The environment is a crucial factor in the believe system of aboriginal people. Landscape constructs the spirituality, as well as the culture, of indigenous people. Through exploring the spiritual significance of Dreaming Tracks, the wider community can understand the way in which environmental factors have impacted the societal practices of pre-colonial Australia. This notion is demonstrated by Ellie Crystal within her web article Australian Aboriginal Dreaming. The act of walking the songlines, dance, song and pray enhances natural energies that heal as well as balance the environment (Crystal, 2013).This demonstrates how environment is embedded within the spirituality of Aboriginal culture as religious practices revolve around the notion the land. Times of walking the songlines also coincide with fertility cycles of both animals and plants and therefore is beneficial to the biological surroundings. Mick Dodson continues to expand this concept through an excerpt of one of his speeches. You must begin with land to understand our culture and connection to both the physical and spiritual world (Dodson, 2000). Dodson builds upon Crystal’s point and elucidates the vitality of songlines as a means to create a junction between the somatic and the metaphysical world. Physical surroundings are fundamental to all cultures, particularly Australian Aboriginals as their belief is structured on the concept of land. The connection between land and an individual’s spiritual experiences is manifested through understanding the significance of environment.
The Dreaming is the influential aspect in the creation and beliefs of songlines. The spiritual faith of Indigenous Aborigines is amplified by the belief that Dreaming Tracks were founded by di…
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…he practice of spirituality while maintaining the well being of surrounding factors. Therefore, contributing to the ideology that culture is a tool for social construction.
Works Cited
Australian Museum. (2009, December 24). Spirituality: Australian Museum . Retrieved from Australian Museum Website: http://australianmuseum.net.au/Indigenous-Australia-Spirituality
Chatwin, B. (1986). The Songlines. United Kingdom: Franklin Press.
Crystal, E. (2013, January 1). Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime: Crystal Links. Retrieved from Crystal Links: http://www.crystalinks.com/dreamtime.html
Dawkins, P. (2013, March 13). Gate Keeper: About Us. Retrieved from Gate Keeper: http://www.gatekeeper.org.uk/about-us.html
Dodson, M. (2000, May 1). Aboriginal Art Online: Art, Land and the Dreaming. Retrieved from Aboriginal Art Online: http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/culture/land.php
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