Australian Aborigine Religion

1. Australian Aborigine Religion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7oE4sKIDuU

2. Who are the Aborigines? Aborigine means “native” Original people of Australia Traveled in canoes from SE Asia Lived there at least 40,000 years as the only people Developed unique beliefs about creation Survived as hunters and observers….often hunting with boomerangs

3. Who are the Aborigines? The word “Aborigine” comes from a Latin word meaning “from the beginning.” Scientists believe that Aborigines traveled to Australia from Southeast Asia on boats via a land bridge over 40,000 years ago.

4. Many died from disease or starved when their land was taken from them by the Europeans in the 1700s (colonialism)

5. CORE BELIEF SYSTEM “Dreamtime” is at the center of the Aborigines belief system and describes the mystical time when the Aboriginal people established their world. “Dreamtime” explains the origins of the people and of the land. Dreamtime includes a story of how things have happened, how the universe came to be, how humans were created, and how the Creator intended for humans to function in this world

6. Aborigine Religion: The Dreamtime All things began with “The Dreamtime” (The Dreaming It continues to co-exist with our ‘now’ time It is all things past, present and future It is sacred It is the ‘time before time’ It is the ‘time outside time’ It is the ‘time of creation of all things’

7. What does The Dreamtime mean to them? Belief system Moral teaching Spiritual code Making sense of the world They belong to the dreamtime History and tradition Identity – often linked to animals and plants

8. Dreamtime Continued… • ' Dreamtime' explains the origins and culture of the land and its people. • Have the longest continuous cultural history of any group of people on Earth - dating back - by some estimates - 65,000 years. • Dreamtime contains many parts: It is the story of things that have happened, how the universe came to be, how human beings were created and how the Creator intended for humans to function within the cosmos • Believe that everything in the natural world is a symbolic footprint of the metaphysical beings whose actions created our world.

9. Dreamtime Continued… • Shamans – "clever men" or “Karadjis” interact with the sacred i.e. the "sky gods" such as Baiame, Biral, Goin and Bundjil. A shaman undergoes a ritual death, religious journey and ritual rebirth. • Sacred stories of the Dreamtimes are passed down orally and describe the origin of Australia from ancient times involving great Ancestral Beings who created the landscape and Aborigine tribes.

10. Dreamtime Stories Passed down through generations by word of mouth Artworks depict deep meaning told through dreamtime stories Basis of value and belief system, affects their interaction with the land and animals Land is sacred because it contains their heritage, history, and powerful ancestors or spirits

11. The Dreaming The land owns us; we don’t own the land. The land owns us; we don’t own the land. We are part of the land. From the time we are children we learn the songs and stories about the land. For thousands of years, these songs and stories have been part of the people’s oral tradition and beliefs. Aboriginal Dreamtime

12. The Dreaming • The expression 'Dreamtime' is most often used to refer to the 'time before time', or 'the time of the creation of all things‘ • The 'Dreaming' is often used to refer to an individual's or group's set of beliefs or spirituality. • For instance, an Indigenous Australian might say that they have Kangaroo Dreaming, or Shark Dreaming, or Honey Ant Dreaming, or any combination of Dreamings pertinent to their 'country'. • What is certain is that 'Ancestor Spirits' came to Earth in human and other forms and the land, the plants and animals were given their form as we know them today. • These Spirits also established relationships between groups and individuals, (whether people or animals) and where they traveled across the land, or came to a halt, they created rivers, hills, etc., and there are often stories attached to these places.

13. The purpose of dreamtime stories To explain the world – how the birds got their colour; how the tortoise lost its tale; how the black snake became poisonous. To teach – where the water holes are, how to navigate using the stars. To connect with their totemic ancestors

15. The connection with the land One belief was that, before animals, humans and plants were created, there were souls who knew that they would become physical, but did not know when. When the time was right, they all said: ‘we will do our very best to try to help the one that takes care of us all.’ Then they all became animals or plants. The last soul became the human. That is why aborigines respect the environment because it is sacred.

16. Physical manifestations of the Dreaming (Ayers Rock)

17. Dreamtime stories • Aborigine Creation Story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koxp_q46z0Q • Why koala has a stumpy tail http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itszep0duwI&feature=related

18. Aboriginal Art • Last traditional art form to be appreciated • To understand Aboriginal Art we first need to learn about Dreamtime • Dreamtime refers to their beliefs of how the land and its people were created • Believed supernatural beings with magical powers created the land’s features, animals and plants during dreamtime • Art is a way to stay in touch with their ancestry and be a part of the natural world

19. In Aboriginal culture everyone is an artist because everyone participates in activities such as dancing, singing, body decoration, sand drawing and weaving baskets.

20. How did Aboriginals create art? • Unique subject matter and style • Known for their rock paintings, bark paintings, sand (or dot paintings), and body decoration • Brushes made from bark, plant fibers, twigs, hair or feathers • Also used fingers or sticks to paint • Used natural ochers (minerals) or clay to make red, yellow, and white paint • Black was made from charcoal

21. Aboriginal Rock Art • Longest continuously practiced artistic tradition in the world. • Ubirr, located in North Australia, has very impressive rock paintings.

22. Bark Painting • Tradition for thousands of years • Bark is cut into a rectangle, after the wet season, when it’s soft • Placed on warm coals, pressed flat with weights and sticks tied to both ends with string • Painted with natural pigments mixed with a natural fixative: sticky gum from trees • Style is similar to rock paintings and illustrates stories • Painted on bark for ceremonies, burials, and everyday objects such as baskets and belts

23. Dot Painting • Traditional dot paintings were made in sand • Contemporary dot paintings are on canvas with acrylic paint • Depict a story using Aboriginal symbols • When you understand the symbols it gives a whole new meaning to a dot painting

24. Aboriginals used symbols to represent natural surroundings. • They are shown as tracks left in the ground and look like they are seen from a plane. • Represent recent tracks left by animals or tracks made in the past by ancestors. Thunder & Lightening

25. Kangaroo tracks & tail Emu Goanna (lizard) dragging tail, footprints on side Footprints Women’s Ceremony Snakes Frogs (black) Water holes (blue) Men Hunting

26. ART . . • The animals of Australia seem to be at the center of all Aboriginal art. They are the subjects of the Dreamtime myths and legends. • Traditionally, the paints are earth tones and made from clay and rocks. • Brushes were created from chewed twigs, plant stems and hair.

27. Animals • The animals of Australia seem to be at the center of all Aboriginal stories and art. They are the subjects of the Dreamtime legends. • They are depicted in art, and take center stage in the festivals. The Aborigines are talented mimics and like to perform dances in which they imitate animals. • Common animals used: the kangaroo, koala, pygmy mice, flying possum, pouched wolf, the bandicoot, and the wombat

29. Body Decoration • Traditional practice for ceremonies • Includes scarring, smeared clay or ochres on face, wearing ornaments and headdress • Deep spiritual significance • Geometric designs • Use respected patterns of an ancestor to take on their living appearance • Designs may also reflect their role in the family or important role in their community

30. Music and Dancing The traditional music of indigenous Australians holds a lot of meaning to their culture. Music is used throughout an aboriginal's life to teach what must be known about their culture, about their place in it, and about its place in the world of nature and super nature. As a very young child, the aboriginal is encouraged to dance and sing about everyday tasks. Music and dancing are often used as a means of communication.

31. Music and Dancing The Didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by the Aborigines at least 1,500 years ago and is still in widespread usage. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet The instrument is traditionally made from Eucalyptus trees which have had their interiors hollowed out by termites or died of other causes.

32. Music and Dancing • Digideroo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g592I-p-dc • Dancing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQGApoHMZYI • Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCR80_GwIPs&feature=fvst

33. Resources: • Carol, Finley. Aboriginal Art of Australia. Lerner Publications Company, Minneapolis: 1999. • Petersen, David. Australia. Children’s Press, New York: 1998. • http://66.113.241.131/lessons/envs/live/htdocs/lesson107.htm • http://www.bardaglea.org.uk/aboriginal/index.html • http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/xray/hd_xray.htm • http://www.astonmanor.bham.sch.uk/learningzone/art/movements/aboriginal/aboriginalart.htm • http://goaustralia.about.com/library/graphics/tjapukai1.jpg • http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/art/body.php • http://www.bvdrangs.com/dreamtime.html • http://www.aboriginal-art.com/desert_art_toc.html • http://www.dickblick.com/multicultural/aboriginal/ • http://people.hws.edu/mitchell/oz/Carnarvon96.html#Art • www.lclark.edu