Dreaming and Law - By Monte GRACE
Indigenous people all over Australia have/had very close relationships with the surrounding land. The land provided everything for the
indigenous so that themselves and the future generations could survive and thrive. So, having these close relationships with the land was key for
living.
The indigenous societies depended on the knowledge passed down from generations. The knowledge included the land forms, months and seasons,
types of foods and when and where you can find these. This meant that the indigenous had very strong connections with their land so they wanted to protect
their land, and use it in ways that would not destroy it, but manipulate it to provide for them and increase the productivity.
The indigenous culture in general were illiterate. So, because the indigenous had so much knowledge that needed to be passed on, they needed
a way to do so. They passed the knowledge down through songs and stories, dance and art, law and customs. Children would grow up learning these stories that, even if they didn’t know, was teaching them what they needed to know in the future. This was known in the English language as ‘’Dreaming.”
Land would also connect the indigenous people with the ancestral beings. Each tribe or clan told them about all the different ancestral beings
that came from the ground, sky and sea. These beings would soar in the sky above a flat, empty land and they would create the land, forming trees, mountains,
seas etc., and all other life forms. This was the indigenous belief of how the Earth was made. Each group had its own way of telling the stories, but they were all relatively similar.
Dreaming made up almost all of the laws. These laws ruled up their behavious and the laws were provided by the dreaming. It explained what they can and cant do. The ancestral beings, the ones that created the world, got to decide the responsibilities of the people, the rights, and the behaviours of all living things in their area. The laws also decided the consequences for people who broke and/or manipulated the laws.
From a very young age, the children were taught about the laws and what they did or didn’t allow. They were also aware of the consequences, spiritual and punishments. Almost all children would be witnesses to the punishments given to the people who broke the law, and they would also see how the incident would be argued and decided.
This is a primary source, a painting of a Dreamtime story called "The Rainbow Serpent." It is a story about a huge serpent who was lost. He wanted to find his people, and on the way created rivers and mountains. When he did find his people a big storm started to happen. 2 people didn't have shelter so they asked the serpent if they could shelter in his mouth. The serpent the swallowed the 2 people. Fearing the people would realise the boys are missing, he headed North