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Mary Sweeney

Mr. Olsyzk

Comparative Religion Paper

4 October 2016

The Dreaming: A Way of Life

Dreamtime, what most people think when they here the word "dream" is sleep, or

something along the lines of it. Dreams are stories, something that you can see; it can be of real

past events, or stories you make up. Dreamtime religion is apart of the Aboriginal people that

were originally from Australia. The Aboriginal people consider The Dreaming to be their way of

life, which has been apart of their history since the beginning of time. These stories and rituals

have been passed down from generation to generation.

Although Dreamtime had no real creator, many believe that it began at the beginning of

time, the most common of these is The Rainbow Serpent."...in the Dreaming, the world was flat,

bare, and cold. The Rainbow Serpent slept under the ground with all the animal tribes in her

belly waiting to be born, When it was time, she pushed up, calling to the animals to come from

their sleep. She threw the land out, making mountains and hills and spilled water over the

landmark making rivers and lakes. She made the sun, the fire and all the colours."(Arthur)

During the time of creation many Aboriginal people is referred to as the creation period, or ex

nihilo. They say that the ancestors, more of magical beings, who created the land; obtained

magnificent powers that were both used for good, and for bad. Many of these Ancestors left their

essence in rocks, trees, waterholes, imprinting themselves into the environment. In creating the

earth the ancestors also created customs, rites, and laws for their people. They believe that

everything and everyone has some sort of essence that connects them to the Ancestors. "Human
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beings also contain the sacred essence of the Dreaming Beings and gain knowledge of their own

spiritual identity and interconnectedness with a specific geographical location or place through

instruction from initiated elders." (Hume, 25) They call the essence kuranita, among other

names, depending of the tribe.

Unlike Greek mythology, or Norse mythology in Dreamtime there is no main god or

ancestor, instead they all are equal and coexist together. The ancestors are neither good, nor bad

and are very similar to humans. With in this faith there is no real belief in an afterlife, no heaven,

no hell, and no real place of punishment. They simply believe that everyone and everything is

connected. The Human world, consisting of people, relationships and behaviors are connected

with the Physical world: animals, land, the sky etc. These two are connected with the sacred

world. With these three relationships intertwined creates a dreaming-place for each individual

soul. "It was believed that, before humans, animals, and plants came into being, their 'souls'

existed by themselves; they knew they would become physical, but not when."(Crystalinks)

Because everything has a soul, the Aboriginal people consider biological diversity to be

important leading them to keep from over hunting and hurting the population of certain animal

species. When a person emerges into their dreaming state to some it's like an out-of-body

experience. The soul travels out of the body and has experiences that a normal person wouldn't

usually experience. On a special occasion a person could meet an Ancestor who presents them

with future knowledge to that person. In order to access the dreaming state one must perform

various songs, ceremonies, and rituals among other techniques.

Today, most Aboriginal tribes don't perform rituals unless it's for growth of food and

commencement of a boy or girl into the stages of adulthood. When this happens the ceremony

lasts for a series of weeks with singing, dancing, and storytelling. Some stories are to be told to
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everyone, where others are told only for the new initiates. Another form of ritual is funeral

ceremonies. "...People often paint themselves white, cut their own bodies to show their remorse

for the loss of their loves one, and conduct a series of rituals, songs and dances to ensure the

person's spirit leaves the area and returns to its birth place, from where it can later be

reborn."(aboriginalculture.com.au) When a person dies they under go two burials, the primary

and secondary burial. The primary burial consists of the corpse being laid onto of a wooden

platform where they are left for several months for the flesh to rot away. After, the secondary

burial commences, where the bones are taken, and painted various colors, there being distributed

to various family members. Sometimes a family member will continue to carry the bones with

them for a certain amount of years, and other times the bones are put into a sacred cave to rot and

become apart of the land.

In the late 1700's there was a great settlement of English colonies in Australia. Similar to

the first colonization in America, the colonies in Australia suffered from new diseases and

killings from local tribes. In later years missionaries tried to convert the savage Aborigine

people. In some missions "...attempts were made to eradicate language, rituals, and other

practices."(Bourke,Edwards,89) They did this in hopes to try and forcefully convert the tribes.

Throughout the years some have combined the two religions having some uphold many rituals

and beliefs of the Aboriginal people and at the same time participate in Christian life.

Most people get confused when thinking about The Dreaming and try to reference it, and

relate it to real dreams. They also think that in order to experience The Dreaming one must really

dream. In reality thats not what its about, The Dreaming is the concept of creation, that these

different entities, or Ancestors created the world, and everything in it. People dont experience

The Dreaming, but they originate from it.

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The Dreamtime religion has a lot to do with rituals, gods-or ancestors- and the belief that

everything is connected. When I first learned about the different stories used to understand the

world, was very interesting to me. As a result of being a Catholic I don't necessarily believe of

the rainbow serpent, and their story of creation. There can be evidence that these Ancestors were

real, with the placement of rocks and mountains shaped like the Ancestors themselves, or other

scared objects. The main ritual I really don't like is the primary funeral ritual where members of

the family purposely to cut themselves morn the loss of their loved ones and attempt to feel the

same pain. I understand the ritual and the meaning of it, but it seems dangerous and that there

might be a chance that someone might die from blood loss.

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Works Cited

"Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime, Mythology - Crystalinks."Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime,

Mythology - Crystalinks. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.

http://www.crystalinks.com/dreamtime.html

Edwards, Bill, Bourke, Colin and Eleanor. Aboriginal Australia: An Introductory Reader In

Aboriginal Studies. Australia: University of Queensland Press, 1994. Print.

Hume, Lynne. Ancestral Power: The Dreaming, Consciousness, and Aboriginal Australians.

Australia: Melbourne University Press, 2002. Print.

"Religion and Ceremony." Aboriginal Culture. Ed. David M. Welch. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct.

2016. http://www.aboriginalculture.com.au/religion.shtml

"The Dreaming | Australia.gov.au." Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Digital

Transformation Office, 2015. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.

http://www.australia.gov.au/about- australia/australian-story/dreaming