The Dreaming
The Dreaming (also The Dreamtime or Dreamtime) is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal mythology. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, adopted by his colleague Walter Baldwin Spencer, and thereafter popularised by A. P. Elkin, who later revised his views.
The Dreaming is used to represent Aboriginal concepts of what anthropologist W.E.H. Stanner called "everywhen", during which the land was inhabited and created by ancestral figures, often of heroic proportions or with supernatural abilities. The meaning and significance of specific places and creatures are wedded to their origin in the Dreaming, and certain locations have a distinct potency, such as Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (Mt. Olga), Wollumbin, and Baiame Cave.
The Dreaming is also used as a term for a system of totemic symbols, so that an Aboriginal person may own a specific Dreaming such as a kangaroo Dreaming, a honey ant Dreaming, or any combination of Dreamings pertinent to their country. This is because in the Dreaming an individual's entire ancestry exists as one single continuing cycle, culminating in the idea that all worldly knowledge is accumulated through one's ancestors. As such, The Dreaming lays down the patterns of life for Aboriginal people.
Similar Artists