| Dreamings
give us our history, our origin, where we started from. They are not made
up stories, they are factual events from long ago. Our people have made
them into stories so that they are easier for children to understand.
Regina McKenzie Towards a New Dreaming |
It forms the body of knowledge that guides all Aboriginal societies.
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The Dreaming means our identity as people. The cultural teaching and everything, that's part of our lives here, you know?… it's the understanding of what we have around us. Merv Penrith Elder, Wallaga Lake, 1996 During the Dreaming, ancestral spirits came to earth and created the landforms, the animals and plants. The stories tell how the ancestral spirits moved through the land creating rivers, lakes and mountains. Today we know the places where the ancestral spirits have been and where they came to rest. There are explanations of how people came to Australia and the links between the groups throughout Australia. There are explanations about how people learnt languages and dance and how they came to know about fire.In essence, the Dreaming comes from the land. In Aboriginal society people did not own the land it was part of them and it was part of their duty to respect and look after mother earth. The Dreaming did not end with the arrival of Europeans but simply entered a new phase. It is a powerful living force that must be maintained and cared for. |
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