Beliefs
All plants, animals and humans are interrelated
Aboriginal spirituality includes believing in Dreamtime stories or the Dreaming. The dreaming are stories or myths that are retold through generations to tell people about the knowledge, beliefs and practices of Aboriginal culture.
Spirituality is a feeling that connects the past ancestors and keeps the values they represent: e.g respecting their elders and cultural space.
Aboriginal spirituality includes believing in Dreamtime stories or the Dreaming. The dreaming are stories or myths that are retold through generations to tell people about the knowledge, beliefs and practices of Aboriginal culture.
Spirituality is a feeling that connects the past ancestors and keeps the values they represent: e.g respecting their elders and cultural space.
Myths and sacred stories
All the myths and sacred stories are usually about how the land came to be. These sacred stories and myths are made up from ancestral spirit beings of the Dreaming. These spirits may be in animal form or another form. Sometimes myths are told through stories, paintings on bark or rock faces but more usually sung and danced that are done in rituals.
Sacred texts and other religious writtings
Aboriginal Spirituality does not include any sacred texts however they express their dream time stories through expressive ways. some ways are:
- story telling
- dance
- art
The elders are usually the ones to express the dreaming
- story telling
- dance
- art
The elders are usually the ones to express the dreaming
Rituals
Corroborees: A dance ceremony where the gathering of Aboriginals come and perform a sacred ritual. They burn the bark off a particular native tree and inhale the fumes it releases as apart of of spiritual and religious reasons.
Ceremonies to do with the dreaming, these ceremonies may include:
Ceremonies to do with the dreaming, these ceremonies may include:
- smoking ceremonies : are used to remove evil and heal an individual, these ceremonies are done regularly.
- sacred sights
Symbols
The symbols that are related to the Aboriginal spirituality is:
Rain: The rain represents a symbol in the Aboriginal Spirituality, because each time rain would fall, the people would celebrate it by performing song and dance cycles.
Rain: The rain represents a symbol in the Aboriginal Spirituality, because each time rain would fall, the people would celebrate it by performing song and dance cycles.
Kangaroo: This symbol shows the tracks completed by the kangaroo and how the Aboriginal men would hunt the native animal by tracing its prints.
The Boomerang: This image shows how the Aboriginal men would catch small creatures and use it for spiritual ceremonies.
Emu: This symbolises the tracks of the Emu and shows how the Men would hunt it for their food.
Ethical principles or oral written codes of behaviour
There are 6 ethical principles Aboriginal spirituality includes:
These values are followed by the elders of the community and all members of the community are to follow them
- spirit and integrity
- respect
- equality
- survival and protection
- responsibility
- reciprocation
These values are followed by the elders of the community and all members of the community are to follow them
Religious experience and spirituality
They experience spirituality through different art forms.
Some of these include:
These help indicate the sacred land where the ancestors lived and died. It is also a form of identity and connection with the land.
Some of these include:
- body paint
- sculpture
- painting
- engraving
These help indicate the sacred land where the ancestors lived and died. It is also a form of identity and connection with the land.
Social Sturcture
Elders are considered as wise and knowledgeable.
The elders are highly respected and admired by the community.
The elders are usually responsible for educating the younger generation about their culture
The elders are highly respected and admired by the community.
The elders are usually responsible for educating the younger generation about their culture