‘Dreamtime’ or ‘Dreaming’
The expression ‘Dreamtime’ is most often used to refer to the ‘time before time’, or ‘the time of the creation of all things’, while ‘Dreaming’ is often used to refer to an individual’s or group’s set of beliefs or spirituality.
Storytelling is an integral part of life for Indigenous Australians. From an early age, storytelling plays a vital role in educating children. The stories help to explain how the land came to be shaped and inhabited; how to behave and why; where to find certain foods, etc.
Gathered around the camp fire in the evening, on an expedition to a favourite waterhole, or at a landmark of special significance, parents, Elders or Aunts and Uncles use the stories as the first part of a child’s education.