The Dreaming - stories from Australian Aboriginal culture
Every society has a set of rules that help people live together. Some cultures have rules set down in writing and others pass on their rules through stories. These stories help people to understand their world and their place within that world.
Australian Aboriginal people from different areas have passed on the rules about all aspects of their lives through the stories of The Dreaming or Tjukurrpa, which comes from the Arrernte language and means to 'see and understand the law'. Throughout Australia there are 260 separate Aboriginal nations each with their own language and their own Dreaming. The stories of The Dreaming hand down important knowledge about culture such as:
- when and how the Ancestral Beings created life and features of the land and the universe like mountains, rivers, oceans, the stars and the planets
- ancestors
- the law, responsibilities and religious or spiritual beliefs
- how to behave
- how to conduct relationships
- how to care for the land, the water and seas and all the creatures and plants living in these places.
Name some stories from your culture, other cultures or your own experience which pass on cultural knowledge and understandings. Next to each title suggest the 'lesson' that each is passing on. Share with others and your teacher.
