Aboriginal Australians. The Men of the Fifth World | Tribes - Planet Doc Full Documentaries

Summary

Yakar Garimala, an Australian Aborigine, shares the rich heritage of his people, rooted in the timeless Dreamtime creation narrative. The script paints a vivid picture of Australia's diverse landscapes and the indigenous culture's deep connection to the land, through songlines and sacred rituals. It highlights the importance of preserving traditions and respecting the ancestral spirits, as seen in the ancient cave paintings that document their history and beliefs.

Takeaways

• 🌏 The speaker identifies as an Australian Aborigine, the original inhabitants of Australia, and describes their deep connection to the land since the Dreamtime.
• 🎶 Aboriginal songs serve as living maps, detailing the geography and natural features of Australia, passed down through generations.
• 🌞 The Sun God, Yhi, is a central figure in their spiritual beliefs, and the didgeridoo's sound at twilight symbolizes their identity and unity with the land.
• 🏞️ Australia's diverse landscapes, from deserts to mountains, are integral to the Aboriginal people's way of life and are considered sacred.
• 👴 The elders' role is crucial in preserving and transmitting cultural knowledge, customs, and respect for traditional laws to the younger generations.
• 🕰️ Aboriginal culture is among the oldest in the world, dating back to the time of Homo Sapiens, with a deep-rooted spiritual connection to the land and its features.
• 🏞️ Sacred places, such as caves and caverns, are believed to be inhabited by ancestral spirits that can communicate and empower through dreams.
• 🎨 Ancient rock paintings in the Kakadu National Park and other locations depict the 'Dreamtime' creation story and the daily life of their ancestors 50,000 years ago.
• 🐟 The paintings also show the animals that were hunted or fished, indicating a long-standing relationship with the native wildlife, such as barramundi fish, kangaroos, and crocodiles.
• 👽 The 'mimis', lesser spirits, are believed to have created some of the inaccessible rock paintings, reflecting their influence on life's events.
• 🛡️ The ancient rock art includes depictions of warriors and hunters, showing the continuity of traditional hunting tools and techniques used even today.

Q & A

Who are the original inhabitants of Australia as mentioned in the script?

The original inhabitants of Australia are the Australian Aborigines.

What is the term 'Dreamtime' referred to in the script?

The 'Dreamtime' is a term used to describe the creation period and the ancestral time of the Australian Aborigines, when everything they know was created.

How do the Australian Aborigines use songs to represent their land?

The Australian Aborigines use songs as living maps that describe specific paths, rivers, mountains, or forests, which collectively form the map of Australia.

What is the significance of the didgeridoo in the script?

The didgeridoo is a religious instrument for the Australian Aborigines that reminds them of their identity, tradition, and connection to the land.

Who is Yakar Garimala in the context of the script?

Yakar Garimala is an elder of the Australian Aborigines who is sharing his people's perspective and knowledge about their world.

What is the role of the elders in the Australian Aboriginal culture as described in the script?

The elders have the important task of initiating the young into their customs, explaining their history, and teaching them to respect the traditional laws.

How do the Australian Aborigines perceive their cultural age in comparison to Homo Sapiens?

The Australian Aborigines believe that their culture is the oldest in the world, existing at the same time as what is referred to as Homo Sapiens.

What is the significance of the caves and caverns in the Australian Aboriginal culture?

The caves and caverns are sacred places where the influence of the ancestors' spirits can be felt, and where one can receive messages and strength from them in dreams.

What is the 'Rainbow Serpent' and its importance in the script?

The 'Rainbow Serpent' is a significant mythological figure in Australian Aboriginal culture, believed to have created the world. It is depicted in the paintings at Ubirrok in the Kakadu National Park.

What do the rock paintings in the Kakadu National Park represent?

The rock paintings in the Kakadu National Park represent the Aboriginal way of life, their beliefs, and a collection of images that depict their daily activities, including hunting and fishing.

Who are the 'mimis' and what is their role according to the script?

The 'mimis' are lesser spirits in Australian Aboriginal belief, responsible for all occurrences, good or bad. They are said to have made some of the paintings in the most inaccessible places.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Indigenous Australian Culture and Connection to Land

The speaker, Yakar Garimala, an Australian Aborigine elder, introduces the Aboriginal people as the original inhabitants of Australia, with a deep spiritual connection to the land dating back to the Dreamtime, a creation period in their mythology. They possess songs that act as living maps, detailing the geography of the land, and the didgeridoo, a sacred instrument, serves as a reminder of their identity and traditions. The elder emphasizes the vastness and beauty of Australia, its diverse landscapes, and the importance of passing down customs and history to the younger generation. The narrative also touches on the sacredness of certain places, such as caves and cliffs, where the influence of ancestral spirits is felt, and the significance of ancient rock paintings in Kakadu National Park that depict their beliefs and way of life.

05:03

🎨 Aboriginal Art and Spirituality

The second paragraph delves into the spiritual significance of Aboriginal art, particularly the rock paintings that depict animals hunted or fished by their ancestors. These paintings are believed to have been created with the help of the 'mimis', lesser spirits responsible for all occurrences in life. The art not only represents the animals' external appearances but also their internal structures, showcasing the ancient people's understanding of anatomy. The paragraph also describes how these ancient artists painted images of warriors and hunters, using similar tools as the present-day Aboriginal people, thus illustrating a continuity in their culture and traditions.

Keywords

💡Dreamtime

Dreamtime, also known as the Dreaming, is a term used to describe the spiritual and ancestral narratives of Indigenous Australians. It represents the creation period when the world was formed and is deeply connected to the land, animals, and customs. In the script, Dreamtime is mentioned as the time when everything was created, and the songs of the people are a living map of the land, passed down through generations.

💡Yhi

Yhi is the Sun God in the mythology of the Indigenous Australian people. The script refers to Yhi as a deity that the people contemplate, which underscores the spiritual connection between the people and their environment. Yhi symbolizes the importance of the sun in their culture and its role in the creation stories.

💡Didgeridoo

The didgeridoo is a traditional wind instrument of the Indigenous Australians, often used in religious and ceremonial contexts. In the script, the didgeridoo's humming at twilight is described as a reminder of the people's identity and their connection to the land. It is a symbol of unity and tradition, resonating with the heartbeat of their culture.

💡Australian Aborigine

Australian Aborigines are the indigenous people of Australia, who have lived on the continent for tens of thousands of years. The script introduces Yakar Garimala as an Australian Aborigine, emphasizing the long-standing presence and rich cultural heritage of this group. The term is used to highlight the original inhabitants' deep ties to the land and their unique perspective on the world.

💡Homo Sapiens

Homo Sapiens is the scientific term for the modern human species. In the script, it is mentioned to draw a parallel between the ancient existence of the Australian Aborigines and the emergence of modern humans, indicating that their culture is among the oldest in the world.

💡Ancestors

Ancestors in the context of the script refer to the spiritual predecessors of the Australian Aborigines. The influence of these ancestors is felt in the caves and caverns, where they are believed to send messages and strength through dreams. This concept is central to the spiritual beliefs of the people and their connection to the land and traditions.

💡Kakadu National Park

Kakadu National Park is a significant protected area in Australia, known for its natural beauty and cultural significance to the Indigenous people. The script mentions Ubirrok within the park, a place where the Rainbow Serpent is said to have stopped after creating the world. This location is a testament to the deep spiritual and historical roots of the Australian Aborigines.

💡Rainbow Serpent

The Rainbow Serpent is a mythological creature from Indigenous Australian beliefs, often associated with the creation of the world and its features. In the script, it is mentioned as a central figure in the creation story, depicted in rock art to be seen and revered by the people, symbolizing the ongoing connection between the spiritual and physical worlds.

💡Mimis

Mimis are lesser spirits in Indigenous Australian mythology, believed to be responsible for all occurrences in life, both good and bad. The script describes them as having created some of the most inaccessible rock art, illustrating their influence on the people's daily lives and their spiritual connection to the land.

💡Rock Art

Rock art refers to the paintings and drawings made by the Indigenous Australians on rock surfaces, often depicting aspects of their spiritual beliefs, daily life, and the Dreamtime. The script mentions these artworks as a historical record of the people's way of life and their understanding of the natural world, including the animals they hunted.

💡Traditional Laws

Traditional laws are the customary rules and regulations that have governed Indigenous Australian societies for millennia. The script highlights the role of elders in teaching these laws to the younger generations, emphasizing the importance of preserving and respecting these ancient customs and their relevance to the people's identity.

Highlights

The Aboriginal people are the original inhabitants of Australia, with a deep spiritual connection to the land since the Dreamtime.

Australian Aboriginal songs serve as living maps, detailing the geography and sacred sites of the country.

Yhi, the Sun God, is a central figure in Aboriginal spirituality, symbolizing creation and contemplation.

The didgeridoo is a religious instrument that unites the Aboriginal people with their traditions and the land.

Yakar Garimala introduces himself as an Australian Aborigine, sharing insights into his people's world.

Australia's diverse landscapes, from deserts to mountains, are integral to Aboriginal culture and identity.

The coast of Australia, with its bays, inlets, and sacred cliffs, is a significant part of Aboriginal life.

Elders play a crucial role in passing down Aboriginal customs, history, and respect for traditional laws.

Aboriginal culture is one of the oldest in the world, dating back to the time of Homo Sapiens.

Caves and caverns are sacred places where the spirits of ancestors influence and communicate with the living.

Ancient paintings in caves depict the 'Dreamtime', creation, and the lifestyle of Aboriginal people 50,000 years ago.

Ubirrok in Kakadu National Park is a significant site where the Rainbow Serpent was painted after creating the world.

Aboriginal rock art provides a historical record of the animals hunted and fished, linking past and present.

The detailed knowledge of animal anatomy in rock art demonstrates the Aboriginal people's deep understanding of nature.

The 'mimis', lesser spirits, are believed to have created inaccessible rock paintings, influencing daily life.

Ancient rock art also includes figures of warriors and hunters, showing continuity in Aboriginal tools and techniques.

Transcripts

We are the original inhabitants of this land, called Australia by the white men.

We have been here since the beginning of time, since the Dreamtime,

when everything we know was created.

My people know how to sing each and every place of this sacred country,

while we contemplate Yhi, the Sun God.

Each song is a living map which describes a specific path, the course of a river, a mountain or forest.

If you brought together all these songs, which are passed down from generation to generation,

and which come from dreams, we would compose the map of Australia.

At twilight, the humming of the didgeridoo, our religious instrument,

reminds us who we are and what we are doing here.

It is the beat of our tradition, which keeps us united and attached to the land.

I am old Yakar Garimala, an Australian Aborigine, as foreigners call us,

and I am going to tell you what our world is like.

My country is enormous. It is an island that could be a continent.

It is the most beautiful country in the world.

We have deserts, jungles, savannah, plateaux and mountains with deep canyons carved by furious torrents.

The sea is all around, along our coast there are bays and inlets, and sacred cliffs like this one of bikerton ailan.

This is where I live.

We elders have the important task of initiating the young into our customs,

explaining our history to them, and teaching them to respect the traditional laws.

Our people, our culture, are the oldest in the world.

We were already here thousands of years ago.

We were around at the same time as what the white men call Homo Sapiens.

In these caves and caverns we can feel the influence of the spirits of our ancestors.

If you sleep here, you can see them in your dreams and receive their messages.

They come and fill you with their strength, and when you wake you feel very good.

These are sacred places for us.

In the past, people lived in caves and natural shelters like these.

Across all our territory you can find paintings made by our forefathers, and which speak of the "Dreamtime",

the creation, and how they lived 50,000 years ago.

In the Kakadu National Park lies Ubirrok,

where the Rainbow Serpent stopped after creating the world

and was painted on a rock so that people could see her.

Over time our forefathers left on the rocks a complete collection of images

which depict their way of life and their beliefs.

They painted the animals they hunted or fished so the spirits would help them capture them.

In this way we know to what extent these animals are the same ones as those we eat today:

barramundi fish, long-necked tortoises, kangaroos, crocodiles, wallabies.

We know that they knew what many of the animals they drew were like inside.

Their skeletons and some of their entrails.

The paintings in some of the most inaccessible places were made by the "mimis",

the lesser spirits which are the cause of everything that happens to us, good or bad.

According to the legend, with their long, thin bodies they glided to the very top of the cave,

took pieces of rock, brought them down to the ground, painted them and then put them back on the ceiling.

On these ancient rocks they also drew figures of the men of that time,

warriors and hunters, who used the same spears and harpoons as we do now.