Australian Aboriginal beliefs and Spiritualties

Inquiry questions – what are Australian aboriginals beliefs and spiritualties?
How old are Australian Aboriginals beliefs and spiritualties
What are the key beliefs of Australian aboriginal spiritualties
What is dreaming

Glossary
Aboriginal- from the Latin ab origin, meaning from the beginning. It is always capitalised when used in reference to Australian Aborigine people
Indigenous- those people who are the original inhabitants of any country. It always capitalises when referring to the indigenous people of Australia
Ancestral beings – those spirits who about forming the landscapes and creating the plants, animals and peoples of the known world. They also founded the ceremonies, marriage laws and other laws of human society. They continue to inhere ( to exist permanently and inseparably) in the living generations Dreaming- a complex concept of fundamental importance to Aboriginal culture that embraces the long ago creative era of the ancestral beings as well as the present and the future. Shark dreaming. Honey ant dreaming, Yam dreaming, and the hundreds of other dreaming’s know across Australia are part of the spiritual identities of those aboriginal peoples who claim them as their ancestral beings or totems. To falsely claim the dreaming of another group is a serious infringement of Aboriginal Law.
Totem- an object such as an animal, plant or particular landmark through which a person is linked to the ancestral being responsible for his or her existence
Mythological Symbolism- the representation of the stories about supernatural beings an events

Review Questions:
1. the definition of dreaming portrayed in the text meant the creation of all things and how it came to be. Back wen the ancestral beings had formed this landmark we gather on here today. Dreaming means to the aboriginal the past, present and future
2. a sacred site is a place that is respected by the society or a landmark towards the community. Maybe a place of where ceremonies are held
3.
4.
Tuesday 10/02/15
Inquiry questions why is artwork central to aboriginal spiritualty how are Dreaming stories represented in artwork.

Layers of meaning.
There are many layers of the meaning in all aboriginal rituals and ceremonies- their art, stories and ceremonies are full of mythological symbolism
First layer: most obvious and accessible to all
Second layer: not so obvious and require some experience of aboriginal culture to understand.
Deepest layers: secret/sacred, available only to elders and initiated aboriginal peoples.

Aboriginal Art: much traditional art was ‘temporary’ and lasted only for the duration of particular ceremonies such as initiations and funerals
Today most aboriginal art called ‘traditional’ represent the places, events and dreaming ancestors depicted earlier in the ‘temporary’ art but also incorporate actual events
The boundaries between the mythic1al past and the actual present are blurred- but then dreaming is ‘the past, the present and the future’.
All aboriginal art has a religious theme
Some have particular secret/sacred significance
E.g. carved boards, incised stones, carved tree and totem images of the inner circle of initiating grounds
Communicates the intimate relationships between the ancestral beings and the law, values, customs ceremonies and obligations of the aboriginal peoples
Enables the passage of knowledge within aboriginal society and, limited ways, to the outside world.

Tuesday 17/02/2015
Intro-Hinduism

Hinduism exists without a specific founder
Traces of its religions can be found in the ancient Harappa culture of the Indus river valley
As the river valley faced invasions, the ancient Harappa culture fused with the Aryan cultures of the north
Bringing with them vedism, the Aryan religion fused with the Harappa beliefs to create the Vedic period of Hinduism
Although many sects of Hinduism developed throughout history,