Religion and Beliefs in Australia post-1945
Contemporary Aboriginal Spiritualities
Kinship
The idea of kinship is very important in understanding contemporary Aboriginal issues. The relationships within an Aboriginal group did more then identify family groups but functioned as a complex system of duties, rights and practices.
Kinship- being related biologically, through marriage, or having the same origins. It is a system of relationships, which includes rights and obligations, traditionally accepted by Australia’s Aboriginal Peoples.
Each kin relationship has rules about respect and specific duties to develop a rich personal and social life allowing each member to be aware that they belong to a greater whole. Kinship is extended to all living things.
A totem relationship can also connect people. The totem is identified according to where the person was conceived or born, and creates a permanent relationship with people of the same totem. Art can show the kinship, story or country of a person. Kinships responsibilities must be observed.
Moiety, Marriage and Incest
To prevent incest a baby is given a skin name to identify family trees. This skin name is very important and kept through life and they are usually associated with an animal, e.g. koala, carpet snake or wallaby.
Moiety is the subdividing of an Aboriginal group into two. Each moiety is divided in subsections. Moiety organises the privileges and duties within the group, but also sets rules for marriage and roles. You must marry someone from an opposite moiety or different subsection.
Questions
1)Look at the Art chart. Highlight the sections that discuss kinship.
2)In what ways can kinship be created?
3)What is the connection between skin name, totem and kinship?
Ceremonial Life
Aboriginal lifestyles vary greatly. Some live the same as Indigenous Australian did hundreds of years ago; some have excelled in fields of sport, television and education. Some have become academics while others experience everyday technology for the first time as adults. The difference extends to their spiritual life. Therefore there is a great difference in their ceremonial lives.
Source Work
1)Draw conclusions from comparing sources A and B
2)Look at sources C, D and E. List and discuss ways in which ceremonial life may differ for Aboriginal people.
Similarities in Ceremonial Life
Although Aboriginal peoples had many differences when the British colonised Australia, they did also have some similarities. These included:
1)Nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle
2)Deeply spiritual
3)Highly developed social systems
4)Close association with the land and nature
Traditional Beliefs Today
There are some misconceptions on what it means to be a ‘real’ Aboriginal. These misconceptions about urban Aboriginals are:
1)Have lost their culture
2)Must reject technology and modern society to be a ‘real’ Aboriginal
3)Must reject Christianity
Today more non-Indigenous Australians encounter Aboriginal ceremonial life than that at the time or any time since Federation. Urban Indigenous peoples still have strong links to traditional beliefs and these are reflected in:
1)Sense of community- sharing resources, valuing the group over the individual
2)Communication- non-verbal and verbal, including maintaining their language
3)Relationship responsibilities and practices- kinship responsibilities and child-rearing attitudes and practices
The Dreaming
Keeping with tradition ceremonies are performed to invoke the Dreaming and its life-giving power. Dances and songs not only teach new generations about the land and Dreaming Ancestors, but dances alsocall up the spirits of ancestors and songs invite the Dreaming Spirits to join in. Corroboreees and dance incorporate new life experiences e.g. Tiwi Island peoples have an Aeroplane Dance, developed in 1941 after the Japanese bombed Darwin.
Aboriginal Traditions and Christianity
In Aboriginal Christian communities biblical events are celebrated with an incorporation of Aboriginal traditions, e.g. the fire symbol in the Pentecost story is connected to the first firesticks in Aboriginal culture. A baptism ceremony may begin with a smoking ceremony. Music may be provided by didgeridoo and clapping sticks, and prayers are spoken in many Indigenous languages. Ceremonial life will almost always involve fire or smoke.
Questions
1)Explain the misconceptions about urban Aboriginal People (1page)
Source 1
Christian Faith and Aboriginal Culture
'Light of Australia' talk by Bishop James Leftwichto the NATSIEC 'Hearts are Burning' forums in 2005
Today most Aboriginal people are practising their Christian Faith through the understanding of their own Cultural way of life and the background of their current Spiritual Journey. This has been an interesting Spiritual Journey, having come from a Culturethat is steeped in Spirituality. We look at Aboriginal Dream Time and the Stories that come from the Dreaming. Today we are making connections with these Stories to the Bible, and they are like parables to us.
Aboriginal People have a rich Spiritual contribution to make to the Church todaybecause ofthe richness of this Cultural understanding and lifestyle. In recent years, Wontulp-Bi-Buya College has increased understanding by developing a Theological working group looking at the notion of Aboriginal Theology. This has created a whole new outcome for practising our Faith, in that we are now able to present the Gospel and Worship, looking through our own Cultural eyes. This has opened up a whole new way for Education and Training for Indigenous Ministry. We must endeavour to try to incorporate more of the Cultural aspect into our Worship and understanding of Christ and what he means to us, so that it may be more appropriate to the Ministry of Indigenous People. Recently ABM (Anglican Board of Mission) funded a trip to the southern states by Aboriginal People from Yarrabah, led by the Reverend Wayne Connolly and his wife Val Connolly, with the team also made up by young Aboriginal dancers. A couple of years ago, Father Wayne was given the Vision to incorporate Aboriginal Culture into the Worship and the expression of the Gospel. The young men and women do Corroboree to Gospel songs and to our Gospel Stories by doing a skit. This has had profound effect, especially on the young people of the community. To us this is Liturgical Dance Aboriginal style.
We pray that this form of Worship will begin to address some of the stigma that has been left from the old Missionary contact from the early days in Aboriginal communities, including the pain of the 'Stolen Generations' and Aboriginal People taken from their land, siblings and tribe. We praise God for Nungalinya College in Darwin and Wontulp-Bi-Buya College in Queensland. This work began over 25 years ago. Prior to that there was not any Training for Aboriginal People in Ministry, much less real encouragement and support for Aboriginal people to develop their own Ministries on their communities. Today there are vast numbers who have completed their Certificate and Diploma through these colleges who have now moved on to become successful Ministers in their own right in their communities. Thus we have become the Mission Force rather than the Mission Field.
Incorporating Culture in our Worship and Gospel has begun to do away with an old expression of a lot of Aboriginal People that Jesus Christ is a White Man God. This was due to the way in which Christianity was brought to Aboriginal People by White Missionaries. As Pastor George Rosendale, who is a Lutheran Pastor and a Tutor for Wontulp-Bi-Buya and Nungalinya Colleges, has often said, that the Gospel did not come as Good News for Aboriginal people, but rather came as bad news, wa sdue to the notion held by Missionaries that all of Aboriginal Culture was demonic. Thus began a Ministry of oppression and degradation, in trying to turn Aboriginal people into White folk. So today the Christian faith of Aboriginal people is endeavouring to Aboriginalise the Gospel and Christian teaching.
Some years ago, Wontulp-Bi-Buya was involved in the development of a book called Rainbow Spirit Theology. This was the first attempt at the notion of Aboriginal Theology. The book was quite controversial with some theologians, who were very critical about someof our Dream Time Stories. However, having explained to them that these Stories were symbolic, their minds were eased as to what was trying to be done in order that our Aboriginal People can see God in their own Culture. Wontulp-Bi-Buya Theology working group was established to develop text books for their courses, by collating information from other Aboriginal Theologians and Church Ministers. This has resulted in the development of a book called 'Milbi Dabaar', which means, in Aboriginal language, 'Good News'. This book is available through Wontulp-Bi-Buya as a Resource Book for Churches and Ministry in general. Pastor George Rosendale has also launched a Resource Book for Sunday Schools and Children's Groups. This is called 'The Peacemaker' and tells the Dreamtime Story of the Emu, Brolga and Jabiru. This book is also available through Wontulp-Bi-Buya College in Cairns.
Questions
1)How has the notion of Aboriginal Theology changed the practice of Christianity for Aboriginals
2)Explain Liturgical Dance Aboriginal Style
3)Explain the change in view of missionaries.
Source 2
Christian Faith and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture
Bishop Saibo Mabo address to theNATSIEC 'Hearts are Burning' forums 2005
There are three ways we can look at the link between Christian Faith and Culture in our world.
1. Christian Faith Against Culture
In this situation, the Christian Faith is attacking the culture. It is criticising the culture.
In PNG the early missionaries burned down the spirit houses as pagan places. In Australia the missionaries forbade the using of a person's own language in the schools and institutions for both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Traditional dances in the Torres Strait were banned as 'Satan dances'. The Church did not encourage the use of Indigenous languages in services until very recently.
In this understanding, all traditional beliefs are pagan and all traditional practices are sinful and must be stamped out. The missionaries brought the Christian Faith to Indigenous Australia as a complete package. This point of view sees no positive links between Christian Faith and Culture. To become a Christian, a person must renounce their Culture entirely.
2. Christian Faith Harmonised with Culture
In this view of the world, the Christian Faith is absorbed by the Culture. Every aspect of the Christian Faith is interpreted by the Culture. This has the effect of harmonising the Christian Faith with the Culture in which it is located. The Culture tames the harder teachings of the Faith.
Churches that live under a harsh political system sometimes seem to fit this model on the surface at least. Religious leaders do not speak out against injustice.If they keep quiet, they can continue to live peacefully. The Church in El Salvador followed this line of fitting the teaching of the faith in with the powerful forces in their society until Oscar Romero became Archbishop. When he went against these forces, they killed him. They killed him for his standfor the poor against the rich and powerful. This teaching is part of the heart of the Christian faith. Often the leaders of these 'cultural' churches denounce their members who stand up for their beliefs against the system in power. This kind of church has lost its power to speak out against wrongdoing in the society because it has become part of the group that runs society. In situations like this, the Culture, represented by a Military Dictatorship, had power over the Faith with the Faith being represented by the Church Leaders. This is unbalanced and unhealthy.
3. Christian FaithWalkingAlongside Culture
A healthy situation is when the representatives of the Culture and the Faith are in mutual respect and can speak to one another.
Iwill illustrate this through an example from my culture: Kup Mari Theology.
Kup Mari Theology of the Torres Strait Islands.
The Kup Mari is a kind of feast where a large pit is dug and filled with very hot stones. Then the meat and vegetables, sometimes wrapped in banana leaves, or more recently aluminium foil, are placed on the hot stones and the whole thing covered in soil and left to cook for a number of hours. When the Kup mari is opened, there is a wonderful smell of cooked meat and vegetables. People then gather round, and after prayer, they join together to eat the Kup Mari.
When I think about the Kup Mari, I think about the damper that is cooked in the Kup Mari. It is different to the damper that is just cooked in the oven. The Kup Mari damper is sweet and beautiful to eat. I see an image of the living bread in that Kup Mari damper. Christ our living bread was buried under the ground just like the damper. When he rose from the dead he brought the sweetness of many blessings to allof Creation. The living bread of the Holy Communion is sweetened for us by the risen Jesus in the same way as that damper is full of life and flavour when it comes out of its timeunder the ground. I see a close connection between the way we do Kup Mari and the way we celebrate Holy Communion. They are both feasts. In some cultures in PNG they use the drum to call people to worship. The drum sound is the one calling people to a feast. In a similar manner, in the Torres Strait we have used the conch shell to call people to worship. Here Christian Faith and Culture walk alongside each other, drawing goodness and richness from one another, each respecting the other. This is just a brief glimpse of some of the theological insights that can come from Kup Mari theology.
Another example of Christian Faith walking alongside Culture happens at Yarrabah. Here a group of young men use traditional dance to communicate the truths of the Christian Faith. They express their faith THROUGH their culture. They have taken their dancing to the wider church. People understand what they are doing and they like it.
Humanising Theology
Where will Reconciliation come from?
We need a genuine Humanising Theology. This means theology that will lead us in touching one another, walking together, feeling for one another, smelling the atmosphere and seeing what needs to be seen. Humanising theology will create an effective and strong reconciliation.
Questions
1)Briefly outline the three different links
2)Outline the examples of how the Christian faith can walk alongside the Aboriginal culture (3)
Read the following extracts
1)Why are these women famous
2)What clan do they come from?
Dr Lee Miena Skye
Response:
The data I cite are found in my master's and PhD theses, where Australian Indigenous women's Christian theologies/spiritualities are documented for the first time in academic history. I am a Tasmanian Aboriginal (a Palawa), descended from the last "full blood" before the genocide. The annihilation of my people was one of the swiftest acts of genocide in the history of humankind, and I seemed destined to write against what I call quadridimensional oppression, that is, racism, classism, sexism, and naturism (abuse of nature). Of my people there are approximately five thousand descendants, who keep the culture and language alive in spirit. Palawa womanist theology/spirituality is part of the data used in the theses, along with data from the Murri, Nunga, and Koori peoples, who are from mainland Australia. Even though Palawas are a unique Indigenous race (its racial linkage is uncertain), our country recognizes all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Indigenous peoples of Australia. It is important to understand that our mainland Indigenous race is in genocide, and the same fate my people have met is facing all Australian Aboriginals.
Rev Gloria Shipp
Gloria's 10th anniversary
On December 21, 1996, Gloria Shipp was ordained as a priest by Bishop Bruce Wilson, in a service in Dubbo’s Holy Trinity Anglican Church. She was the first Australian Aboriginal woman to become an Anglican priest. Last month Gloria Shipp celebrated the tenth anniversary of that event, in a service in the Church of the Good Shepherd in West Dubbo.
Eddie Shipp welcomed the congregation in the Wiradjuri language. During the service, Bishop Richard Hurford licensed Gloria as an Associate Priest in the West Dubbo parish. Afterwardsshe cut a celebratory cake, and expressed her appreciation to the local community for thesupport they had given her over the years.
The occasion was also a celebration of God’s healing power. Four years earlier, Gloria had beenforced to retire from ministry, due to serious health problems.