Instant Access To 100,000+ Essays!

Aboriginal Spirituality. *The Nature of Aboriginal Spirituality: _ an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is a person: _ of Aboriginal descent _ who identifies self as an Aboriginal _ accepted by the Indigenous community by which he/she lives _ physical appearance and lifestyle are irrelevant in this definition _ pre-European arrival: pop. 650,000 (600 groups) _ current pop.: 250,000 _ groups: _ traditional _ urban (just under half of present population) _ there are similarities in the beliefs of different tribes _ spiritual dimension of the land _ present life is continuous with the Dreaming _ totemistic: animals/plants have associated symbols _ naturalistic: living off the land _ tied to the land: each group has a particular relationship with a particular piece of land _ The Dreaming as being fundamental to Aboriginal Culture and Societies _ 5 distinct features of Aboriginal Spirituality: Spiritual ’ spirits are natural to the world _ each person has an inviolable spirit which is intimately related to the spirit ancestor Historical ’ life today is historically continuous with the Dreaming _ spiritual links with spiritual ancestors tied to definite sites in the land Totemisic ’ religious life is arr