In the dreamtime the ancestral beings established a moral guide for all aspects of life. They also warned of the consequences if the rules were not adhered to.
Children growing up in a particular tribe would usually accept the teachings of their tribe without question. The only problems would come when they had contact with other tribes with varying views on some part of their moral code. In practice, not all behaviour dictated by the ancestral beings were strictly adhered to by all. Some variation was tolerated as long as it was on a matter of lesser importance.
A moral concept that is common throughout Aboriginal culture was ‘payback’. “Payback is a big part of our law and culture”— Phill Moncrieff, Aboriginal musician Aboriginal clans
Children growing up in a particular tribe would usually accept the teachings of their tribe without question. The only problems would come when they had contact with other tribes with varying views on some part of their moral code. In practice, not all behaviour dictated by the ancestral beings were strictly adhered to by all. Some variation was tolerated as long as it was on a matter of lesser importance.
A moral concept that is common throughout Aboriginal culture was ‘payback’. “Payback is a big part of our law and culture”— Phill Moncrieff, Aboriginal musician Aboriginal clans