The Aboriginals believed that the entire world was made by their Ancestors way back in the very beginning of time, the Dreamtime. The Ancestors made everything. The Ancestors made particular sites to show the Aboriginal people which places were to be sacred.
Spiritual Beliefs
All First Nations believed that their values and traditions were gifts from the Creator. One of the most important and most common teachings was that people should live in harmony with the natural world and all it contained.
Terms to know animism- the belief that all things have souls and spirits that live after death polytheistic- the belief in multiple gods monotheistic- the belief in one god reincarnation- the belief that an individual is reborn in another body after death totems- a method of preventing marriage between relatives.
Rather than viewing Country, or land, as a physical environment, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people consider Country as a deeply symbolic and spiritual place [1]. The connection between person and Country reinforces Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' identity and sense of belonging [5].
Australian values based on freedom, respect, fairness and equality of opportunity are central to our community remaining a secure, prosperous and peaceful place to live. Our values define and shape our country and they are a reason why so many people want to become Australian citizens.
Family, land, law, and language are four critical aspects of Aboriginal culture, and Aboriginal families are linked to land via kinship systems.
First, we hold beliefs about ourselves. Second, we hold beliefs about others. Lastly, we hold beliefs about the world around us. Our beliefs in each of these areas shape our perceptions and perspectives which ultimately shape our reality.
There is no one deity covering all of Australia. Each tribe has its own deities with an overlap of beliefs, just as there is an overlap of words between language groups. Thus, for example, the Wandjina spirits in the northern Kimberley of Western Australia belong to the Ngarinyin, Worora and Wunambal tribes.
Introducing emerging research on primal world beliefs
Major scientific effort finds that people hold three main beliefs about the world. These three beliefs concern how Safe, Enticing, and Alive the world is. They are strongly correlated to our day-to-day behavior and happiness.
(trədɪʃənəl ) adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun] Traditional customs, beliefs, or methods are ones that have existed for a long time without changing.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, Traditional Knowledge includes ecological knowledge, medicinal knowledge, environmental management knowledge and cultural and spiritual knowledge. It includes technical knowledge and know-how, agricultural knowledge, and astronomy.
Examples of cultural values include respect for elders, family values, individualism, and egalitarianism. Cultural values are passed on from one generation to another, which ensures continuity of traditions within a group of people. They may also be passed on through media.
Aboriginal people have a rich culture involving a custom, lore and value system based on the sustainability of their spiritual connection, belonging, obligation and responsibility to care for their land, their people and their environment.
At the point of death, it is said that our original mother, Mother Earth, who nourished our bodies, reclaims our physical forms. Our original father, the Creator, takes our spirits, to return them to their place of origin. Afterlife The spirit can be seen and felt leaving the body.
Aboriginal Death Beliefs
When it comes to the dead, most tribes traditionally believed that the spirit needed to go to the Land of the Dead. Notions of heaven and hell though, were not a part of their beliefs. So the idea of an Aboriginal afterlife with rewards or punishment does not exist.
Within the culture of the Australian Aboriginal peoples, there is a vast pantheon of gods, goddesses, and other deities. There are, of course, variations between different culture and language groups, but many of the mythological deities are said to have emerged during Dreamtime.
“Land is very important to Aboriginal people with the common belief of 'we don't own the land, the land owns us'. Aboriginal people have always had a spiritual connection to their land, and because of this connection many Aboriginal people will not leave their country.
Christianity has influenced Aboriginal spirituality in many ways, and many Aboriginal people are Christians. Aboriginal and Christian spirituality can sometimes peacefully coexist in the same person's belief system, and churches open up to this change.
We have religious, political, societal, philosophical, or spiritual belief systems, among others.
A basic belief is an idea we hold that can not be explained by some other idea. Its truth seems self-evident to us. That is what makes it basic or foundational.
The six values are Spirit and Integrity, Cultural continuity, Equity, Reciprocity, Respect, and Responsibility. 'Ethical conduct in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities' guidelines document provides further detail.
The six core values (see Figure 1) – spirit and integrity, cultural continuity, equity, reciprocity, respect, and responsibility – are important to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
The Dreamtime is the period in which life was created according to Aboriginal culture. Dreaming is the word used to explain how life came to be; it is the stories and beliefs behind creation. It is called different names in different Aboriginal languages, such as: Ngarranggarni, Tjukula Jukurrpa.