Spiritual life is revealed in every part of traditional Indigenous life – this ‘coolamon’ carrying vessel is decorated with the Wandjina design, important in WA’s Kimberley region as representing the area’s creation spirits and now known internationally after the design was used in the Sydney Olympics’ opening ceremony.

SPIRITUAL LIFE

Indigenous people’s spiritual beliefs are like those of all other cultures – they are a set of ideas that explain the world they live in and the origin of the people in their culture.

The spiritual life of traditional Indigenous people is based on the Creation time, a time when Ancestral Beings brought the land to life, creating people and other living things.

The Creation time is the basis for every aspect of Indigenous culture, influencing family life, ceremonies and rituals, languages, art, dance and the foods gathered and hunted and eaten.

Creation stories describe geological and climatic changes that have occurred over the ages since time began, changes caused by Ancestral Beings who had supernatural powers.

In traditional Indigenous society it was believed that before the Creation time the Earth was bleak, dark and featureless. On the flat and barren landscape there were no seas, lakes, rivers, mountains, people or any other life-forms.

Ancestral Beings then emerged from their homes in the sky or beneath the Earth and walked the landscape, using their strength and vigour to create the world as it is now known.

In the Creation time, these spirit ancestors could change at will into human, animal or other forms to achieve their aims.

They also laid down the laws upon which Indigenous societies were formed. From those laws, individuals learnt to cooperate and implement the rituals needed to maintain the land and rules for proper conduct.

What evolved was a rich and complex culture with an ideological framework – providing a spiritual bond between Indigenous people and the land.

Signs of spiritual activity continue to be seen on the landscape, some unchanged since the Creation, like Uluru (AKA Ayers Rock), while the character of others has changed slowly, such as the tides, seasons and stars.

Many natural places are of special spiritual significance to Indigenous people and are known as sacred sites.

These are usually significant because of their connection with Ancestral Beings, such as the Wandjina, in the Kimberley, a spirit who controls the rains and pattern of seasons in the Kimberley. Wandjina spirits live in rock-face images in Kimberley caves and hold deep spiritual significance to local Indigenous people.

Around Perth, the Rainbow Serpent is the Creator spirit and is associated with the Swan River. Near Perth it is called the Wagyl, while in other areas the Rainbow Serpent is known by other names.

Traditional Indigenous people used a range of natural materials as canvases for their artwork and to tell spiritual stories – in this case an emu egg is the surface for a detailed painting.

All-powerful Ancestral Beings are connected with different parts of the continent, while some travel long distances and become part of the shared heritage of many groups.

An individual’s conception place is where the spirit that he or she identifies with was conceived or born, or concentrated much of its energy, and where the person’s spirit will return when the body dies.

Spiritual knowledge is passed from one generation to the next through story-telling by senior men and women who act as custodians, and Elders of groups.

Dance, paintings and rituals are other ways that spiritual knowledge is continued through the generations, ensuring spiritual awareness is retained in Indigenous culture.

Mythological stories developed characters that operated as metaphors for the human condition, and of traditional laws and social obligation. Characters could be personifications of good and evil and good or bad seasons.

* The word 'Dreaming' as the name for the time of creation was chosen by early anthropologists. This is not considered an accurate word for the basis of Indigenous spirituality because it suggests the creation stories were ‘dreamt up’ and are not a real or meaningful belief system. The term is therefore limited in these explanations of Indigenous culture and heritage. 'Creation time' is the main term used on this website.