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Oceanic Mythologies: Australian Aborigine and Polynesian

Australian Aborigines and the Dreaming

What is the Dreaming?

There is no word in English that truly captures the sense of the aboriginal “Dreaming.” The Dreaming refers to the “Dreamtime” when spirits or sacred ancestors created the world. “Dreaming” can also refer to a set of beliefs or to the animistic or spiritual basis of a group. Many indigenous Australians also refer to the creation time as “The Dreaming”. The Dreamtime established the patterns of life for the aboriginal people. The concept becomes clearer in the aboriginal deity and creation myths.



This painting, found inside Baiame Cave in New South Wales, Australia, is related to Aborigine beliefs in the Dreamtime.

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