The Dreaming
The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal mythology. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his colleague Walter Baldwin Spencer, and thereafter popularized by A. P. Elkin, who later revised his views.
The Dreaming is used to represent Aboriginal concepts of "Everywhen", during which the land was inhabited and created by ancestral figures, often of heroic proportions or with supernatural abilities. The meaning and significance of specific places and creatures are wedded to their origin in the Dreaming, and certain locations have a distinct potency, such as Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (Mt. Olga), Wollumbin, and Baiame Cave.
Many Aboriginal Australians also refer to the world-creation time as "Dreamtime". The Dreaming laid down the patterns of life for the Aboriginal people.
The Dreaming is also used as a term for a system of totemic symbols, so that an Aboriginal person may own a specific Dreaming, such as a kangaroo Dreaming, a Honey Ant Dreaming, or any combination of Dreaming pertinent to their country. This is because in the Dreaming an individual's entire ancestry exists as one single, continuing cycle, culminating in the idea that all worldly knowledge is accumulated through one's ancestors.
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