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Aboriginal Culture

Culture is about who you are and where you come from. Culture is also about language and customs and the connection you have with your environment. Indigenous Culture is still practised in many remote parts of Australia today.

Who are the Aborigines?

European people have called us Aborigines since 1770. The word Aborigine is the given to people who are the original people of any country or land. When Captian Cook arrived there were over 500 tribes in Australia, all of which feature on the Australia Tribal Map. Each tribe has its own language, customs and beliefs, yet all were intertwined. Many of these tribes and their decendents do not practrice traditional ceremonies and do not live traditional life styles. Some tribes have become extinct yet others in the remote areas of Australia still practise their ceremonies passed down by their fore fathers to this day. It is important to note, tribes are being resurfaced and languages rewritten.

Aboriginal people are rediscovering their identity and their culture. More and more indigenous people are returning to their original roots. We are now calling ourselves our tribe name because that is who we really are. The Wakka Wakka, Guringi, Wardamon, Jawon, Butjula, Bindi, Rembarrnga, Miali, Mara, Wugalag, Warlpri, Arrunda, Pittintdjarra, Gumage, Ngungubuyu, Merrenpatha, Ngalbon, Rittarrangu, Callali, Nguburringi, Pintabi. The tribes from hence our ancentors have come from. But before you can practice and express your culture, you need to identitfy who you are and why you exist.

Identity

Yourself

Identity begins with yourself. Who knows you better than yourself? Nobody!

My name is Glenn Bird. As an Aborigine I'm native to the land, Australia. Yet, I Identify as a Ngubirringi man. The Ngubirringi people come from the Lawn Hills National Park, near Bourketown, North Queensland. I do not have traditional links with my country (land) at the moment. I was raised in an urban environment and so I have no knowledge of what the traditonal social structure of my tribe is. However I have lived in the Northern Territory since January 1984 and I do use a skin name given to me by a traditional man Known as Mindyluwi who has since passed away. He has left me with the means to communicate and be part of a social structure which continues connect nature, spirit and Aborigines. There are 16 names in the social structure.

Family

The most important relationship you have other than yourself is your family. How well do you know members of your family? Pretty well, I think! Almost as well as you know yourself. My relationship with my family is in blood as well as in skin. My father's name is Norman and he is my blood (real) father as well as my skin father, Wamut. My mother's name is Eyvonne and she is my blood (real mother) as well as my skin mother, Bangardijan. All my brothers, Arnold, Gary, Wally, David etc... are my blood (real) brothers as well as my skin brothers, Balang. All my sisters (Berlin) are my blood (real) sisters as well as being my skin sisters.

"The Beginning of Life"

Dua Moiety Yirritja Moiety
Men

* Gala
* Wamut
* Balang
* Gammarrang

Women

* Galajan
* Wamutjan
* Berlin
* Gaman

Men

* Narditj
* Bulline
* Godjok
* Bangardi

Women

* Narditjan
* Bullinjan
* Godjan
* Bangardijan

Extended Family (Moiety)

Extended family includes relationships with other Aborigines which are not blood relatives. So, my name is Balang and anyone who is Balang is my brother in skin.

In Aboriginal Society the extended family is indentified through the Skin Social Structure. The Skin Social Structure consists of two Moeity. Moeity means "half of". So in Aboriginal Society in Arnhem land every tribe is in two halves. One half of the people are Dua and one half of the people are Yirritja.

Each moeity consists three layers or levels. The first is level is human, because in aboriginal metholodgy, in the beginning, the world was inhabited by humans. The second level is animals and plants, because aboriginal people turn into totums when they die. The totems ensures that each person continue to live.Third level represents the spirit forms. In aboriginal metholodgy, it is the Mimi Spirits who talk aboriginal people how to hunt and gather food.

Each level indentifies with the Skin Social structure. We know now that aborigines have skin names, so too do animals and plant and Spirits. All aboriginal people believe they become three forms of life, but maintain the one skin name. Therefore, when you are born into aboriginal society you automatically have a relatonalship with everything that exist now, and the after life.

Aboriginal Ceremonies

Aboriginal ceremonies are there to celebrate the existance of every facet of life and the after life of Animals, plants and Spiirts. Aboriginal people dance and sing to thank the animals and plants from which they feed off. The ceremonies also re-inforce the family skin structure that exist between the three levels. At each dance people are able to communicate with each other by their skin name.

There are three main types of ceremonies:

Spritual

Spiritual dancing is important for Aboriginal people. To keep in touch with your spirit is to have a link with your religious beliefs and the past.

Customs (Human)

Performing customs is sometimes long and painfull but nevertheless rewarding activity. These ceremonies are mainly focused on the changing lives of an Aboriginal person. The main events are 1. Baptism 2. Circumcistion. 3. funeral. 4. smoking.

Animals and Plants

Aboriginal people demonstrated their appreciation for their food by celebrating after hunting or collecting food. In their dancing they mimick exactly the animals they feed on. This mimicking shows the unlimited knowledge they have of their environment and the animals and plants that live in it.

Dreamings

A dreaming is about your (Aborigine) beginning and the end. Who are you? Where did you come from? Where will your final resting place be?

The Rainbow Serpent (Bolung) created everything in the world as we know it to be. All Aborigines in Australia, urban or traditional believe this. Through this creation The Dreamings begin. Each Dreaming tells the story of how Aborigines, Animals and plants, came to be. There are also Dreamings which are represented by major Land Marks, like the Devils Marbles, Nitmuluk Gorge, Ayers Rock etc.......

Each Dreaming is an image of Aboriginal Culture and Customs, of many tribes in the same area. To give this a better explanation, but maybe not the best example, Christians believe in the one god, so to do many Aboriginal Tribes in the same area, have the same dreaming.

Dreamings have significant ecological meaning because each one depends on the other in the food chain. Aboriginal people believe as part of the food chain, they too return to their dreaming.

Totems

A Totem is what each tribe becomes in the next life. Unlike a Dreaming which represents many tribes, a Totem is the image of an animal or plant singular to each tribe. It is comon, in the northern territory to a tribe being described as animals or plants, eg; "Ah there goes the crocodile mob from Gove, NT."

An Aboriginal person will be proud of his tribe name. But, he will tell you with pride that he is a Rock Walaby, because that is who he is. Each Aboriginal person believes they become three forms which gives them a continuous life form. The Totem is the form after human and then to Spirit, but the cycle continues, so does Aboriginal Culture.

In tradtional terms, the aborigine has intimate knowledge of their totem because they are one the same, and as mentioned under the heading Identity, who knows you better than yourself, nobody! This relationship is reinforced with the skin name being the same for the Aboriginal person, the Totem and the Spirit.

As the animal or plant give Aborigine their tribal mark so to speak, the aborigines in return become the custodian of their totems and as such are reponsible for their well being and continued survival.

It is important to note that the cycle of existance encompasses the three main live forms, they are the Spirit, the human, and the Animals and Plants. Once one form breaks down, co-existance deteriorates, so too does aboriginal culture.

Didjeridus

The didjeridu is the cultural instrument played at ceremonies across Northern Australia. To understand the Didjeridu, you first have to understand Aboriginal people and who they are. It is at these ceremonies the didjeridu sound and song unite the three levels of Aboriginal society.

Spiritual

The first of these levels is the Spirtual connnection. The Yulngu people (Aborigines) believe the Mimis (Spiritual beings) taught them how to hunt and gather food. They say if you did not practice the culture way, you would be punished by the Mimi Spirits. Spiritual ceremonies are practiced so that you will stay in touch with your belief and past relatives in the next life. The Didjeridu played in Spiritual ceremonies usually have a low toned sound.

Animal and Plants

The secondly level is Animals and plants. The animal and plant dances are performed to celebrate their existance. The yulngu people say that without the knowledge and the relationship they have animals and plants, they would not survive. These dances are specific to their Dreamings and/or Totems.

The didjeridus selected in the ceremonies are high pitched sounds. A high pitched sound is easier to manoeuver with your tongue and mouth. These tones are performed in conjunction with the dancers who demonstrate many different spasmatic intreget movements that mimic the animals and plants they give thanks to.

Customs

The third level is the human level. The ceremonies performed and danced reflect the social and economic development of Indigenous people.

There are many ceremonies which play important roles in shaping their understanding of themselves and that of animals and plants. One of the most significant changes of a boy's life is the day he becomes a man. The initiation ceremonies are such that living with your environment is tested to ensure the relationship of a boy is transfered and continue into manhood and beyond.

The smoking ceremony, a celebration of your continued existance into the after life. A spirit which is free from human responsibilties and human intervention. Although a sad and forgiving moment Aboriginal people are pleased knowing that their loved ones are free of guilt and remorseful which helps everyone to continue with their lives.

The didjeridu used in these ceremonies have a low and deep tone. The tone is effective because of the task at hand for the person who's life is ready to elevate to the next level.

The cycle continues; so too does Aboriginal Art and Culture.

http://didj.com.au/yulngu.htm