Dreaming

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the Indigenous Australian creation story. For other meanings of the word 'dreaming', see dreaming (disambiguation).

A Dreaming is commonly known among Indigenous Australians as a creation story and is a polysemic meme:

The Dreaming has different meanings for different Aboriginal groups. The Dreaming can be seen as an embodiment of Aboriginal creation which gives meaning to everything. It establishes the rules governing relationships between the people, the land and all things for Aboriginal people. ^[1]

The world was created during the Dreamtime and a Dreaming is a story owned by different tribes and their members that explains the creation of life, people and animals. A dreaming story is passed on protectively as it is owned and is "intellectual property". In the modern context, an Indigenous Australian cannot relate, or paint some one else's dreaming or creation story without prior permission of the dreaming owner. Someone's dreaming story must be respected as they hold the knowledge to that dreaming story, leading to certain behavioural constraints among indigenous Australians, with accusations of "stealing" someone else's dreaming if it's been painted without authorisation.

The late Geoffrey Bardon's three books on Papunya specifically mention the conflict and possession of a dreaming story, in particular with reference to the Honey Ant Dreaming painted on the school walls of Papunya (which was subsequently painted over by the white administrations of the town).

When the mural was being painted, there had to be agreement among all tribes in Papunya (the Pintupi, Warlpiri, Arrernte, Anmatyerre) that the honey ant was an acceptable mural, since Papunya is the meeting place for all tribes.

After the mural was painted, one of the senior elders, Long Tom Onion, went to Bardon and forcefully reminded him that it was his suggestion the mural be painted. Later, Bardon realised Long Tom Onion owned that Dreaming and thus the importance of Dreaming ownership among Indigenous Australians, especially those who still retain their tribal and traditional connections.

Among the Central Desert tribes of Australia, the passing of the Dreaming story is for the most part gender-related. For example, the late great artist from the Papunya movement, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, painted ceremonial dreamings relating to circumcision and love stories, and lessons for "naughty boys". His daughters, Gabriella Possum and Michelle Possum have tended to paint the "Seven Sisters" Dreaming or the Pleiades as they inherited that Dreaming through the maternal line. Consequently, they have painted their "Grandmother's Country" which is an expression of their inherited ownership of the land through knowledge of the dreamings. Clifford and his daughters have not painted the same subjects; Clifford has never painted the "Seven Sisters Dreaming" and in tribal law, his daughters are not allowed to see male tribal ceremonies, let alone paint them.

Dreamings as "property" have also been used by a few Aboriginal tribes to argue before the High Court of Australia their title over their traditional tribal land. Paintings of Dreamings, travelling journeys and ceremonies tend to depict the locations where they occur. There have been cases where massive 10-metre long paintings have been presented before the Court, presented as the tribe's title deed after terra nullius was struck down during the tenure of Chief Justice Gerard Brennan.

[edit] Artists and their Dreamings

Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri had the following Dreamings: kangaroos, honey ant ceremonies

Gabriella Possum Nungurayyi owns the following Dreaming stories: bush foods, Grandmother's country and the Seven Sisters.

Tim Leura Tjapaltjarri had the following Dreaming: death ceremony

E. Kame Kngwarreye had a Pencil yam Dreaming, as well as mountain devil lizard, grass seed, dingo, emu, small plant emu food, green bean and yam seed Dreamings.