Dreaming In The Darug Indigenous Community

Improved Essays
The Dreaming is the foundation of Aboriginal spirituality, providing a basis upon which kinship systems, traditions, rituals and ceremonies are built. The effect of dispossession and the Stolen Generation on Aboriginal Spiritualties has lead to both separation of the land and separation of kinship groups; where the elders were not able to pass on dreaming stories to the younger generation, knowledge, tradition and language have been lost. Although the Darug Indigenous community’s language was lost, some descendants of the Darug clans in Western Sydney are aiming to revive Dharug as a spoken language. This region is very close to the Bidjigal community and ‘At St Mary's Chifley College Dunheved Campus the Dharug Byalla language have created

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    In fact, according to “Statistics on Native Students,” in 2011, only 27% of Native population spoke another language at home. Before boarding schools, 100% conversed in their native tongue. This elimination of native language has caused important stories regarding the entity of native history and culture to disappear. The lessons from the stories are lost. One crucial value taught to Indians through these lost stories was the appreciation of the land.…

    • 1304 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Mabo Decision

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages

    This is because all aspects of Aboriginal spirituality and life such as their belief systems, rituals, totemic responsibilities, traditions and laws are rooted in the stories of the Dreaming which are intimately connected with the land. Therefore, the religious and political Land Rights movement that aimed to regain access and ownership to sacred sites and traditional lands was paramount in attempting to re-establish ceremonial life, reconnect the Dreaming and preserve Aboriginal spirituality which was lost as a result of European settlement. Regaining access to sacred sites was especially important so balance rites and rituals could be fulfilled. Aboriginal people believe they are custodians of the land, which is the resting place of ancestral beings and totems which form the foundation of beliefs and traditions, so land rights promoted conservation of their culture and fulfilment of their role. Connection to the Dreaming was, therefore, an inextricable driving force for the Land Rights…

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    DARKINYUNG COMMUNITY PROFILE The Darkinyung people are the traditional land owners of the Central Coast, remaining on this land for over twenty thousand years. Darkinjung land spans from the Hawkesbury River at its Southern most point, up North to Lake Macquarie, and from Mount Yengo in the West, to its East along the Pacific Ocean (Empowered Communities, 2016, “Central Coast”). Recently released statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2011) reveal a total population of approximately 273000 people on the Central Coast. The area has one of the fastest growing Indigenous communities within Australia, with about 2.2% of people identifying as Indigenous.…

    • 1114 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Yolngu Boy Themes

    • 1557 Words
    • 7 Pages

    With a culture that was their own for well over fifty thousand years, white settlement began a change that literally left their traditions and beliefs in the dust. Acknowledging this, Steven Johnson, uses Yolngu Boy (2001) to publicly address not only the culture quelling but also the struggle for identity and a sense of belonging in contemporary Australia. The story itself, tracks the lives of three young Indigenous boys, and focuses on how they deal with the transition from adolescence to adult as Aborigine’s. Lorrpu, Milika and Botj each share different personalities and different views on their background. Whilst Lorrpu demonstrates deep respect for his heritage and is determined to learn more of the history and customs of his people.…

    • 1557 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Critical Reflective Journal I would like to acknowledge the Dharug (also called, Darug, Daruk, Dharuk and Dharruk) people who are the traditional custodians of the land where I live, work, study and was born. I would also like to pay my profoundest respect to all Elders both past and present of Dharug Country. Furthermore, would like to express my deepest sympathy and am sincerely sorry for all historical mistakes by past governments and policies (Creative Spirits, 2017). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were living happily on the land before 1788 and an Acknowledgement of Country ceremony demonstrates respect for all Indigenous people, Elders, past and present. Teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children involves…

    • 1642 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    General racism, environmental devastation, and poverty on Indian reservations makes it burdensome for many Native people to live according to their traditions. As many are simply trying to survive daily life, they do not have the energy, money, or time to be taught and teach their indigenous languages and cultures. For some Native peoples, their very survival is dependent on preserving their language and particular ways of life. While it does seem that some languages and cultures are in danger of being exclusive to history, it is a surprising fact to many that many Native groups have a very diverse original language and many cultural customs. With the supremacy of European-American cultural and economic identities, it is astounding to see the perseverance of these sustained livelihoods adapt and remain feasible in the middle of constantly-changing social change.…

    • 467 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The vision quest was an important rite of initiation into adult status for warriors in traditional Plains Societies. Besides marking entry into manhood, this rite of passage put the initiate into contact with the spirits who would protect him throughout his career as warrior. In your essay, identify the types of forms of art that results from the individual’s vision quest and the architectural form employed by the Lakota and other Plains groups as settings for part of the initiation rite. How does the content of the art and shape/function of the architecture relate to the vision quest? In the case of art, use specific examples to support your explanation.…

    • 919 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Yuendumu Tribe

    • 1523 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In Yuendumu Everyday and Performing Place, Practising Memory, churches have been introduced into a community that believes in the dreamtime (Beckett, 1994), sorcery and witchcraft and are evident within Yuendumu Everyday within the map of the town (Musharbash, 2008, p.24), and is more referred to in Practising Place, Performing Memories in regards to the Mona Mona missionaries and their lasting impact on the indigenous community. This ethnography, Practising Place, Performing Memory, continues by stating that once the missionary had been closed, the Seventh Adventist Church had appointed welfare officers for both spiritual guidance and practical assistance in finding suitable accommodation and employment opportunities. According to Sutton (2010) and Schwarz (2010), although Christianity and other westernised religious beliefs may have an influence at a deeper level, the traditional aboriginal beliefs, regarding witchcraft, the dreamtime and sorcery, are not susceptible by Christianity, however the institutions are more widely accepted in today’s society than in the past (Schwarz, 2010). This illustrates that the indigenous are attempting to be a part of western society by accepting alternative…

    • 1523 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Language is much more than a means of communication, it is something that not only contains the understandings of a person’s culture and connection to the land, but it also plays an essential role in maintaining one’s well-being, self-esteem and more importantly, their sense of identity. In addition, with regard to Indigenous Australians, language plays a significant role in their culture and history; however, since colonization there has been a significant decline in indigenous languages. This issue will be further discussed through examining the causes and background factors to this issue, looking at the various stakeholder perspectives, analysing the current strategies and options in place to resolve this issue and finally, formulating recommendations that could further improve this issue.…

    • 1111 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lecture 1: Respect, Dignity and Culture This lecture, on Aboriginal cultural safety, was an informative emersion into the Aboriginal way of life. It helped me, personally, begin to develop, an understanding of Aboriginal’s culture and traditions. However, in my limited life experience, interactions with Aboriginals, have been through negative observations. From news bulletins on television, write ups in the community newspaper, to crossing the street and avoiding a swearing, intoxicated Indigenous male. It is a real contrast, to the respectful Aboriginal introduction Gningla Taylor presented, when Aboriginals encounter another person.…

    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Aboriginal Dreaming

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages

    However, Aboriginal’s persist to encapsulate the authentic Ancestral Dreaming, as a medium to succeed the indigenous ‘fight’ for land rights and native title. Here, their inextricable connection with the land is being restored through the land rights movement where they are able to foster their lost connection with the fabric of life- their inextricable connection with the land; through which the marks of dispossession are slowly fading. The notion of ‘Terra Nullius’ under the European settlers’ jurisdiction acted as a detriment to the Aboriginals, as it preached their mass genocide- genocide of their being and identity. Judith Wright accentuates that “the all-embracing net of life and spirit which had held land, and people, and all things together was in tatters. The sustaining ceremonies could not be held, men and women could not visit their own birthplaces or carry out their duties to the spirits”.…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In summation, it is important to be aware of the Aboriginal cultural aspects in terms of axiology, ontology, epistemology and methodology when connecting with an Aboriginal individual or community on such a…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The aim of embedding indigenous perspectives in education is to embrace Australia’s First Nation, their culture, identity, and their dreamtime stories into Australian mainstream schooling. Aunty Tina Quitadamo (cited in Beresford et al. 2003, p. 149) comments ” similar to our dreaming, I see quality education as an evolving, holistic, spiritual and educative process providing meaningful opportunities for personal growth”. For the past 200 years Australian education formulated post-colonial guidelines with an absolute insistence for all Indigenous children to learn, write, and read in English, with no allowances for their own languages or cultures. Heiss (2013, para 1) states government policy relating to Aboriginal people has been designed…

    • 1125 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Theories of Dreaming In the fifth chapter of our textbook Psychology: Themes and Variations, Weiten discusses various topics of consciousness; one of which includes the world of dreams. He begins with the contents of dreams and goes into different areas of what the unconscious mind dreams. There are common themes that were reported in a study from college students. Weiten brings up that our dreams are influenced by what is happening in our day to day lives, or by different stimuli that would be affecting us while we sleep.…

    • 1240 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As stated in the lecture, indigenous people have a deeper understanding of their environment. As language influences a person’s way of thinking, extinction of a language results in loss of social groups which further results in loss of deeper knowledge and skills possessed by various groups. A group of people living in the city have a view that is different from that of an indigenous tribe. For instance, the tribe of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India speaking Akka Bo, believe in living and working in groups. The tribe has a common belief of living in groups and believes that working together will result in prosperity.…

    • 1052 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays