HSC SOR II - Aboriginal spirituality & 1945 to present PDF

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Detailed notes covering core topic: Aboriginal spirituality & 1945 to present...

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Contemporary Aboriginal Spiritualities Aboriginal Spirituality as determined by the dreaming The Dreaming The dreaming is a non-aboriginal term used by many to mean the complex worldview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. - It is the central spiritual concept as it determines not only beliefs and values but also relationships with other people and the overall environment. - It is a metatemporal concept that incorporates the past, present and the future as a complete and present reality. Never ending. - Incorporates all that is known and understood - It is inextricably connected to the land and identity - It is communicated through art, song, dance, story, ritual and kinship systems Country: an area of land in which a number of Aboriginal families have lived, also refers to the land from which the family of an urban Aboriginal person came from.

Kinship Highly sophisticated network of relationships traditionally accepted by Australia’s Aboriginal peoples including particular rights and obligations to the land and/or tribe. - Biological relationships and totemistic relationships - How society is organised - Usually related to the land of which a person is born - Inextricably connected the country - Connected to totems and expressed through skin names which are both key to identity - Social organisation e.g. marriage rules - Central to aboriginal communities - Ensures young and old are cared for - Through kinship aboriginal peoples inherit ceremonial rights and responsibilities Moiety The subdivision of an Aboriginal group into two halves so that privileges and duties can be organised. - People who share the same moiety are considered siblings. Therefore can’t marry in your moiety. - There is a reciprocal responsibility held by both moieties to support each other Totem: An animal, plant or landform that is the symbol of a specific spirit ancestor in a particular area of land. - Totems link a person to the world around them

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You are accountable to a totem, but don’t own it. Totems are split between moieties to ensure a balance of use and protection. This is important as the land and it’s resources often feature in the dreaming.

Skin name: A skin name indicates a person’s bloodline and conveys information about how generations are linked and how they should interact - And important part of aboriginal identity - Kept for life - Affects relationships including potential marriage partners

Ceremonial life -

Ceremonies are derived from important aspects of the dreaming Ceremonies are therefore an acting out of the dreaming stories Usually will occur at a sacred site (dwelling place of past ancestral spirits) E.g. smoking ceremony in which smoking is used to cleanse and heal. Art communicates the dreaming. Stories describe aboriginal law and lifestyle to children.

The main roles ceremonies play in society are: - Ceremonies are part of keeping the Dreaming continuous in the past/present/future. So it is preserved and passed on for further generations. Thus a ceremony is not simply a retelling of a story, but rather a reliving of the story. - Encompasses the passing on of important social information within the oral tradition - Ancestral beings are made present through song, dance, music, objects of the ritual - Rites of passage to inform both the individual and the wider society of the new social fabric. Some rites of passage include initiation and funerals.

Totems Totems are the embodiment of the individual in their primordial state They are links between an individual or community and particular ancestor spirits in the land. Thus totems carry with them ceremonial responsibilities commonly known as balance rites.

Obligations to the land and people -

Land is a dwelling and resting place for ancestral beings Ritual and economic value. The area of land for which a tribe has responsibility is called an estate. Learning of one’s country is a lifelong process that involves great rights and responsibilities. Aboriginals see themselves as part of the land They believe they came from the land and their spirit will return to it when they die. Aboriginal people believe they are related to the natural world and this relationship provides the advantages of survival and life but also imposes the responsibilities of preservation and education.

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In the land, Aboriginal people see evidence of the Dreaming process. Responsibilities of living with the land include the conservation of the natural and social environment. This is done through the law provided by the Dreaming. These dreaming instructions are passed on from initiated elders to the next generation. Aboriginal artwork, song, dance and ceremonies are all placed within the context of the natural environment. The colours are earth ochres and tools for art are the natural objects obtained from the earth. Spiritual significance of the land is seen in rules governing hunter-gatherer technology or in the protection of sacred sites. Aboriginals have adapted rather than manipulated. Have a very special relationship with the land associated with ancestor spirits. From this relationship, Aboriginal people believe they are strongly related to the land. The land is inextricably linked to the individual. Thus, individuals need to connect with the land regularly.

The continuing effect of dispossession on aboriginal spirituality Dispossession refers to the forcible removal of that which belongs to another with the desire to take ownership and deny rights and access to that which was freely theirs to begin with. - Culture, language, law and identity of the aboriginal people was destroyed - Destroyed traditional structures of ownership, management and inheritance - Dispossession is responsible for a number of issues still present in aboriginal communities such as low life expectancy, overrepresentation in prison and low levels of education. - This has been the result of a number of government strategies: Protection policies - Have the stated aim of removing aboriginal people from unsuitable environments and placing them in the protection of the state by detaining them in homes or missions. Assimilation policies - The aim of assimilation policies was to take aboriginal people, particularly those who were half caste and have them assimilated into white society so that their aboriginality would be forgotten.

Separation from the land -

European colonisation involved taking and exploiting the land It was hoped that the culture, language, law and identity of Aboriginal people would be destroyed The dreaming tells stories of the ancestor beings who shaped the land and continue to dwell in it, particularly at sacred sites Losing connection with their totem, ancestor beings and the dreaming itself Away from traditional lands, aboriginals are no longer able to fulfill spiritual duties by performing sacred ceremonies such as balance rites at their ritual estate Tantamount to loss of identity, as the dreaming, which is central to aboriginal spirituality, is inextricably linked to the land.

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Inability to practice their culture and spirituality on their land severs the link with the land. This is now an essential basis for native title claims, which they thus cannot perform, separation therefore has had an ongoing effect. Problems have arisen when separated people have tried to gain access but have no knowledge of the law and tradition associated with it and sometimes no genealogical link to the land Ritual and ceremony is inextricably linked to sacred sites Isolates elders from those needing instruction. No proof of genealogical link to land which denies ability to make native title claims

Separation from kinship groups -

Denies opportunity to express their spirituality in traditional songs and dances Impossible to preserve their own language, meaning important words and concepts relating to their spirituality were lost. Ways of learning and exercising responsibility were lost Information to establish family links lost. Therefore making it difficult for some aboriginals to connect with their kinship heritage. The responsibility for raising and nurturing children was shared within the kinship group Prevented acquisition of parenting skills

Stolen generations -

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In 1997, The Bringing Them Home report was released, documenting the many abuses of many aboriginal children in their adopted homes. Stolen generation refers to the thousands of aboriginal people that were forcibly removed from their families as children between the 1900s and 1960s, under government policy and church missions, to be brought up in white society. 20% unemployment rate amongst indigenous australians Suffer drug induced mental disorders at 5x the national average Exposure to abuse increases likelihood to perpetuate abuse Psychological, emotional and health problems Stolen generation mental health issues detachment from spirituality and reality

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Mental health issues

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unreachable Removal from families

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identity and spirituality Separation from tribal elders

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Lack of ritual responsibilities

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crime

prison

removal from land

removal from kinship groups

sacred sites

removed from responsibility,

missing knowledge and instruction

Importance of the following for the land rights movement Native Title Act 1993 What is it? -

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Implications

Concerned with the rights of indigenous people to areas of land and water belonging to their ancestral tribe In 1992 the high court recognised that terra nullius was not an accurate depiction of the land upon settlement Recognises the validity of aboriginal territorial laws that existed before european settlement Does not give actual land ownership but does give indigenous people access to their ancestral lands for ceremonial and spiritual purposes Native Title Act was passed in 1993 which set up a tribunal for those claiming native title One had to prove traditional links and connections to the land were still present in order to gain native title

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Granted new legal rights Allowed indigenous communities to maintain a close and continuous association with their ancestral land Overturned the idea of Terra Nullius (land belonging to no one) Allowed people to have access to their land and to complex rights which involve performing ceremonies and other rituals.

Wik Case 1996 What was it? -

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Implications

Rights of leaseholders and native title owners could co-exist simultaneously In 1996 the High Court ruled in favour of the Wik people of Cape York on whether leasehold title overrules native title Leasehold (or pastoral) title refers to land that is owned by the government (crown) that is leased (usually to farmers or mining companies)

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Allowed aboriginal tribes to gain access to and maintain spiritual connections to land (which they could not do previously) The fact again that the indigenous peoples were being acknowledged as having a spiritual connection to the land, and the need to gain access to certain sacred sites in order to continue their ceremonies and rituals, and inevitably preserve their culture and dreaming, was a positive step

Mabo 1992 What was it? -

Eddie mabo was a member of the

Implications -

Overturned the long held fiction that

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meriam people who lived on the murray islands in the torres strait. In 1992 the high court ruled in favour of mabo stating that australia was in fact an occupied at the time of british settlement in 1788

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australia was terra nullius This was a recognition of traditional rights to land, rather than a provision of any new rights This meant where aboriginal people could show continuous occupancy and connection with traditional lands in accordance with their traditions, native title could be granted.

The importance of the Dreaming for the land rights movement -

Dreaming stories provide the entire ethical and moral basis by which Aboriginal people live on their land and relate to each other Access to land is fundamental to the putting into practice of aboriginal law This factor underlies the aboriginal need to have title and control over their land These sites need to be cared for and this is done through ritual and ceremony The dreaming connects each person with particular sacred sites Individuals have clearly defined responsibilities in relation to the land Access to these sites is critical for the performance of rituals and ceremonies so that the law can be taught to new generations.

Religious expressions in Australia: 1945 to present Changing patterns of religious adherence Christianity -

88% in 1947 Anglican denomination was the most popular at 39% Catholic second at 20.9% Catholicism overtook in 1986 census Christianity 52% in 2018 Catholic now at 23% of population

Pentecostalism -

Since the 1970s there has been a considerable growth in pentecostal churches Pentecostal church formed in 1977 Mega church: pentecostal church of more than 2000 In 1966 the pentecostal church made up 0.2% of population 1.1% in 2006, 2011 and 2016 census

Non-religion -

0.3% as non-religious in 1947 No religion at 30.1% in 2016

Other religions -

0.5% non-christian in 1947 Until 1971 about 90% of Australians identified with a religious tradition Islam now 2.6% as fastest growing religion in world Buddhism now 2.4% Hinduism now 1.9% as fastest growing religion in Australia 2016 census sikhism was for the first time in the top 5 religions, replacing Judaism. In 2006 sikhism was in top 20 but now it has 0.5% of population.

Account for the current religious landscape Christianity as the major religious tradition -

Australia was settled by Britain; a christian country The gold rushes of the 1850s to 1870s brought vast numbers of Christian Brits White australia policy kept out religious traditions other than christianity until 1973 After WW1 migration from Britain was encouraged Christianity has built up a solid infrastructure of organisations such as schools, colleges. Decline in regular attendance of religious services Decline in christianity mainly due to increasing secularisation, dissatisfaction with traditional faith movements, aging membership, lack of migrant intake Revolving door syndrome: coming in and out of pentecostal church

Impact of immigration - Immigration has helped to reshape the profile of australia’s religious affiliations. Large number of immigrants post 1945 due to: - Aftermath of WW2 - Assisted passage to migrants from Europe - Abandonment of white australia policy in 1973 - Overseas war and persecution eg. vietnam war, lebanon - In 1967 the first migration agreement with a non-european country was signed with Turkey. This led to the arrival of a number of Muslims. - Jewish immigration from europe has kept the proportions of jews in australia fairly constant at around 0.4% - Immigration from asia and the middle east has expanded buddhist, hindu and muslim numbers considerably.

Denominational switching -

The transfer of adherents from one christian denomination to another Far more common in protestant denominations than in catholic or orthodox groups Adherents may switch for factors such as liking the minister, style of worship, sense of community, proximity to home, and activities provided by the particular congregation Increased mobility: people now find it easier to travel to a church they favour rather than the local parish church Pentecostal churches and evangelical churches have gained significantly as a result of denominational switching.

New age religions -

Diverse in nature and thus hard to define Umbrella term to cover a range of spiritual beliefs and practices aiming to foster individual fulfillment - Young people in particular are encouraged to explore new ways of thinking and understanding which are outside traditional religions and their code of behaviour - New age religions can be followed as an alternative to, or in conjunction with, other more traditional religious practices - Individualistic and liberal - New age religions tend to be a spiritual rather than communal pursuit - Relate to self improvement and self fulfillment - Numerology, astrology, yoga, feng shui, etc… Reasons for: - Disenchantment with traditional religion - Frustration with the slowness of change - A desire by many to seek personal fulfillment - Desire to find new ways of seeking inner peace and health

Secularism -

Belief that religion should not interfere with or be integrated into the state Churches still play an enormous role in the provision of education, health facilities and welfare Increasing secularisation is indicated by the increase in the number of people responding “no religion” Many feel a disillusionment with religions in general because of the actions of particular people, a belief that religion is inconsistent with science, and a feeling that the church is out of touch on current social issues such as homosexuality and women's rights

Religious dialogue in multifaith Australia The Impact of Ecuminical Movements within Christianity Ecumenism refers to the movement towards religious unity among Christian denominations. - promotes harmony, understanding, appreciation and respect - Acknowledges that their unity in Christ outweighs their diversity in practice and beliefs - Ecumenism is the opposite of sectarianism, which refers to division and conflict between groups within the same religion - At a local level: having interdenominational prayer services and dialogues. National Council of Churches Australia 1994 - comprised of catholic, orthodox, and Protestant variants - Assist the community in issues of faith and unity, gender issues, indigenous people, social justice and international topics. - Has been outspoken about Australia’s involvement in the Iraq War and the refugee policy - Its 2006 Social Justice Statement called for action to eliminate indigenous poverty. - Its ‘seeds of peace’ project provides information and training for young people and other Australians working for peace locally and internationally NSW Ecuminical Council 1982 - 16 member Churches of the three Christian Variants, Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox. - Aims to further christian unity by enabling members to address causes of division and to pray and worship together - Supports the NCCA Christmas Bowl Appeal - Has campaigned on behalf of indigenous people - Has also called in the Australian Government to address climate change and other environmental concerns - Operates a ‘House of Welcome’ in a suburb of Sydney for refugees and asylum seekers. - This offers emergency accommodation, assistance with finding employment, enrolling in english classes and legal and medical support. - House of Welcome is entirely funded by the Churches

The importance of Interfaith dialogue in multifaith Australia Interfaith dialogue is formal discussion aimed towards developing greater mutual understanding and acceptance between different religious traditions. - Through building such relationships, different religions may choose to work together on common projects and stand publicly united on significant issues. - Interfaith dialogue provides opportunity for people of different faith to understand each other’s beliefs and to cooperate in areas where there is common ground. Australia is an increasingly pluralistic society, in the sense that it is multicultural and multi faith.

The Multifaith Service Projects - In 2013 the c...