Australian Aboriginal Beliefs, Spiritualities And The Dreaming

Which of the following statements about Aboriginal Spirituality is correct?

• The Dreaming refers only to past events

• The Dreaming lays down the patterns of life for Aboriginal people

• The Dreaming is a transcendent worldview

• The Dreaming explores the belief in a single creator god

Within Aboriginal spirituality, who is responsible for the creation of the sacred world and the landscape?

• Ancestor beings

• A supreme being

• Angels

• The Aboriginal peoples themselves

Which of the following is true of Aboriginal spirituality?

• It was universal throughout Australia before the arrival of Europeans

• It was diverse and differed according to different groups

• It was based on a single religious text

• It was based on numerous texts

An 'indigenous religion' is one which is

• Several thousand years old

• No longer practised in the modern world

• Practised only by a particular ethnic group

• Linked with one particular place and people

The Dreaming refers to

• The relationship between Aboriginal people, their ancestors and the land

• The ceremonies, dance and artworks that convey Aboriginal beliefs

• The connection of Aboriginal people to the spirit world

• The creation myths of different aboriginal language groups

The inextricable connection between the land and identity can best be described as

• People being stewards of the land for future generations

• An inheritance from their ancestors and the spirits that made their country

• The bond that identifies each being a part of the other

• The obligations shared by males to participate in the ceremonies that bring to life the ancestor spirits

What is the role of ritual and ceremony for Aboriginal spiritualities?

• To renew and conserve life for the people of the tribe

• To gain support for the Land Rights movement

• To recall the journeys of the Ancestral Beings and the interaction with the people

• To promote cultural understanding among non-Indigenous people

What has been the traditional role of Aboriginal elders?

• To develop the independence of the Aboriginal community

• To organise the purchase of Crown Land by Aboriginal communities

• To protect the integrity of Aboriginal sacred texts which embody the Dreaming

• To preserve and transmit the most sacred meaning of Aboriginal ritual and ceremonies

What does the map of Aboriginal language groups indicate?

• The diversity of Aboriginal Dreaming

• The location of sacred sites in New South Wales

• Outback river systems

• The numbers of Aboriginal peoples in New South Wales

What is meant for Aboriginal people by the term country?

• The state of which somebody is a citizen

• A politically independent nation

• A region that is associated with a particular group of people

• An area that is farmed or is undeveloped