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Exploring Australia

The Histories of the Dreamtime

Aborigines believe that during the Dreamtime ancestral spirit beings came from under the ground or out of the sky and traveled across the land creating mountains, valleys, rivers and deserts. They also made animals, birds, reptiles, fish, plants and people. The ancestral beings then gave Aboriginal people their laws and customs. Once they had finished their acts of creation, they disappeared into the sky or the sea or turned into parts of the land. The Dreamtime is still the source of the songs, dances, art and rituals Aborigines use to express their religion. The Aborigines believe that they have to care for the places of spiritual significance left by their ancestral spirits. They also keep and adapt the laws and traditions that were first laid down by the spirit beings. Different Aboriginal creation stories are told by each group. The Djanggau Sisters The Aborigines of north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory believe that human beings were created by the Djanggau Sisters. The two Djanggau Sisters were ancestral spirit beings known as the Daughters of the Sun. Accompanied by their brother, they came in a bark canoe from a land far away over the sea called the Land of the Dead. Once at Arnhem Land, they created birds and trees, shaped the country and gave names to places. Most importantly, the sisters gave birth to the first humans. The Crocodile Lake The Aborigines of Narran Lake in New South Wales believe that the lake was made by two crocodile-like ancestral spirit beings. The crocodile-like beings were killed by the Ba’iame, a brave hunter, because they had eaten his wives. As they died, the crocodile creatures thrashed about and made a hollow in the ground that became the lake. Naughty Spirit Beings As well as the ancestral spirit beings, Aborigines

believe that other spirits live on their lands. Some of these are naughty spirits, like the Net-nets in Victoria. The Net-nets hide things from people and trip people up but always manage to keep out of sight! According to Aboriginal beliefs, there are other spirits that live on the land and are very powerful. For instance, the man-like spirit of Doologa is covered in hair and is found in the south coast regions of New South Wales. Children are warned that this spirit will capture them if they are naughty.

T his traditional Aboriginal picture is painted with colored ochre (see page 17) on a piece of bark. It shows the Waijara ancestral spirit being with a kangaroo and some fiber baskets (see page 13).

A boriginal elders are responsible for teaching the histories of the Dreamtime to young people.