Wisdom from the Earth: The Living Legacy of the Aboriginal DreamtimeAustralian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are the oldest continuous living traditions on Earth. This book celebrates the deeply felt relationships between these Aboriginal peoples, the land, and their sacred heritage of the Dreamtime. All aspects of Aboriginal life derive their ultimate context from the Dreamtime--the primordial creation epoch that Aborigines have reenacted in ceremony since time immemorial--and from the essence they share with their Spirit Ancestors. This sacred source, known as the Law, underlies every activity of these people, fills all aspects of daily life with sacred purpose, and creates an enduring sense of connection for them to the land and to each other. Myth, kinship, song, dance and ceremony are all interwoven within a spiritual tradition that extends back into the timeless past and forward into an eternal future. Women and men occupy distinctly separate yet complementary spheres, each with its own unique traditions. And rituals celebrate every transition in life--from conception and birth, through entry into adulthood, to the ceremonies that make up "women's business" and "men's business," to the various stages of maturation, old age, and death. Wisdom from the Earth illuminates many facets of Aboriginal cultures and explores a number of the major Dreamtime songlines, ceremonies, and other spiritual practices, through eighty-two stunning color photographs accompanied by text--including some unforgettable dialogues with Aboriginal elders. |
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Aboriginal Australia Aboriginal cultures Aboriginal groups Aboriginal spiritual Aboriginal women animals Anna Voigt Arnhem Land Arrernte associated awelye Berndt body bush bush tucker camp Central Australia child circumcision clan Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Creation custodians dance Diane Bell dilly bags Djan'kawu djang Dreaming track Dreamtime mythology Earth elders eternal Dreamtime father female fire ground Gunwinggu hunting Ibid important initiation Jiritja kangaroo Karora Kimberley knowledge Kukatja kunapipi Kunwinjku linked living male maraiin marry moiety mother Mudrooroo myth mythic mythology Nakarra Nakarra Namarrkon Ngalyod Ngarinyin Northern Territory Oodgeroo Noonuccal painting performed Pitjantjatjara plant Rainbow Serpent regions relationship responsibility rites ritual and ceremony rock role Rover Thomas sacred ritual sacred sites singing sisters skin name snake song cycle song lines specific Spirit Ancestors Sydney symbolic totemic traditional Aboriginal tribes Wandjina Warlpiri waterholes Western Australia woman wunggud yawulyu yilpinji Yolngu
References to this book
The Dictionary of the Esoteric: 3000 Entries on the Mystical and Occult ... Nevill Drury Limited preview - 2004 |