Oral Traditions in Aboriginal Australia
Thus far in class we have studied many oral traditions from a variety of cultural backgrounds that date back thousands of years. However, we have yet to discuss the oral traditions of the indigenous people of the Aboriginal communities found in Australia. Aboriginal people are said to have one of the longest, continuous oral histories of any group of people on Earth, which started approximately 65,000 years ago (Crystal 2). For the aboriginal people, storytelling and other forms of oral traditions maintain integral parts of history, including records of cultural customs and ways of life. However, it is important to realize that oral traditions are not only an element of history; they are also a custom that is still widely practiced in Aboriginal Australia today. In order to understand the traditions of Aboriginal storytelling, one must first understand the often confusing but much revered concept of 'Dreamtime'. This concept is imperativel to the understanding of Aboriginal oral traditions because it is the subject of many stories that are still told today. When a storyteller speaks of the 'Dreamtime', he is referring to a portion of time in history which explains the origins and culture of the land and its people. This
For indigenous Australians, the past is still alive and vital today and will remain so into the future. The main reason for their survival can be attributed to the repeated retellings at gatherings, feasts, and ceremonies, as well as the retelling as part of everyday living and activities (Hanna 5). History is told to provide knowledge and wisdom from the past; creation stories are told to reveal the origin of life and the natural world; laws are told to govern communities and guide behavior; spiritual stories are told to teach beliefs, morals, and philosophy (Hanna 3). concept of 'Dreamtime' is very complex and contains many parts. Stories are repeatedly told for entertainment and instruction. The high status placed upon stories and storytelling in this culture makes it an integral and unavoidable part of everyday life. Because the belief is held that the ancestors are responsible for populating the barren land, stories pertaining to the 'Dreamtime' are often concentrated on topics relating to nature. The type of music that often accompanies songs in played on an instrument called the didgeridoo. Contemporary oral traditions such as life stories of a person, biographies, and song or drama productions are often shared by many young Aboriginal people as well as non-Aboriginal people. The Aboriginal people of Australia have an incredibly strong history of oral traditions, including stories of the 'Dreamtime' from thousands of years ago as well as family histories, which may only date back a few hundred years. Thus, everything in the natural world is a symbolic footprint of the metaphysical beings whose actions created our world (Crystal 3). Often times this information will be etched on totem poles, carved in rocks, or designed on clothing, baskets and jewelry (Mountford and Roberts 14). Aborigines believe that these ancestral beings laid down the laws that all people of their community must obey, some of which are still followed in many Aboriginal communities today.
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