More about aboriginal culture

The aboriginal culture is fascinating and, although it’s 40.000 years old, it many times represents some of the most progressive thoughts we hear nowadays.

To start with, before the European colonisation started, the population was fairly distributed across the whole the territory, and not 95% concentrated in the cost as it is now.

All their social and legal rules were based on an extensive number of stories from the Dreamtime, which essentially transmitted that nature is sacred and all beings are equally important, as well as the idea that the Dreamtime / Creation / Paradise is now (differently from us, they were more attached to places than to time).

Reflecting those stories in their social organisation, some of the beliefs and expressions were:
- Kids are independent, choose their mothers and are raised by the community
- Complex kinship system, guaranteeing stability, independence and constant interaction with other tribes
- No commerce, no exchange of goods, but presents in various situations and responsibility towards the well being of some of the community members
- Arranged marriage + sweethearts (extra marital relations), which would bring social stability without losing the individual pleasure
- Clear gender roles to be played: women's role is conserve, love, look for harmony; men's role is to destroy and create, understand nature's cycles and avoid super population, aggressiveness

I know the readers of Thoureau, Huxley and Quinn are exhilarated now ;o)

However, the very sad side of it from what I read, heard and noticed is that currently most aboriginals don't live essential aspects of their culture anymore (sharing, dependence on nature and self independence), neither benefit from modernity comforts. They often receive government support, are not nomads anymore, maintain very few ceremonies and are quite marginalized, without having a unique space in their own land.