Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime (The Dreaming)

The Dreamtime, also known as The Dreaming, is the foundational religio-cultural worldview of Australian Aboriginal peoples. It encompasses creation law, identity, and the ongoing relationship between humans, Ancestor Spirits, and Country.

1. Definition and Scope

The Dreaming is an all-embracing concept that

• Describes a mythological period when ancestral beings shaped the natural world and established social laws.

• Encompasses past, present, and future as a single “Everywhen,” transcending Western notions of linear time. 1

• Provides guidance for living, prescribing moral codes, kinship structures, and environmental obligations. 1

2. Etymology and Terminology

• “Dreamtime” originates from Francis Gillen’s 1896 Anglicisation of the Aranda word alcheringa, though this linkage may stem from early misunderstandings. 1

• Alternative Aboriginal terms include:

  • Tjukurrpa (Warlpiri, Pitjantjatjara)

  • Ngarrankarni (Gija)

  • Wongar (Arnhem Land)

  • Nura (Dharug)

  • Nyitting (Noongar)
    Each term reflects local language and cultural emphasis. 1

3. Cosmology and Creation

• Ancestral Beings: Culture-heroes or totemic spirits who traversed a formless land, performing creation acts—forming rivers, mountains, plants, and animals.

• Sacred Sites: Locations where ancestral actions occurred; maintained through ritual to keep their life-force active. 1

• Songlines (Dreaming Tracks): Oral narratives and ceremonial routes that trace the journeys of Ancestor Spirits across the continent, encoding navigation, law, and creation events. 2

4. Law, Kinship, and Identity

• Totemism: Individuals or groups “own” specific Dreamings (e.g., Kangaroo Dreaming), linking personal identity to particular ancestral narratives. 1

• Lores and Customs: Dreaming stories prescribe rules for marriage, social conduct, and custodianship of Country.

• Ancestral Continuity: Spirits pre-exist birth, enter the fetus, and persist after death, ensuring an unbroken ancestral lineage. 1

5. Cultural Expressions

• Art: Dreaming motifs are depicted in dot paintings, bark paintings, and rock engravings, visually preserving creation narratives and sacred knowledge. 3

• Ceremony and Dance: Rituals reenact creation events to renew the life-force of sacred sites and transmit cultural law.

• Oral Tradition: Stories, songs, and dances convey ecological knowledge, moral lessons, and cosmological understanding across generations. 3

6. Contemporary Significance

• Cultural Revival: Since the 1970s, Dreaming has been reclaimed in Aboriginal art, tourism, and community practice, reinforcing cultural identity.

• Political and Social Role: Dreaming narratives underpin land claims and cultural heritage protection, serving as instruments of resistance and assertion of Aboriginal rights. 4

7. Comparative Perspectives

Aspect	Dreaming Concept	Western Analogue
Time	Non-linear “Everywhen”	Linear past–present–future
Creation	Ongoing, ritual renewal	Historical singular event
Law and Morality	Embedded in ancestral narratives	Codified statutes and ethics
Cosmology	Interwoven spiritual and physical realms	Distinct separation of sacred and profane

By integrating cosmology, law, art, and everyday practice, the Dreamtime remains the living foundation of Aboriginal Australian cultures, sustaining connections to Ancestor Spirits, Country, and community responsibilities across all time.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dreaming
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songline
3. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/religion-and-philosophy/dreamtime
4. https://uisjournal.com/dreamtime-what-is-the-dream-world-of-the-australian-aborigines/
5. https://gettherapybirmingham.com/the-dreamtime-as-a-cosmological-metaphor-for-the-human-psyche/
6. https://japingkaaboriginalart.com/aboriginal-dreamtime-stories/
7. https://deadlystory.com/page/culture/Life_Lore/Dreaming
8. https://www.britannica.com/topic/the-Dreaming-Australian-Aboriginal-mythology
9. http://www.workingwithindigenousaustralians.info/content/Culture_2_The_Dreaming.html
10. https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/The_Dreamtime_and_Beyond_Aboriginal_Myths_and_Hist?id=AQAAAEAKfUM9WM&hl=en_AU
11. https://www.aboriginal-art-australia.com/aboriginal-art-library/aboriginal-dreamtime/
12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daCdTnOrgSM
13. https://www.crystalinks.com/dreamtime.html
14. https://www.reddit.com/r/aboriginal/comments/viy9ne/the_importance_of_dreaming_in_aborigenal_culture/
15. http://gamahucherpress.yellowgum.com/books/religion/DREAMTIME1.pdf
16. https://www.aboriginal-art-australia.com/aboriginal-art-library/understanding-aboriginal-dreaming-and-the-dreamtime/
17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7SZ9EFR61k
18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Aboriginal_astronomy
19. https://www.aboriginalcontemporary.com.au/pages/what-is-the-dreamtime-and-dreaming
20. https://ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/usys/ites/ecosystem-management-dam/documents/EducationDOC/Readings_DOC/Supplementary%20information.pdf