Aborigines traditionally adhered to animist spiritual frameworks. Within Aboriginal belief systems, a formative epoch known as 'the Dreamtime' stretches back into the distant past when the creator ancestors known as the First Peoples traveled across the land, creating and naming as they went.[40] Indigenous Australia's oral tradition and religious values are based upon reverence for the land and a belief in this Dreamtime.
The Dreaming is at once both the ancient time of creation and the present-day reality of Dreaming. There were a great many different groups, each with its own individual culture, belief structure, and language. These cultures overlapped to a greater or lesser extent, and evolved over time.
It doesn't sound like an easy task to reconcile those kinds of beliefs with Christianity, but I suppose he managed to do it, and I hope to track down the book to read the story of it. What an amazing point of view he must have had.
5 comments:
I think it helps to understand if we stop thinking of aboriginals as 'primitive' (I hate the term 'primitive art') and more like the Old Testament patriarchs like Abraham that had dreams and a highly developed spiritual intellect before religious 'law' came along.
I see what you're saying, the label as primitive bothered me when I was reading up on it. I didn't understand why they seemed to be looked upon as almost a different species as opposed to people with different beliefs. Maybe I'm oversimplifying though.
Yea, you're right. I think that was what Adrian was saying when he taled about the different way the aboriginals were regarded in Australia compared to the Maoris in New Zealand.
Isn't there something about the native American Indians (forgive me if that is no longer the preferred name) have a 'dreaming' or spirits in the wind or something?
Yeah, it sounded similar to me, but I haven't studied up on it. Native Indians aren't looked down on here either..they are basically just like everyone else.
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