ABORIGINAL COUNTRY & THE DREAMING

COUNTRY & THE DREAMING

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

I first want to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land of which this assignment was written on; the Dhraug Nation whose cultures and customs have nurtured and will continue to nurture this land since The Dreaming. I continue to pay my respects to the Elders past, present and future.

Acknowledgement of Aboriginal Tribes across Australia

Country is an important aspect of Aboriginal culture, and in particular an understanding of Aboriginal Dreaming. In an article posted within The Dreaming : Working with Indigenous Australians; it is highlighted that  “The Dreaming represents a time when the Ancestral Spirits created life as well as geographical formations and sacred sites” It is an philosophical understanding of the inter-relation between the people and all things. The Spirit Ancestors which is live on through the various legends are passed down through the stories, art, ceremony and songs. In many stories of The Dreaming, Ancestor Spirits came to earth in a human form. As they would move throughout the land, they would create animals, plants, rocks, rivers, mountains and many other forms of land. Once the Ancestor Spirits had completed their creations, they would transform into trees, stars, rocks and various other forms. The place they choose to rest are then known as sacred places of Aboriginal culture and hold special meaning. The Dreaming is never-ending as the Ancestors did not disappear but remained in the now known sacred sites. The Dreaming links the past, present and future as well as the people to the land. I have been able to gain an insight as to how the Dreaming allows Aboriginal people to understand their place in traditional society and nature, connecting the spiritual world of the past with the present and into the future.

There are many ways in which I can share my own insight of The Dreaming with my future class. The Dreaming can provide students with an understanding of the culture, life an providing them with a connection to the past (Harvey, G. 2000) One story I distinctly remember being taught when I was in school was the story of the Rainbow Serpent. I feel that this story is enriched with spirituality and students are given a deep insight into the creation story of Aboriginal culture. Stories of The Dreaming tend to vary in-between the many tribes however, the story of the Rainbow Serpent is one which remains the same across the tribes. The Dreaming depicts how the world was once flat and deserted. The Rainbow Serpent was sleeping underground. When she felt the time was right, she woke up with all the animals of the world in her stomach waiting to be born. She called upon each animal to awake from their sleep as she moved throughout the land to create various landforms. The Dreaming story of the Rainbow Serpent connects each tribe to their spirituality but it also connects different cultures (Connor, J., & Atkinson, G. 2016).

Rainbow Serpent moving across the land

The Australian Curriculum has set standards across the national board in an attempt to improve on learning outcomes for each student. The Curriculum has highlighted that there is an learning gap between Aboriginal students and non-Aboriginal students (Australian Curriculum, 2020) One of the first key concepts highlighted is the connection between Country and how it is celebrated within their belief system. I have been in a classroom which has students of an Aboriginal background and I felt that the classroom teacher had provided every student with a learning environment whereby their culture is valued. As a future educator I feel that the knowledge I have gained from this learning experience in Country and The Dreaming would greatly benefit my future students. Using my knowledge in line with curriculum learning can be an adventurous learning experience for the students. In regards to Early Stage 1-Stage 1 I have designed a possible lesson which embeds my knowledge of Country and The Dreaming. The students first discuss The Rainbow Serpent and what it may be about, they would then view a video telling the story of The Rainbow Serpent. Upon completion of the video I would discuss the importance of the story with students and how this story is central to Aboriginal spirituality. The core activity involves the students making a story cube which highlights the key aspects of the Dreaming story.

I am still learning about Aboriginal culture and ways in embed this within my future teaching however I feel that I have gained a meaningful insight into Country and the importance of Dreaming within Aboriginal culture (King, P., Bulkeley, K., & Welt, B. 2011) A useful source I found for teaching young children about The Dreaming can be found through NITV. There is a program called “The Dreaming” which tell the many stories of Aboriginal culture in the form of cartoons (SBS On Demand. 2020)