The Dreaming
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The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal mythology. It was originally used b
Stencil art at Carnarvon Gorge. The collective works of the Bidjara, Karingbal (or Garingbal), Ghungalu (or Gangulu), Gunggari, Gayiri (or Kairi), Nguri, Gungabula, Yiman, Wadja, Kara Kara, and Butchulla peoples (Aboriginal groups that have created the myriad of stencil art sites that exist at Carnarvon Gorge) encompass many critical aspects of early and recent Aboriginal society. They include, but are not limited to, insights on memorial practices, appeals to totemic ancestors or varying interpretative records of Dreaming stories, and provide direct documentation on the daily lives of said groups ~19,500–3,500 years ago.
The Milky Way over Uluru. In Carl Strehlow's 1908 study known as Die Aranda, the Arrente people of Central Australia near Uluru, envisioned the Milky way as a free flowing "river of blood", a celestial waterway into the sky realm of the Dreamtime that leads directly to the dwelling of Altjira (an eternal Creator Deity). Do note that while Strehlow's views provided an early, detailed account of Arrente cosmology; it is often compounded with other early, controversial interpretation of Aboriginal spirituality.
Ku-ring-gai Chase-petroglyph, depicting Baiame, the Creator God and Sky Father, in the dreaming of several Aboriginal language groups. The petroglyph is carved into Hawkesbury Sandstone on the Waratah Track, and is approximately 1.7 meters (5.6 feet) long. Unique artistic features of the petroglyph include a significantly swollen leg and the complete absence of a neck.
Waugals (yellow triangles with a black snake in the centre) are the official Bibbulmun Track trailmarkers between Kalamunda and Albany in Western Australia. The Waugal symbol was adopted in 1987/88 during a major overhaul of the Track by the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM). The symbol was deemed appropriate to recognize the rich indigenous (Noongar) history of the region. The Noongar believe that the Waugal meandered across the land, carving out the Swan River (Derbal Yerrigan) and the Canning River (Djarlgarro Beelier) on its journey to the ocean (likely the Indian ocean). It is represented by the Darling scarp. The Darling Scarp is a "320 kilometer long fault formed escarpment" running north to south and forming the eastern edge of the Swan Coastal Plain in Western Australia. It is believed to represent the body of a resting Waugal. Its scales are said to have become forests, while its droppings are noted to be represented by large piles of rock. In Noongar tradition, the Waugal is a guardian of fresh water. When the water in a river is dark and murky, it is believed that the Waugal is swimming, and people should not enter the water.
Australian Aboriginal religion and mythology is the sacred spirituality represented in the stories performed by Aboriginal Australians within each of the language groups across Australia in their cere
The Dreaming
…The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal mythology. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his colleague Walter Baldwin Spencer, and thereafter popularized by A. P. Elkin, who later…
The Djabugay language group's mythical being, Damarri, transformed into a mountain range, is seen lying on his back above the Barron River Gorge, looking upwards to the skies, within north-east Australia's wet tropical forested landscape.
Australian carpet python, one of the forms the 'Rainbow Serpent' character may take in 'Rainbow Serpent' myths
Statue of Captain James Cook at Admiralty Arch, London