Aboriginal Beliefs
The Aborigines had, and still have, a complex belief in creation, spirits and culture, that gives a definite distinctiveness from any other religion in the world. Thousands of years ago, Australian Aboriginal people were living in accordance with their dreamtime beliefs- today, a majority of the Aboriginal community profess allegiance to Christianity, and only 3% still adhere to traditional beliefs. These beliefs have provided the Aboriginal people with guidance and perspective on all aspects of life. There were many variants to these beliefs and practises throughout the many Aboriginal tribal areas, but all Aboriginal people have developed an intimate relationship between themselves and ...
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rituals, storytelling and Aboriginal lore, and explains the origin of the universe, the workings of nature and the nature of humanity, and the cycle of life and death. It shapes and structures Aboriginal life by controlling kinship, ceremonial life, and the relationship between males and females with a system of responsibility involving people, land and spirits. The aim or objective of traditional Aboriginal people was to live the exact lifestyle that had been created for them by the creators thus, the Aboriginal people strive to perpetuate and continue the never ending dreaming.
The creators were the ancestors of all living things, including the Aborigines themselves. Sometimes human, sometimes animal, they were possessed of miraculous powers. Their deeds on earth are enshrined in Aboriginal mythology and are closely associated with animals and other features of the natural environment. Each tribe had it’s own creation myth. For example, the people of the Arunda tribe ...
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creation story was the story of the Arunda tribe. The Tnatanja Pole is said to have been responsible for creating ridges and gorges throughout the area. The Pole existed long before men and women were created- It was very tall and reached up to the sky, but the wind often blew so hard, that the pole snapped. As it crashed to the ground it formed deep depressions in the earth, but then reformed again into one pole.
When people were born, their parents gave each child a ‘totemic’ name, according to which ‘colour’ group they were born into. A totem could be any object, such as a bird or plant, or even some particular landmark through which a person is linked to the ...
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Aboriginal Beliefs. (2004, December 29). Retrieved November 30, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Aboriginal-Beliefs/19746
"Aboriginal Beliefs." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 29 Dec. 2004. Web. 30 Nov. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Aboriginal-Beliefs/19746>
"Aboriginal Beliefs." Essayworld.com. December 29, 2004. Accessed November 30, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Aboriginal-Beliefs/19746.
"Aboriginal Beliefs." Essayworld.com. December 29, 2004. Accessed November 30, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Aboriginal-Beliefs/19746.
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