Hi I'm Jack and I'm here to tell you a bit about the Dreaming. This is a really big topic because for Aboriginal people,
the Dreaming really includes everything that we know and understand about life.

The Dreaming explains the beginning of life. Our Spiritual Ancestors created all the animals
and plants as well as all the geographical features of land and sea such as the mountains, rivers,
trees, rocks and stars. They are the ones who set down the laws that shape the values,
beliefs and attitudes of our people and who taught us how to live with the land and the sea,
with each other and with the whole living environment.

Our music, dance, story telling and art are really important to us because they are the ways
that our Dreaming stories are handed down from one generation to the next.

Aboriginal people understand the Dreaming as a continuing time, past present and future.
We know that human beings are not at the top of all creation but that we are part of
the overall cycle of life. The earth is our sacred relative and from birth we are taught about the
sacredness of all living things. Our relationship with the land is based on nurturing, caring and sharing
and we care for the earth as the earth cares for us.

Our spiritual guides are resting in the mountains, in the rocks, in the rivers, the sea and they
are everywhere in the land. If these spirits are disturbed, so too are the natural orders
and cycles of life. Where sacred sites are destroyed we believe the ancestors are disturbed
and will no longer protect or provide for the people. 

Each individual community is responsible for particular areas of land, islands and seas. We also understand that
we belong to that land. If we neglect our spiritual and cultural obligations we bring disharmony
to the country and the community.

If you listen to Sally you'll get more of a picture about how Aboriginal people relate to the land and
the sea and Michael tells you more about how all aspects of life are interrelated through
our laws that come to us from the Dreaming.