Aboriginal Art

The dreamtime is a central theme which often provides the basis for Aboriginal art. The idea of the dreamtime is that the ancestors who created life are sacred. The DREAMTIME states that in the beginning the earth lay sleeping and under the earths crust the animals, birds and reptiles lay sleeping.

Then, one day the Rainbow Serpent awoke from her slumber and pushed her way through the earth’s crust, moving the stones that lay in her way. When she emerged she looked about her and then traveled over the land, going in all directions.

She traveled far and wide, and when she grew tired she curled herself into a heap and slept. Upon the earth she left her winding tracks and the imprint of her sleeping body. When she had traveled all the earth, she returned to the place where she had first appeared and called to the frogs, “ COME OUT “

The frogs were very slow to come from below the earth’s crust, for their sleep. The Rainbow Serpent tickled their stomachs, and when the frogs laughed, the water ran all over the earth to fill the tracks of the Rainbow Serpent’s wanderings – and that is how the lakes and rivers were formed.

The grass began to grow, and the trees sprang up, and so life began on earth.

All the animals, birds and reptiles awoke and followed the Rainbow Serpent, the Mother of Life, across the land.

They were happy on the land. Some animals lived on the plains, some in the air and some near water, the reptiles lived among the rocks and stones. The Rainbow Serpent made laws for them to follow and promised that they would take on human form if they followed the laws. They would then be able to roam the land with their children and their children’s children. If the laws were broken they would be turned to stone and become hills and rocks , to stand still and forever watch over the tribes hunting for food at their feet.

Those who followed the laws turned into human form and they had a respect for the animal they came from – the animal became their totem and was to be respected. No one would eat their own totem.

Now go to the link below for more information.

http://www.moneyraptor.com/the_dreaming1.htm

A diagram of the dreamtime can be seen here

http://www.moneyraptor.com/dreamtime.htm

The DREAMTIME

Water-holding frogs store water in their bodies which can be squeezed out and drunk. The Role of Story Telling Storytelling is an integral part of life for Indigenous Australians. From an early age, storytelling plays a vital role in educating children. The stories help to explain how the land came to be shaped and inhabited; how to behave and why; where to find certain foods, etc. Gathered around the camp fire in the evening, on an expedition to a favourite waterhole, or at a landmark of special significance, parents, Elders or Aunts and Uncles use the stories as the first part of a child's education. Then, as children grow into young adults, more of the history and culture is revealed. Adults then take responsibility for passing on the stories to the following generations. In this way, the Stories of the Dreaming have been handed down over thousands of years. All the storytellers you will meet on this site are active in keeping the stories alive and passing them on the next generation. These are stories of the history and culture of the people, handed down in this way since the beginning of time, since the Dreamtime. The expression 'Dreamtime' is most often used to refer to the 'time before time', or 'the time of the creation of all things', while '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'. However, many Indigenous Australians also refer to the creation time as 'The Dreaming'. 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 travelled across the land, or came to a halt, they created rivers, hills, etc., and there are often stories attached to these places.
Once their work was done, the Ancestor Spirits changed again; into animals or stars or hills or other objects. For Indigenous Australians, the past is still alive and vital today and will remain so into the future. The Ancestor Spirits and their powers have not gone, they are present in the forms into which they changed at the end of the 'Dreamtime' or 'Dreaming', as the stories tell. The stories have been handed down through the ages and are an integral part of an Indigenous person's 'Dreaming'. Because the Stories of the Dreaming have been handed down through the generations, they are not 'owned' by individuals. They belong to a group or nation, and the storytellers of that nation are carrying out an obligation to pass the stories along. The Elders of a nation might appoint a particularly skilful and knowledgeable storyteller as 'custodian' of the stories of that people. With the discouragement and 'unofficial' banning of the telling of traditional stories, which continued well into the twentieth century, many stories were 'lost'. The custodians passed away without being able to hand the stories on. This was particularly so in the south-east region of Australia. Today's custodians are keen to spread the stories as widely as possible. It is part of the overall effort to ensure that young people build and retain a sense of who they are. Storytelling, while explaining the past, helps young Indigenous Australians maintain dignity and self-respect in the present. Present-day custodians of stories play a vital role in Indigenous communities
RELIGION
	THE SPIRITUAL BELIEFS of the people varied across the country, but basic to them all was the belief that the Ancestors, giant beings from the past, created the country from its original flat and empty surface. The people had their creation stories that told how their country had been formed. Each community or clan had its own totem. This was an animal, plant or object of special significance to the clan because it was associated with the clan's Ancestors. Although the creation of their land had been a long time past, the people believed that the Ancestors lived on as rocks, trees, animals or other features which the Ancestors had been associated with, or into which they had turned themselves. These sacred places where the Ancestors' spirits dwelt held special significance and provided the spirit of life. Each clan had its own sacred places associated with its own Ancestors. Much of the art and many of the songs and dances of each clan had spiritual significance and were concerned with the exploits of the clan's Ancestors. This also applied to the paintings made on the bodies of dancers for sacred ceremonies. Men held the spiritual leadership of each clan and there were certain sacred rites that could be practised only by adult men. During these ceremonies, they could call on the power of the Ancestors to assist their people. There were also rites observed by women that were kept secret from men.
THE PEOPLE PLAYED many games, sometimes using balls made from grass or animal skin tied up with twine. However, the most common form of entertainment was dancing and singing during ceremonies. Ceremonies were usually held at night and in many communities they were held frequently. Men, women and children watched or joined in the singing, dancing and music making. Music was provided by clapping sticks and, in parts of northern Australia, by the didgeridoo, a long hollowed out wooden pipe into which the player blew to produce a deep droning music. These ceremonies, which were held as entertainments to be shared by the community, presented songs and dances about the life of the community. They might, for example, tell the story of an exciting chase during a successful hunt. Other ceremonies were sacred and were not for entertainment. They could be participated in only by adult men who had passed through the full period of their initiation. In other, ceremonies, only women could participate. Storytelling was another popular form of entertainment. Children learnt much about their community by listening to the stories told to them by adults. The people practised a number of different art forms in addition to dance and storytelling. For example, in northern Queensland, north-western Australia and on the Arnhem Land escarpment, they painted elaborate rock paintings. In some parts of northern Australia bark was painted, and memorial poles for the dead were sculpted.
	In central Australia people painted on the ground and carved sacred boards. In parts of New South Wales they painted in rock shelters. In south-eastern Australia, hardwood shields and weapons were decoratively carved. Animal skin cloaks were also decorated. Many paintings were also part of the sacred life of the community and their artists sang sacred songs as they worked together on paintings. Certain paintings told stories of great spiritual significance, and were not allowed to be seen by women and children. Boys learnt the locations of sacred paintings during their initiation process and were told they would be breaking the people's law if they revealed them. For many ceremonies, participants were body painted, the body paintings being relevant to the story being told in the ceremonies.