Connect Dreaming project outline
Connect Dreaming
Vision
To develop connection between Australian Aboriginal Dreaming (‘The Dreaming’) and non-Aboriginal perspectives and views of the past, in order to enhance understanding and respect for individual culture and civilisation.[1]
Pilot Project
The following is a draft document which seeks to support the initiation of a pilot project with the aim of investigating the feasibility of, and methodology behind, the Connect Dreaming project. [2]
Context
The story of Country comes from what we on the Coast call the Alcheringa, the Dreaming … and it is through an intimate understanding of these stories that we find meaning in all things. The Alcheringa therefore presents a knowledge system that envelopes Country and edifies the relatedness of all things, while guiding our Lore, our education systems, and our journey towards custodianship (Jade Kennedy, Yuin Lecturer, Indigenous Knowledges Program, University of Wollongong, 2019)[3]
Introduction
The Australian Aboriginal civilization is the oldest surviving civilisation on the planet. According to The Dreaming, Aboriginal Australians are the First Australians, or First Peoples, and have been in the country since the beginning of time. Western archaeological and scientific evidence dates the presence of Aboriginal people in Australia back more than 120,000 years.[4] As a contrast, the so-called ‘Western tradition’ from which non-Aboriginal Australians largely derive, is around 5,500 years old, having evolved from sources such as the Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures. Modern DNA studies are exposing the complex genetic history of human kind, and Australian Aboriginal people are playing a unique part in those studies, with evident links to non-European Denisovan and Neanderthal heritage beyond the dominant Western Homo sapiens and ‘Out-of-Africa’ origins of the European and Eurasian lines.[5]
Both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal perspectives, or world-views, are prominent and in conflict within present-day Australia, arising out of the British claim of sovereignty over the Country in 1770 by Captain James Cook, and the subsequent First Fleet invasion of 1788 under Governor Arthur Phillip. Both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal perspectives provide context for the Connect Dreaming initiative.
In the recent past, connections have been made between the two world views, though these have been superficial at best. Josephine Flood’s Archaeology of the Dreamtime: The Story of Prehistoric Australia and its People from 1989 is a good example, wherein Dreaming stories were included alongside archaeological findings, with the latter forming the dominant narrative.[6] In a similar vein, a 2019 Conversation article connected Aboriginal stories of the Bunyip and similar creatures with scientifically-described extinct mega fauna, once again emphasizing elements of the non-Aboriginal perspective.[7]
The Connect Dreaming initiative aims to redress this imbalance and bring to the fore the richness of meaning within the Australian Aboriginal Dreaming context – a richness arising out of an extremely sophisticated culture developed over an extensive period of time, and as highlighted in the aforementioned statement by Jade Kennedy. The Connect Dreaming initiative seeks to create connections between the two perspectives, and establish a system which will facilitate ongoing and deeper engagement between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities in Australia. The focus will be on the Dreaming and its connectivity with, and extension into, the non-Aboriginal worldview. This flipped focus with enhance the Aboriginal perspective, whilst adding richness to the hitherto dominant non-Aboriginal, Western archaeological science-based view.
Differences
Australian Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal views of the past, present and future vary in fundamental ways, as do associated broader views of the world in which we live and the role of individuals therein.
The term ‘Aboriginal’, for example, can refer to a variety of groups, though its meaning is generally clear in that it pertains to the original inhabitants, or First Peoples, of the land now known as Australia.
Whilst the term ‘non-Aboriginal’ could refer to Western, Middle Eastern, Eastern, Asian and any other specific cultural perspective, herein it is primarily referring to the Western, or British tradition, which has been dominant in Australia since 1788, though has been diluted since post-war immigration by groups from Europe, Asia and other parts of the world.
Within each respective viewpoint, there is a limitless variety of interpretations on the part of individuals. For example, the British world-view varies from that of the Han Chinese.
Generally speaking, and in reference to the past, the Aboriginal perspective is referred to as the Dreamtime, or The Dreaming.[8]
The non-Aboriginal perspective of the past - at its broadest level – is labelled history.[9]
For the Australian Aborigines the past is timeless and not reliant upon specific dates or complex chronologies. The Dreaming has no recent beginning and is ongoing.
For the non-Aboriginal population, history is generally tied to dates and scientifically provable facts, though there are exceptions, with some cultures – such as the Greek – looking towards documents such as the primarily fictional Iliad and Odyssey by Homer as important elements of their cultural heritage. Tales of mythical Greek Gods are often, for example, based on factual historical events, whilst the spiritual elements of the tales are beyond fact and science, entering into the realm of dreams, mysticism and belief.
Like any distinct culture, and beyond any individual system of belief, The Dreaming is not a simple concept. It is, in fact, all encompassing, and ‘relates to all things’ and not just story telling. According to one definition, The Dreaming provides:[10]
- An explanation of creation - how the universe and everything within it came into being.
- A set of blueprints for life - all living forms were created through The Dreaming.
- A set of rules or laws for living, such as rules for social relationships, economic activities, religious activities and ceremonies, and art - in short, the rules governing all activities.
The non-Aboriginal equivalent of The Dreaming likewise comprises disparate elements such as science, philosophy, art, literature and significant texts including the Bible, Koran and teachings of Buddha, alongside works of allegorical or non-specific fantasy.
At its core, the Aboriginal perspective, as exemplified through The Dreaming, is primarily an oral tradition. It is passed down through stories, teachings, ceremony, art and Lore. It was not text-based.
By contrast, the non-Aboriginal perspective is predominantly a recorded one, with a less-important oral tradition which has been in place since the invention of writing approximately 5,500 years ago.[11]
In regard to time frames, the Australian Aboriginal story of the past, though often referred to as timeless, at this stage covers 120,000 years and beyond.
The non-Aboriginal view of Aboriginal history continues to be based on ever-evolving archaeological and scientific evidence, and not on The Dreaming.[12]
For example, recent discussions around Mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome discoveries have affected understanding of the Homo sapiens sapiens species, highlighting elements of relevance to the history of the Australian Aboriginal people.[13]
With time, these scientific discoveries may impact upon non-Aboriginal perceptions of the past and of The Dreaming, resulting in closer connections.
Whilst this evolutionary process in the development of Western thought and knowledge proceeds, The Dreaming itself does not remain static.
Neither does The Dreaming stand alone, for it intimately connects a host of human experiences with astronomical, geological, geographical and archaeological events across time. In fact, it has always delved deeply into realms which are classed by the West as science.
A typical example is the Five Islands Dreaming of central Illawarra. This relates to the coming of Aboriginal people to the region. Elements of the narrative therein are educational, informative and address broader issues.[14] It is more than a simple children’s story, spanning as it does geological and recent time. As Jade Kennedy noted above, it is through such stories that people ‘find meaning in all things.’
In contrast, European (Western) history focuses on human interactions over a mere fraction of that time, with lots of beginnings, or ‘firsts’, all of which are accepted or rejected according to provability and the evidential or scientific record.
Evidence relies on physical records – print, audio-visual, archaeological – and first-hand oral accounts. This evidentiary imperative is primary to Western thought and belief, despite its fragmentary nature and the reality of so-called ‘fake news’ wherein facts are distorted or used to pursue vested interests rather than the truth. And what is accepted as ‘proof’ varies over time and with the development of new technologies. The ‘truth’ is, in fact, often in a state of flux, and this is especially so in the realm of paleo archaeology.
As such, the absence of proof is no proof of absence, and this can apply to the archaeological record upon which the prevailing Western view relies.
For example, a lack of archaeological evidence does not necessarily imply, or prove, a lack of the presence of Australian Aboriginal populations in any specific locality of the Country.
Time is also a relative concept within both world views, and of varying significance and worth. It can be both static and fluid.
For example, the development of the Egyptian and Greek civilizations took place approximately 5,000 and 3,000 years ago, respectively.
Archaeological evidence indicates Aboriginal occupation of the Sydney region at least as far back as 47,000 years ago.[15] The ‘Out-of-Africa’ model suggests the arrival of Aboriginal people in Australia 65,000 years ago. Most DNA and other archaeological studies suggest that the continent was occupied c.120,000 years ago.
Interpretations of such data by scientists and non-academic commentators will continue to expand upon knowledge of Aboriginal civilisation and both refine and expand what non-Aboriginal people believe to be the truth around such topics, with dates at the core of these revelations.
The Dreaming applies no such time constraints. Again, the lack of evidence does not prove the lack of presence.
Questioning
Where there is overlap between the two perspectives there is generally conflict, and in the immediate past (i.e. post 1770) the non-Aboriginal viewpoint has overridden the Aboriginal viewpoint in Australia.
As a result, Aboriginal civilisation has been subjugated and decimated by non-Aboriginal civilisations.
The archaeological age issue is a good example of this overriding, with the historical sovereignty of Western thought evident in Australia since the arrival of the British with Captain Cook.
It has been said, for example, that Australia’s [non-Aboriginal] history begins with Cook in 1770, and its Aboriginal history – traditionally referred to by non-Aboriginal society with the condescending term ‘pre-history’ - likewise ends there, or with the British invasion of 1788.
This European perspective utilizes archaeology, earth and planetary sciences, archives and, to a lesser extent, oral accounts to reconstruct and re-imagine the past. It seeks to record ‘facts’ of an historic or scientific nature, rejecting all else.
The Aboriginal view of the past is formed from, and informed by, a rich suite of sources passed down through the ages. These comprise direct observations (aka ‘science’), learnings, imaginative story telling, philosophical revelations, artistic interpretations and the evolution of language. Retelling can be fluid and adapted to the time and place, or ‘Country’.
The survival of this rich and complex tradition and knowledge base relies on the survival of the people and individual, cohesive communities.
Where this has been destroyed – most often by the effects of European invasion, disease, the loss of traditional lifestyles and genocidal activities, plus inter-tribal conflict – the knowledge has, in many instances, been lost forever.
Development of an active connection between The Dreaming and non-Aboriginal science and historical traditions will enhance the survivability of the former and relevance of the latter. Both communities will benefit from this deeper connection.
Disconnection
As it stands, there is a general disconnect between The Dreaming and non-Aboriginal scientific and historical perspectives. The latter is based on scientifically provable facts, whilst the former relies on belief, which is nonetheless based on millennia of observation, experience and imaginative interpretation.
Both views of the past proclaim truth.
Both are utilized to inform the present and educate the young and broader society.
Both are deeply embedded in societal and individual sense of identity, which may be overt or superficially absent.
For both, and to varying degrees, education and life experience involves engagement with, and understanding of, the past.
To attempt to understand the two views of the past through connection is therefore a goal worth pursuing.
This will occur – and is occurring - naturally, as the two dominant cultures in Australia evolve. The Reconciliation process is one of the drivers here.
However, in reality, there has been little progress in true Reconciliation and connection to date.
It is therefore timely to proactively engage with the process of connectivity and assist in providing non-Aboriginal people with a means of developing a deeper understanding of The Dreaming, rather than the traditional attempt to 'assimilate' Aboriginal people into non-Aboriginal society.
Project Aims
The Connect Dreaming project seeks to develop a model for connecting The Dreaming with non-Aboriginal perspectives relating to history and science.
That model will be applied to The Dreaming throughout Australia, in all its diversity.
No single perspective – Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal - will be given precedent over the other as a final outcome.
Neither will elements of either be downplayed, ridiculed, belittled or denied due respect, providing those elements are not, by their nature, racist.
The aim of this project is to place each perspective on an equal footing, and to move forward from that point.
At the outset, the emphasis will be on improving non-Aboriginal understanding of, and connection with, Aboriginal Dreaming.
This project bias will redress the actions of non-Aboriginal society since the period of the European invasion in 1788.
The Connect Dreaming initiative will bring together Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal perspectives on the past for wider dissemination, and most especially for use by schools and other institutions tasked with education and the provision of information.
There will be no age or societal limits on those that Connect Dreaming seeks to engage with and inform.
The project will assist both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal groups in better understanding, and giving due respect to, those respective ways of viewing, and engaging with the past.
This will, in turn, better inform present and future actions which may involve the broader community.
The project will seek to develop a framework for ongoing collaboration and engagement between the parties, in a similar vein to processes such as the University of Wollongong Jindaola program.[16]
It is important and necessary that, going forward, this connection be made and embedded in teaching and learning programs at all educational levels, from primary school through to tertiary, and beyond to informal community based avenues.
It is also important that government organizations incorporate the learnings, and develop policy and legislative outcomes to support connection, where appropriate.
The pilot will set a template for the development of programs within communities throughout Australia.
It will also make recommendations to government which will support a program of greater connectivity throughout the broader community.
The products of the pilot will be a group of test cases, working examples, draft curricula and policy guidelines whereby connections are made between The Dreaming and non-Aboriginal historical and scientific perspectives.
An open access, online portal to both foster connection, archive examples and support new initiatives will be developed.
Connections may be localised or have broader application.
The process will be evolutionary and iterative.
The outcomes will be open and accessible to all.
Ownership of content will take into account claims by individuals, communities and other parties, in light of the fact that The Dreaming is more often than not related to specific areas of Country.
In all instances the aim will be to promote engagement with the Connect Dreaming process and its outcomes.
Outcomes
The desired outcomes of the Connect Dreaming initiative are many and varied. Some are presented below, with the caveat that they will likely evolve with the pilot process and beyond.
- As part of an Illawarra–based pilot, a brief summary history of Wollongong pre-contact will be developed, combining local elements of The Dreaming in a new and innovative way with non-Aboriginal perspectives, thereby creating, and revealing, a deeper connection between the two.
- Development of a methodology by which individual Dreaming stories and elements of The Dreaming can be connected with the non-Aboriginal perspective.
- Development of a methodology by which Connect Dreaming exemplars can be constructed by communities throughout Australia.
- Development of a methodology by which Connect Dreaming exemplars can be communicated by individuals, groups or organizations to the broader community in an open and respectful manner.
- Development of curriculum to support the Connect Dreaming program through all phases of the education process – primary, secondary, tertiary and community.
- Development of government support for the Connect Dreaming initiative in the form of legislation, policy, programs and promotional material, where appropriate.
- Development of technologically based tools, alongside traditional Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal teaching methodologies, to support the initiative.
Acknowledgements
This draft document was developed by Michael Organ, with input from Jade Kennedy, Chairperson of the Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council. Also of assistance were former University of Wollongong academic geographer Dr. Bob Young and anthropologist Bruce Reyburn. Responsibility for the content lies with the author and should not be attributed to any other individual, unless directly cited.
Appendices
1. Examples / Discussion Topics
- Five Islands Dreaming
- Illawarra Escarpment Dreaming
- Genealogy versus Australian Aboriginal Kinship lore
- Country – meaning and elucidation
- The Dreaming vs. myths, legends, stories, teachings
- Astronomy – connection between The Dreaming and perceptions of reality
- Geology, geography and deep time
- Archaeology and The Dreaming – conflicts
2. Elements
- Dreaming – the Australian Aboriginal view of the past, present and future
- Archaeology – all areas of science applied to identification and dating of human kind and occupation regimes
- Planetary science – the evolution of the universe, creation of earth
- Geology – the history of the earth, rocks
- Geography – place, the description of the earth around us and its historical evolution
- Astronomy – connection between sky and earth, a place in the universe, signposts
- Linguistics – words used to tell stories, performed, presented, basis for the oral tradition
- Art – a static depiction of an element of Dreaming, historical event or thing, story, emotion
- Biology – living things, people, animals, plants
3. Non-Aboriginal Timeline
4.6 billion years ago – the Earth is formed, according to geological history / science.
c.120K years ago – evidence that Aboriginal people inhabit Australia.
c.47K years ago – archeological evidence of Aboriginal occupation of the Sydney area.[17]
c.18K years ago – sea level changes to the Australian continent, also at other points in the Holocene.[18]
1770 – Captain Cook claims Australia
for the British. Aboriginal sovereignty is extinguished in the eyes of the British, as is lore and custom.
1788 – British invasion of Australian and establishment of a penal colony at Sydney.
1815 – Alienation of land at Illawarra and commencement of intense settlement by non-Aboriginal people.
References
[1] Reference is made throughout this document to ‘Australian Aboriginal Dreaming’ or simply ‘The Dreaming’, with the term ‘Aboriginal’ more commonly used rather than ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.’ The cultural practices and beliefs of the Torres Strait Islander peoples differ from those of the mainland people. Likewise, use of the general term ‘Indigenous’ is not used, as it also could imply reference to Torres Strait Islander cultural beliefs and practices.
[2] Banner illustrations: 1) Colleen Wallace Nungari, Dreamtime Sisters [extract]; 2) Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory, 1931, Museum of Modern Art, New York. Dreamtime Sisters is a work in a series by the artist on a similar theme. It was adopted by the International Council on Archives Congress in Brisbane during 2012 as its brand. The Archivist of the United States as the time, in his blog, noted: Dreamtime, in Aboriginal culture, described the period before living memory when the earth and all living things were created by Spirits from above and below. Dreamtime stories embody the culture and customs passed down and celebrated to this day. Available URL: https://aotus.blogs.archives.gov/2012/08/24/capturing-living-memory/.
[3] Jade Kennedy, Yuin Lecturer, Indigenous Knowledges, University of Wollongong, in Reconciliation Action Plan, July 2019 – July 2021, University of Wollongong, 2019, 52p.
[4] Anna-Sapfo Malspinas et al., A genomic history of Aboriginal Australia, Nature, 538, 207-214, 21 September 2016; Hannah Devlin, Indigenous Australians most ancient civilization on Earth, DNA study confirms, The Guardian, 22 September 2016. Available URL: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/sep/21/indigenous-australians-most-ancient-civilisation-on-earth-dna-study-confirms. ; Bruce R. Fenton, Archaeology places humans in Australia 120,000 years ago, Ancient News [website], 11 March 2019. Available URL: http://ancientnews.net/2019/03/11/archaeology-places-humans-in-australia-120000-years-ago/.
[5] Douglas, Kate (editor), Our Human Story, New Scientist, Essential Guide No.4, October 2020, 96p.
[6] Josephine Flood, Archaeology of the Dreamtime: The Story of Prehistoric Australia and its People, Collins, Sydney, 1989, 302p.
[7] Patrick D. Nunn and Luiza Corral Martins de Oliveira Ponciano, Of bunyips and other beasts: living memories of long-extinct creatures in art and stories, The Conversation, 15 April 2019. Available URL: http://theconversation.com/of-bunyips-and-other-beasts-living-memories-of-long-extinct-creatures-in-art-and-stories-113031.
[8] Catherine Moyle, Jade Kennedy, Pippa Burns, Teresa Treweek and Jaymee Beveridge, You Can’t Say That! Hints and Tips, Woolyungah Indigenous Centre, University of Wollongong, March 2019, 27p.
[9] This discussion does not address the complex philosophical issues associated with the Australian Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal perspectives. Though of relevance, these could be addressed at a later date, along with complexities associated with, or relating to, the areas of science, spirituality, sociology and cultural practice.
[10] The Dreaming, Working with Indigenous Australians [webpage], 19 February 2017. Available URL: http://www.workingwithindigenousaustralians.info/content/Culture_2_The_Dreaming.html.
[11] History of Writing, Wikipedia [webpage], 15 April 2019. Available URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_writing.
[12] Helen Davidson and Calla Wahlquist, Australian dig finds evidence of Aboriginal habitation up to 80,000 years ago, The Guardian, 20 July 2017; Ian J. McNiven, Joe Crouch, Jim M. Bowler, John E. Sherwood, Nic Dolby, Julian E. Dunn and John Stanisic, The Moyjil site, south-west Victoria, Australia: excavation of a Last Interglacial charcoal and and burnt stone feature — is it a hearth?, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, 130(2), 2018, 94-116.
[13] Steven Strong and Andy Whiteley, DNA Evidence Debunks the “Out-of-Africa” Theory of Human Evolution, Wake Up World [website], 2013. Available URL: https://wakeup-world.com/2013/12/16/dna-evidence-debunks-the-out-of-africa-theory-of-human-evolution/.; Jens Korff, How old is Aboriginal culture?, Creative Spirits [website], 20 November 2018. Available URL: https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/history/how-old-is-aboriginal-culture.
[14] Five Islands Nature Reserve, Wikipedia [webpage], 2019. Available URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Islands_Nature_Reserve. Includes ‘Aboriginal Dreamtime: The Story of the Five Islands.’
[15] Gerald C. Nanson, Robert W. Young and Eugene D. Stockton, Chronology and Palaeoenvironment of the Cranebrook Terrace (Near Sydney) Containing Artefacts More than 40,000 Years Old, Archaeology in Oceania, 22(2), July 1987, 72-78; Val Attenbrow, Sydney’s Aboriginal Past: investigating the archaeological and historic records, UNSW Press, Sydney, 2002, 225p.
[16] Jade Kennedy, Jindaola – An Aboriginal Way of Embedding Knowledge and Perspectives, University of Wollongong, 2017, 14p. Available URL: https://www.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/@dvce/documents/doc/uow241404.pdf.
[17] Nanson, op cit.
Comments
Post a Comment