to create images that express the Aboriginal Spiritual way of things. The Dotted paining create many images that can represent a pathway, animals, humans, and plants.
In the Aboriginal Religion many symbols are used to create stories, especially through paintings and art. These symbols tell stories about life from past, a journey experienced by elders and spiritual leaders and to create images that express the Aboriginal Spiritual way of things. The Dotted paining create many images that can represent a pathway, animals, humans, and plants.
Sacred Texts
There are no significant texts of the Aboriginal Spirituality. They express their sacred stories which are passed down through their ancestors, which can be represented through dance, art, music. The Aboriginal Paintings indicate the stories of their ancestors, they are scared and very beautiful pieces of work. Which can represent a spiritual journey of the spirits, their lives and how they can all come together to show a person their way and how to live their lives. It is the best way an Aboriginal person can tell a story. The use of these paintings are very sacred, and often very sacrament showing the power of their spirits. These paintings allows to tell stories, and a greater understanding of the nature, their love of land and their relationship with the land and each other. Another form on tellings stories is through dance, many tribal groups agree that dance allows for the community to celebrate together and tell sacred stories through dance. Set arm, body and footy movements are repeated with many dancers and singers. The dances often symbolise animals, family or stories about spirits. Music, instruments, singing, chanting are apparent in many of these dance. The crane dance which is below in a youtube clip is a significant celebration.
There are no significant texts of the Aboriginal Spirituality. They express their sacred stories which are passed down through their ancestors, which can be represented through dance, art, music. The Aboriginal Paintings indicate the stories of their ancestors, they are scared and very beautiful pieces of work. Which can represent a spiritual journey of the spirits, their lives and how they can all come together to show a person their way and how to live their lives. It is the best way an Aboriginal person can tell a story. The use of these paintings are very sacred, and often very sacrament showing the power of their spirits. These paintings allows to tell stories, and a greater understanding of the nature, their love of land and their relationship with the land and each other. Another form on tellings stories is through dance, many tribal groups agree that dance allows for the community to celebrate together and tell sacred stories through dance. Set arm, body and footy movements are repeated with many dancers and singers. The dances often symbolise animals, family or stories about spirits. Music, instruments, singing, chanting are apparent in many of these dance. The crane dance which is below in a youtube clip is a significant celebration.
Religious Experiences and Spirituality
Spirituality is a feeling, with a base in connectedness to the past, ancestors, and the values that they represent for, respect for elders and there is a moral/ethical pathway or a journey. It is being in an Aboriginal cultural space experiencing community and connectedness with land and nature. The Aboriginal Communities spirituality comes from their oneness with the land “Our spirituality is a oneness and an interconnectedness with all that lives and breathes, even with all that does not live or breathe” —Mudrooroo, Aboriginal writer. Their spirituality can be very difficult to express and define but they explain it to be their identity, it is instead of them, it can’t be changed or shaped its the “Aboriginality”. Their spirituality and experiences is diverse and very different, their connectedness with the land, allows them to become one, the Aboriginal people believe its their duty and obligation to look after and respect their land. We don't own the land, the land owns us. The land is my mother, my mother is the land. Land is the starting point to where it all began. It's like picking up a piece of dirt and saying this is where I started and this is where I'll go. The land is our food, our culture, our spirit and identity.—S. Knight. Aboriginal Spirituality is has 5 different aspects;
The Aboriginal Religion isn’t like the Christian Religion, where they have a bible or creeds. Their beliefs, and life are represented and shown through the myths they share with each other. These myths tell the Aboriginal people where they have come from, where they are going to go throughout their lives and how they should live their lives through the instructions, and practices of their ancestors spirits. The Dreaming is the most important and is very sacred Aboriginal Religion, they believe that this dreams wander freely through the pass, present and future, these connections in dreams all people be connected with spirits and their spirituality. It is important because there is a transformation in the dreams that can take them back in to the ancestral time, that they have heard so many stories about. Social Structure: The social structure of the Aboriginal Community is classified in a kinship system helps determine how people relate with one another and their responsibilities when there are ceremonies and the land. This system also controls marriages between people, ceremonial preparations and relationships, funeral roles and relationships between other another kin. Ethical principle or code behaviour The Aboriginal Community believes strongly in the word “respect”, respect to the elders, the people within, the wider community, the nature, the wildlife and most importantly the land. It is very important to care and look after the land no matter what. There is this oneness with each other, the land and the world that surrounds us, and an Aboriginal person as the responsibility to look after the land, because they don’t own the land the land owns them. Under no circumstances a person is not to take more than they need, or destroy anything that can produce something else. It didn’t matter about shelter there was no access to that but they believe that they felt alive. It is very important in the Aboriginal community to be connected and one with each other, the land symbolises everything, it is apart of them |