The "Dreamtime" in a Nutshell
- Thread starter Aussie Thoughts
- Start date
EXACTLY!!
Everyone is a mento...some for what to do...others for what not to do... but no matter how evil one is...there is something to be learned from their experiences I believe.
Aussie Thoughts
Just my 2 cents
I still can't get it out of mine and it's been almost 40 years!
Nanna Gymea can count pretty well and sign her name, but that's about it in that regard. She doesn't know everything, but she does know what's important and that's what really matters.
Are there any similarities to the New Testament?
good question! does their belief system need an intermediary or savior?
Aussie Thoughts
Just my 2 cents
Not that I'm aware of. After the story of creation, most of the dreamtime stories are about things specifically related to Aboriginal life. Although, there is a story about virgin birth. If memory serves, it had something to do with gals getting pregnant after swimming in a river. I don't remember what that was all about though.
Now that's interesting.....
Was it the river itself, or what happened afterwards on the banks of the river?
Aussie Thoughts
Just my 2 cents
Ok, from what I was able to find out, this is a story primarily told by the tribes in the northwest territories. It takes place very early in the planet's history before the continents separated and drifted apart. The story goes that certain women, presumably virgins, became pregnant with spirit children after wading into the river. It is believed that these children were manifestations of the Divine and have walked the earth at different times throughout history.
Aussie Thoughts
Just my 2 cents
Nothing like that. In Aboriginal culture. God first created the angels. They then came to earth penetrating the surface and all else emerged from within. As for lighter less dense bodies, in there culture that's the form our soul takes upon our demise and before we reincarnate. God is also of this form including all manifestations there of.
Fantastic. I just love when the powers that be get beaten at their own game...
Aussie Thoughts
Just my 2 cents
My dad took Nanna Gymea and several Abby kids to the first service. When they came back I asked one of the kids what they had learned in Church. He told me he had learned about the Angel of creation. At first, I thought the Priest had actually used the term, Angel of creation, but then the little guy said, "No, he told us about some bloke called Mathew. Nanna Gymea told us about the Angel of creation from the pictures on the wall." My dad got the biggest kick out of that.Fantastic. I just love when the powers that be get beaten at their own game...
Does anyone in your immediate group still attend that church?
Aussie Thoughts
Just my 2 cents
Nanna Gymea and a few others go every now and then, but the regular congregation is from another settlement.
Does Nanna or the family celebrate, worship, or believe in any of the old abo ways?
Aussie Thoughts
Just my 2 cents
They do, but in our area it's more symbolic than anything else. Now, in some of the remote areas the Abbies still do some seriously weird sh!t.
Celebrating a gal's first menstrual cycle for instance. Among the Aboriginals this is a cause for great joy and news spreads fast. In our region the occasion is marked by fresh baked cakes and pies or a trip to town for ice cream. Strange as that may seem, in the remote regions entire villages will gather to witness the event.
cycle of life... she's fertile...
I think coming of age ceremonies are common in a lot of religions. It involves greater responsibilities in tribal cultures, and much more. As such, it is great cause for celebration. We Hindus, in private home ceremony, celebrate this one with the first sari, and in many communities it may be a quite expensive one at that.
I have no idea why other cultures often describe cultures other than the one they're familiar with as 'weird'. I guess it's normal, but I find 'weird' a bit derogatory. It's good to see it going both directions, from afar. Then you get a better handle on the bigger picture.
I have no idea why other cultures often describe cultures other than the one they're familiar with as 'weird'. I guess it's normal, but I find 'weird' a bit derogatory. It's good to see it going both directions, from afar. Then you get a better handle on the bigger picture.
Aussie Thoughts
Just my 2 cents
I'm quite familiar with Aboriginal culture and I still find it weird. It's not meant as derogatory though, just strange or different than one might expect coming from modern society. I actually like the idea of celebrating coming of age, but can you imagine what the media would do with a story involving a young girl being paraded naked in front of the neighbors so they could witness her first monthly?
That's nothing compared to what happens to the blokes in those remote tribal regions when they come of age. I'll spare you the gory details, but it involves a stone ax and a camp fire!