The Indigenous cultures of Australia are the oldest living cultures in the world . One of the reasons these cultures have survived for so long is their ability to change over time. Songs and dances were exchanged often at large ceremonial gatherings when many people collected together.

Aboriginal ceremonies are concerned with acting out The Dreaming; it's laws and stories. Men and Women had different roles in ceremonies and these roles varied from language group to language group. In many areas men were given the role as guardians of a special spiritual site where a ceremony was performed. This role meant that the site would need to be cared for accordingly so that that particular spirit would continue to live there. Women were the guardians of a special knowledge and therefore hold great religious and spiritual power within the language group.

Roles in ceremonies would vary considerably depending on the reasons why the ceremony was being held. Some ceremonies were for men only, others were for women only and both men and women had their own particular spiritual and sacred objects. Sometimes this is talked about as men's business and women's business. Neither men nor women posses greater spiritual needs than the other, they just coexisted in different ways to ensure that sacred elements of The Dreaming would be practised and passed on.

Today, Indigenous communities keep cultures alive by:
passing their knowledge, arts, rituals and performances from one generation to another; speaking and teaching languages; protecting cultural property and sacred and significant sites and objects.

 

 

Aborigine Clan System

History

Culture

Art

Flag

Social Organisation

Spirituality

Hunters and Gatherers

Tools and Weapons

Music

Native Title

 

 

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