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Explore the profound connection between Dreaming and Aboriginal spirituality, its ties to land, kinship, and ceremonial life. Learn about the impact of dispossession, Protection Policies, assimilation, and the Stolen Generation on Aboriginal communities.
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Aboriginal Spirituality And Dreaming • Kinship • Ceremonial life • Obligations to the land and people
Dreaming • The Dreaming lies at the heart of Aboriginal spirituality and hence is fundamental to all Aboriginal cultures and societies. • The Dreaming is term used to label all knowledge and understanding in Aboriginal societies. • The Dreaming is inextricably linked to the land. • The Dreaming includes explanations of the formation of different aspects of creation. • The Dreaming is communicated through art, song, dance, story, ritual and kinship systems. • The Dreaming is a metatemporal concept, that is, it incorporates the past, present and future as a complete and present reality.
Kinship • Kinship ties identify a complex system of belonging, relationships and responsibilities within a clan that are based on the Dreaming. • Kinship is determined by both family relationships and a person's totem and is thus a connection with the ancestor spirits, land and Dreaming. • “Look all around all you see is my family” Bob Randall Kanyini 2005
Ceremonial life • Aboriginal spirituality is communicated through things such as art, story, dance, ceremonies etc. • Totems link Aboriginal people to a particular animal which is the representation of an ancestral spirit being. • Totems carry with them ceremonial/ritual responsibilities - these are most commonly called balance rites. Obligations to the land and people • The Dreaming is inextricably connected to the land. • The land is the physical medium through which the Dreaming is lived and communicated.
Ceremonial Life • The land is a resting place for ancestral spirit beings. • There are ritual responsibilities connected with sacred sites, which are commonly known as balance rites. • A sacred site is the land upon which particular event in the Dreaming took place. • The identity of an Aboriginal person is intimately connected with the land.
The Effect of Dispossession • Separation from land • Separation from kinship groups • The Stolen Generation
The Effect of Dispossession • The impact of dispossession has been enormous and overwhelmingly detrimental. • The loss of land amounts to a loss of identity and the burden of not being able to fulfil ritual responsibilities. • The loss of land has destroyed the system of totemic responsibilities. • The loss of language has made it impossible to pass on beliefs in an authentic way. • The separation of families has destroyed the kinship system and has led to a loss of identity.
The impact of the Protection Policies • Protection policies had the stated aim of removing Aboriginal people from unsuitable environments and placing them in the protection of the state by detaining them in homes or on missions or reserves. • The intent of these policies was to isolate Aboriginal people from the rest of the community until such time as their culture died out. • The protection policies saw large number of children separated from their families. Often they were relocated considerable distances from their traditional lands. • The breaking up of families and removal from traditional lands had enormous detrimental impacts on the maintenance of traditional beliefs. • Land, language, totems, kinship and ceremonies were all significantly affected.
The Impact of the Assimilation policies • Assimilation policies followed on from protection policies and led to further degradation of Aboriginal communities. • The aim of assimilation policies was to take Aboriginal people, particularly those who were "half caste" and have them assimilated into the white community so that their Aboriginality would be forgotten. • The policies of assimilation led to further separation of Aboriginal children from families - the 'Stolen Generation'. • Many Aboriginal children were abused in their foster homes. • Assimilation policies led to further social problems as Aboriginal people from "mission" environments had not had the opportunity to learn any of the traditional skills necessary for survival.
Stolen Generation • The term Stolen Generation refers to the Aboriginal children who were removed from their homes between 1900 and 1972 by the Government and church missionaries in an attempt to assimilate these children into European society. • Many Aboriginal children suffered maltreatment, sexual exploitation, inhumane working conditions and degrading forms of humiliation in their "adopted" homes. • The prohibition on traditional Aboriginal practices meant that land, language, totems, kinship and ceremonies were all detrimentally affected.
The land Rights Movement • Native Title • Mabo • Wik
Native Title • The beginnings of the modern land rights movement is usually attributed to the Wave Hill Mob who went on strike for better conditions on a Northern Territory cattle station at Wave Hill. • Eventually after a protracted dispute the Whitlam Federal Government passed the first land rights legislation in 1975. • Land rights legislation benefits a very small percentage of Aboriginal people. • Native title refers to communal or individual rights or interests of Aboriginal people or Torres Strait Islanders in relation to land or waters.
Mabo • In June 1992 the High Court of Australia ruled in favour of an action brought by Eddie Mabo on behalf of the Murray Island people. • The court ruled that Australia was indeed an occupied land at the time of British settlement and that the notion of terra nullius - "land belonging to no one" - was false in regard to the situation in Australia. • It further ruled that under certain circumstances a form of title known as "Native Title" existed under Australian law. • In order to claim Native Title it had to be proved that continuous links with the land had been maintained since before 1788 and that the Native Title had not been extinguished as with freehold title. • Native Title could only be claimed on a very small percentage of Australian land.
The Wik case and the Native Title Amendment Act • In 1996 the High Court ruled in favour of the Wik people who claimed that Leasehold Title may not automatically extinguish Native Title. • The High Court ruled that in certain circumstances Native Title and Leasehold Title could co-exist and that in areas of dispute the interests of the Leasehold Title holder would prevail. • In response to pressure from investors in rural Australia the Howard Federal Government prepared legislation to amend the Native Title Act and prevent any uncertainty. • The legislation was called the Native Title Amendment Act and was commonly referred to as the 10 Point Plan. • The main feature of the legislation was to transfer from the Federal Government to the various State Governments the power to upgrade the title from Leasehold Title to Freehold Title thus extinguishing Native Title.
Importance of Land Rights in Relation to Aboriginal Spirituality - Dreaming • Land rights are of critical importance in relation to Aboriginal spirituality, because the Dreaming is inextricably connected with the land. • The land is the resting place for ancestral spirit beings. • Each Aboriginal is connected with the land through their totem. • Specific areas have important spiritual meaning for particular groups of Aboriginal people - these are known as sacred sites. • There are special responsibilities attached to sacred sites such as ceremonies etc. • The identity of an Aboriginal person is inextricably linked to the land and hence the land is like a mother for the people.
Religious expression in Australia - 1945 to the present • The religious landscape from 1945 to the present in relation to: - Changing patterns of religious adherence - The current religious landscape • Religious dialogue in multi-faith Australia- Ecumenical movements within Christianity - Interfaith dialogue - The relationship between Aboriginal spiritualities and religious traditions in the process of Reconciliation
Outline changing patterns of religious adherence from 1945 to the present using census data • There have been significant declines in the number of Christians regularly attending religious services. • This decline is most evident in the Anglican Church, the Presbyterian Church and the Uniting Church. • The drop in the figures for these three denominations represents both a decrease in the percentage of those who are affiliated with that denomination as well as a decline in actual numbers over the last decade. • The proportion of Orthodox Christians in Australia grew rapidly after the Second World War and has remained quite constant over the past decade.
Roman Catholics have continued to increase both numerically and as a percentage of the population, and have overtaken Anglicans as the largest denomination in Australia. • Pentecostal figures have demonstrated strong growth both numerically and as a percentage of the population since the 1960s. • In the last ten years however, this steep ascent appears to have slowed down and reached a plateau. • The significant drop in the numbers of people regularly attending religious services should be read in conjunction with the substantial trend in the increasing numbers of people writing "No Religion" or "Religion Not Stated" in the census. • The figure for religions other than Christianity, on the whole, appears to be steadily increasing from a fairly small base.
Changing Patterns of Adherents • Buddhist figures have grown at a steady rate from 1972 onwards and is now the largest religion other than Christianity in Australia. • Hinduism has maintained steady growth. • The numbers of Muslims in Australia have also increased dramatically since 1945. • In 2001 the proportion of Jews was similar to that recorded in 1947.
Account for the Present Religious Landscape • Christianity as a major religious tradition • Immigration • Denominational switching • Rise of New Age religions • Secularism
Christianity as the Major Religion • The significant decline in the number of Christians regularly attending religious services, especially in the Anglican, Uniting Church and Presbyterian denominations, can be attributed to the aging population, the lack of migrant intake and the general dissatisfaction impacting on other mainstream Christian groups. • Roman Catholics are continuing to increase numerically, though not at the rate of the population because of its younger membership and substantial migrant intake. • The significant increases in the Pentecostal figures can be attributed to factors such as the lively nature of its worship, its emphasis on contemporary music, the strong sense of community and spiritual support it provides, the charismatic leaders which lead the congregation and the clear cut answers it provides for times of uncertainty.
Christianity as the Major Religion • Pentecostalism is an evangelical (fundamentalist and focused on conversion) and charismatic (a strong emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit) strand of the Christian religion. • The slow down in the increase of Pentecostal figures in the last 10 years can be attributed to the 'revolving door syndrome' which recognises that large numbers of Pentecostals remain with the Church for a relatively short period of time and because many Pentecostals were encouraged by their leaders to write "Australian Christian Church" rather than "Pentecostal" on the 2001 census.
Immigration • Changed Australia from being mono-cultural, mono-faith to multi-cultural, multi-faith. • Since World War 2 and the lifting of the White Australia policy there has been much more diversity in migration and an accompanying increase in the diversity of religious groupings. • Migration after World War 2 led to increased number of Catholics from countries such as Italy, Malta etc. • This also increased numbers of Orthodox Christians from Greece and Eastern Europe. • After the ending of the White Australian policy in 1972 migration developed from a larger range of countries bringing a wider range of religions.
Immigration • Migration has led to significant increases in the numbers of people who are Buddhist, Muslims, Hindus and Jews. • Buddhists came from Indo-Chinese countries - Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia - and in more recent times Malaysia, Hong Kong and China. • Muslims came from countries such as Indonesia, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, Bosnia. • Increases have also occurred in Christian denominations where there is a large non-Anglo population - Orthodox (Eastern Europe) and Catholic churches (from predominantly Irish to include Mediterranean, Eastern European, Asian, South American, African members). • Increased presence of a variety of religious groups has also led to a greater appreciation of this diversity.
Denominational switching • The vast majority of people affiliated with religious groups in Australia were born into that religion. • The phenomena of swapping between denominations or groups of the same religious tradition is known as denominational switching. • Denominational switching is more common in Protestant Churches than in the Catholic Church. • The majority of Pentecostals have moved from another Protestant denomination to join the Pentecostal group. • Pentecostal is the term used to describe Christian denominations which have a strong emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit (speaking in tongues, healing, prophecy etc). • They are often relatively small groups which provides for more personal interaction, they also have lively worship. • Pentecostalism is the fastest growing Christian group. • Most Pentecostals have switched to the group from another Christian denomination. Many leave again after about 2 years - this is known as the 'revolving door syndrome'.
Rise of New Age religions • Census figures show a considerable level of dissatisfaction with traditional religious groups. • Alongside this dissatisfaction is an indication of a strong and growing longing for a spiritual dimension to life. • "New Age" is an umbrella term which refers to a range of alternative and/or pseudo-religious groups that people are attracted to. • New Age religions are characterised by their adoption of elements of Eastern religions and their subsequent rejection of traditional Western views, and the fact that it favours creation centred spirituality. • Some examples of new age religions are feng shui, yoga, tai chi, astrology, tarot cards, numerology etc. • Many people uphold traditional religious beliefs and practices but supplement them with new age elements.
Secularism • Secularism is the belief that religion should not interfere with or be integrated into the public affairs of a society. • There are multiple factors which have contributed to the decline of religion's relevance for the integration and legitimation of modern life. • The increasing pluralism and materialism of society alongside society's increasing individualism and dissatisfaction with traditional religions are major reasons for secularisation. • This trend is most evident in the significant increase in the number of people responding "No religion" in the census alongside an overall decline in the Christian figures recorded in the census.
Ecumenical movements within Christianity • Ecumenism refers to the movement towards religious unity amongst Christian denominations. • Ecumenical movements have made an impact on various levels. • At the highest level, joint commissions such as the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) make statements about official church teachings. • Cooperation on social/political issues and in times of crisis or tragedy. • Theological initiatives such as Sydney College of Divinity. • Grass roots initiatives such as parish prayer groups etc. • The formation of the Uniting Church in 1977, through a merger of three existing Churches - Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational. • The reorganisation of the Australian Council of Churches in 1994 to become the National Council of Churches in Australia. • The reorganisation of the structure of the NSW Ecumenical Council to accommodate the Catholic dioceses within NSW and the Australian Capital Territory.
Interfaith dialogue • Interfaith dialogue is a movement aimed towards promoting understanding between different religious traditions. • In the current political environment the need for religious leaders around the world to express the commonalities which bind the religious world views have become even more important in light of these cultural and political divisions. • The dignity of the human person and the sanctity of human life is a prime example of one fundamental element which runs throughout all world religions. • In response to tragedies such as the Boxing Day Tsunami, the Bali Bombings, etc religious groups provided support through inter-faith memorials. • Cooperation on social justice issues such as indigenous rights, opposition to GST, unemployment, poverty, land mines, nuclear testing and asylum seekers.
The relationship between Aboriginal spiritualities, religious traditions and Reconciliation • Many Christian groups strongly support reconciliation, and the issues. associated with it such as land rights, native title and the need for a formal apology to the Stolen Generation. • Historically, Christian groups have been intimately involved with the process of reconciliation for example by advocating Aboriginal land rights and citizenship, supporting the Mabo and Wik decisions and opposing the Ten Point Plan. • Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) is an example of a prominent church based organisation advocating indigenous rights.
The relationship between Aboriginal spiritualities, religious traditions and Reconciliation • There is interfaith support for the process of reconciliation. • Various Jewish groups also opposed the Ten Point Plan and every year they hold a week of prayer for reconciliation. • Islamic and Buddhist groups have also made public statements supporting reconciliation, and issues such as native title, a formal apology to the Stolen Generation and land rights. • The support that traditions other than Christianity lend to reconciliation is less noticeable compared to the work of Christian groups because of their smaller affiliation.
