SOR I

The Dreaming

The Dreaming is a metatemporal concept that Aboriginal beleifs about creation, ancestoral spirits and existence. It establishes rules of kinship, communication of knowledge and cultural practices.

Kinship

The system of relationships traditionally accepted by a particular culture and the rights and obligations they involve. This is passed down from elders to younger generations. It is expressed through moieties, totems, and skin names.
e.g. ones place in the tribe - who can marry who, who cares for the sick, relgious ceremonial duties, also teaches the way of life.

Moieties

Refers to the subdivision of an Aboriginal group into two halves so that privileges and duties can be organised.

Totemism

A spirit being, sacred object, or symbol (such as a plant or animal) that acts as the emblem of a group of people, such as a family, lineage, or tribe.
e.g.The Dharug people have goanna, lizards and cockatoos as totems.

Skin names

A skin name indicates a person's blood line and how they should interact with others.

Examples of Ceremonial Life

Male initiation ceremonies where a man will undergo pain to show submssion to the authority of the elders.
Smoke ceremonies which are for healing purposes
Funeral ceremonies when an individual passes away, respect is given to them through painting their bodies white and conducting rituals and songs.

Examples of Obligations to land and people

Effect of dispossesion

Dispossession refers to the forced removal of Aboriginal people from the land. Which has a significant ongoing trauma that exists today

Continuing effects today

Lower life expectancy
Higher rates of infant mortality
Over-representation in prisons
Higher unemployment rates
Higher drug and alcohol abuse
Higher use of government social services
3.2% of population but 28% prison pop.
over 7 year expectancy gap

Terra nullius

Terra nullius - Land that is legally deemed to be unoccupied or uninhabited.

Protection policies

1909 Aborigines Protection Act
The aim was to remove Aboriginal people from unsuitable environments and placed under the protection of the state often for ‘their own good’

Assimilation

1910 to 1970
To destroy the Aboriginal race through slowly assimilating them into White society.

Seperation from the land

The land is tied to an aboiriginals idenity, family kinship.
Loss of spirutal identites (totems)
Loss of purpose (gain connecting with the dreaming)
Cultural ritual practices

Seperation from Kinship groups

Unable to learn and pass down tradition, culture and langauge.
Loss of the oral tradition

Yirrkala Bark petitions

1963, Yolgnu people from Yirrkala (Northern Territory) presented the Australian Parliament with a bark petition protesting the removal from their land which was leased for mining without consultation.

Wave hill

1966, Gurindji man Vincent Lingiari led his people on a strike for better working and pay conditions at the Wave Hill cattle station in the Northern Territory. This quickly turned into a demand for the land to be returned.

Land Rights act

1976, return of certain crown lands to Aborigianl people as compensation for dispossesion.

Mabo v Queensland

1992, challenged and overturned the idea of terra nullius and that aboriginal people had no concept of land ownership. This allowed Aboriginals to prove and claim their any land.

Native Title act

1993 Gave the Aboriginal people the rights to the land and waters according to their customary laws and recognised by the Australian legal system.
This was passed in response to Mabo
Requirements: their identity (including genealogies)
traditional language
connection and responsibilities to country
social and cultural system
ongoing spiritual connection to the land

Wik v Queensland

1996. The Wik peoples land was current being held by farmers with a Pastoral lease. The high court ruled that the Wik people were entitled to traditional lands but when there was conflict the pastoral leases would prevail

Native Title amendement act

1998

Key provisions
It extinguished NT over any land that was privately owned prior to Jan 1st 1994
When a pastoral lease and NT exist alongside each other, the pastoralist without having to consult people who have native title interests
Tests were introduced to determine the right to native title.
Restriction placed on Aboriginal people to negotiate.
Overall the Native Title Amendment Act 1998 (Cth) weakened Indigenous rights to native title.

Trends in religion census data 2016- 21

Australia is becoming increasingly secular.

In 2016, 30.1% of Australians identified as non-religious.

In 2021, 38.4% of Australians identified as non-religious

Christians cenus data 2016-21

2016, 52.1%, 2021, 43.9% identified as Christian.