The Dreaming
Many people would be aware of the Dreaming in terms of creation stories. However, what may be less apparent, is that while the Dreaming does refer to the period leading up to creation, this period is also concerned with balance and the relationship between the world’s spiritual, moral and natural elements. Collectively, this is what is known as the Dreaming (Stanner, 1958). As such, connection to the natural environment and to the land by individuals or groups is considered sacred and irrevocable (Fryer-Smith, 2008). The Dreaming is the focus of spirituality for Indigenous Australian people. It dictates the social, moral and religious behaviour and laws that Indigenous Australian people follow through stories of ancestors and beings …show more content…
A person’s position within the Kinship system is what dictates their relationships and obligations with their society and their universe. The Kinship system is a tight system where an individual has more than two parents, four grandparents and numerous uncles, aunties and other relatives who may or may not be related by blood. This system ensures that all Indigenous Australian people are cared for. The first level on Kinship is moiety; essentially meaning two halves of a whole. Moiety is a division that arises from the way Indigenous Australian people see the world. For the Jawoyn language group, during the Dreaming, Nagorrkko, a tall spiritual being, allocated everything to either Dhuwa or Yirritja moiety. Dhuwa is associated with darker colours, whereas Yirritja has brighter colours (Jawoyn Association, 2017). Moiety is either patrilineal, matrilineal or generational; children, at birth, take on either the moiety of their father, their mother, or are grouped with different generations. Patrilineal is more common than matrilineal, and generational is more common in the desert regions of Australia (Rose, James and Watson, 2003). The second level of Kinship is totem. Individuals have multiple totems each representing different aspects of their belonging and are responsible for their totems; they ensure that the totems …show more content…
The relationship between Kinship and the Dreaming showcase moral and ethical rules which is the heart of Indigenous Australian spirituality (Jawoyn Association,
Many people would be aware of the Dreaming in terms of creation stories. However, what may be less apparent, is that while the Dreaming does refer to the period leading up to creation, this period is also concerned with balance and the relationship between the world’s spiritual, moral and natural elements. Collectively, this is what is known as the Dreaming (Stanner, 1958). As such, connection to the natural environment and to the land by individuals or groups is considered sacred and irrevocable (Fryer-Smith, 2008). The Dreaming is the focus of spirituality for Indigenous Australian people. It dictates the social, moral and religious behaviour and laws that Indigenous Australian people follow through stories of ancestors and beings …show more content…
A person’s position within the Kinship system is what dictates their relationships and obligations with their society and their universe. The Kinship system is a tight system where an individual has more than two parents, four grandparents and numerous uncles, aunties and other relatives who may or may not be related by blood. This system ensures that all Indigenous Australian people are cared for. The first level on Kinship is moiety; essentially meaning two halves of a whole. Moiety is a division that arises from the way Indigenous Australian people see the world. For the Jawoyn language group, during the Dreaming, Nagorrkko, a tall spiritual being, allocated everything to either Dhuwa or Yirritja moiety. Dhuwa is associated with darker colours, whereas Yirritja has brighter colours (Jawoyn Association, 2017). Moiety is either patrilineal, matrilineal or generational; children, at birth, take on either the moiety of their father, their mother, or are grouped with different generations. Patrilineal is more common than matrilineal, and generational is more common in the desert regions of Australia (Rose, James and Watson, 2003). The second level of Kinship is totem. Individuals have multiple totems each representing different aspects of their belonging and are responsible for their totems; they ensure that the totems …show more content…
The relationship between Kinship and the Dreaming showcase moral and ethical rules which is the heart of Indigenous Australian spirituality (Jawoyn Association,