Australian Dream Time

Indigenous Australian peoples traditions and cosmology belong to what may be the oldest continuous culture on Earth (circa 50,000 years). To them, all things begin with The Dreaming or Alcheringa (also called the Dreamtime), a sacred 'once upon a time' time out of time in which ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings formed The Creation.

Dreamtime Traveller

Australian Aboriginal rock painting of "The Rainbow Serpent

In the Aboriginal Dreamtime, a central figure is a Dreamtime serpent called the Waugal. The Waugal meandered through the landscape, creating rivers, lakes, and waterways on its journey from the hills to the ocean. Piles of rocks are said to be his droppings, and such sites are considered sacred. As he moved, his scales scraped off and became the forests and woodlands of the region.

A superior being, the Rainbow Serpent created the universe and the people and delegated the Waugal as a lesser, but nonetheless powerful deity, to create and protect the rivers, lakes, springs and the wildlife. The Noongar people were appointed as the guardians of the land by the Waugal. This rainbow serpent is the ancestral deity of the Nyoongar community.

The Waugal was seen by certain tribal elders who spoke to the Dreamtime being. Local Nyoongars in Perth today follow the path of rivers, teaching the young the dreaming story of how the Waugal created the swan river. They believe that the Darling Scarp is said to represent the body of the Waugal.

Also in Perth, Mount Eliza was an important site for the Noongar. It was a hunting site where kangaroos were herded and driven over the edge to provide meat for gathering clans. At the base of Mount Eliza is a sacred site where the Waugal is said to have rested during its journeys.

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waugal

Photo by: Mark O'Neil www.DigitalTribes.com
This file is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.

The term "Dreamtime" is often used to refer to the collective Dreamings of the indigenous peoples. "The Dreaming" is a synonym for "Dreamtime" and is culturally preferred by Indigenous Australian peoples. A great description of the Dreaming was provided by anthropologist W.H. Stanner as "the Everywhen".

According to indigenous Australians, the Everywhen of the Dreaming is objective, whilst linear time is considered a subjective construction of waking consciousness of one's own lifetime. This is in the converse of the European concept which views dreams as subjective and linear time as objective.

'Dreaming' can also be used to refer to an individual's or group's set of beliefs or spirituality. For example, 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'. However, many Indigenous Australians also refer to the creation time as 'The Dreaming'. The Dreamtime laid down the patterns of life for the Aboriginal people. 'The Dreaming' was the time of creation.


An Australian Aborigine Playing a Didgeridoo

They believe that every person in an essential way exists eternally in the Dreaming. This eternal part existed before the life of the individual begins, and continues to exist when the life of the individual ends. Both before and after life, it is believed that this spirit-child exists in the Dreaming and is only initiated into life by being born through a mother. The spirit of the child is culturally understood to enter the developing fetus during the 5th month of pregnancy. When the mother felt the child move in the womb for the first time, it was thought that this was the work of the spirit of the land in which the mother then stood. Upon birth the child was considered to be a special custodian of that part of their country and taught of the stories and songlines of that place.

The Dreaming establishes the structures of society, the rules for social behaviour and the ceremonies performed in order to ensure continuity of life and land. The Dreaming governs the laws of community, cultural lore and how peoples are required to behave in community. The condition that is The Dreaming is met when peoples live according to law, and live the lore: perpetuating initiations and Dreaming transmissions or lineages, singing the songs, dancing the dances, telling the stories, painting the Songlines and Dreamings.

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamtime_%28mythology%29

The Noongar are an indigenous Australian people who live in the southwest corner of Western Australia from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the south coast. Noongar is also the name of their language. Like many indigenous groups worldwide, heir name, is believed to mean "people".

The exact number of Noongars prior to European contact is unknown, with estimates anywhere from 6,000 to tens of thousands. Like the indigenous peoples of North America, the violence and new diseases stemming from colonization efforts resulted in the decimation of thousands. This, in addition to sealers kidnapping and marooning their Aboriginal women on the south coast, is probably what prompted the Noongar to refer to the British invaders as "white devils".

Common to most indigenous populations across the globe, the Noongar lived in extended families and the foundation for their way of life was a reverence and respect for the land. Many cultural misunderstandings, as well as out and out racist and discriminatory practices on the part of the colonizers, resulted in attacks, seizures of land and property, and murders between groups. In 1839, the Colonial Secretary announced the establishment of a prison on Rottnest Island and began sending Aboriginal people to the prison for crimes such as burning the bush (a traditional practice), digging up vegetables on their own land, and spearing livestock. Approximately 3,700 Aboriginal men and boys, many of them Noongars, but also many others from all parts of the State, were imprisoned.


Australian Islet

From 1890 to 1958, the lives and lifestyles of Noongar people were subject to the Native Welfare Act. Two state-run "concentration" camps, Moore River Native Settlement and Carrolup (later known as Marribank), became the home of up to one third of the population. It is estimated that 10 to 25% of Noongar children were forcibly "adopted" during these years, in part of what has become known as the "Stolen Generations".

Today, the Noongar language is considered endangered, with few fluent speakers remaining. There has been a resurgence of interest in Noongar culture in recent years, particularly regarding the language and visual arts.

Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noongar

Image: Noongar groups according to Norman Tindale's map (1930).

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Wise Women of the Dreamtime: Aboriginal Tales of the Ancestral Powers

Description from Library Journal
Australian writer Lambert has done a masterful job of editing the traditional Aboriginal myths and stories collected by Katie Langloh Parker (1856-1940). Parker, whose life was saved by an Aboriginal girl as a child, spent most of her life on an outback ranch and befriended several Aboriginal women. From them she gathered tales that she translated into English and later published. Parker was meticulous in her effort to convey the true essence and meaning of each story. The 14 stories Lambert has chosen from Parker's collection concern ancestral powers, animal powers, magic, and healing. They provide an interesting perspective on major life themes as perceived by traditional Aboriginal women. Lambert has included her own insightful commentaries for each myth. This well-written anthology should be of value to academic libraries with collections on Australian Aboriginal culture, women's studies, and world mythology.
- Elizabeth Salt, Otterbein Coll. Lib., Westerville, Ohio
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Oracle of the Dreamtime: Aboriginal Dreamings Offer Guidance for Today

Description
This deck is amazing! The illustrations and traditional artwork are outstanding and the book that comes with this deck is very well written and insightful. A wonderful Oracle to use for those whom find the traditional Tarot a bit esoteric and enigmatic.


Animal Dreaming: An Aboriginal Dreamtime Story

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6?In the frame story, an Aboriginal elder begins to teach his young charge the ways and beliefs that will initiate him into manhood. They walk into the outback and stop to rest at a campsite surrounded by rock paintings. The next morning, the elder tells a creation story based on the paintings. In it, greedy birds decide they want the wetland to themselves, and the other animals fight them. Three creatures do not join in the battle?a kangaroo, a turtle, and an emu; instead, they go to the place where the boy and elder now stand. The three animals each has a dream connected to water; these dreams are depicted in the stylized paintings on the rock. Upon awakening, they use the power of their dreams to help restore peace. There is no attempt to impose a moral, or to explain what motivates the birds' greed. The power of the book resides in the vividly realistic depiction of the humans and the setting, and the equally vivid but highly stylized representation of the dreaming. Although the palette is dominated by the brown tones of the Australian earth, interesting textures and tonal contrasts give richness to each page. Morin sensitively and effectively draws on Aboriginal paintings in the myth-based sections of the book. His strong compositions and dramatic verve are riveting. Patricia Lothrop-Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI

Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.