|
In Australian Aboriginal mythology of the Bundjalung Nation, the Dirawong, an unseen spiritual creature also known as the goanna spirit, is one of the Creator Beings of the Bundjalung Nation, that 1) Protects 2) Guards, 3) Controls, and 4) Helps the people with; 'Aboriginal astronomy, body designs, bullroarers, bush cosmetics, bush foods, bush medicines, cave paintings and designs cut into trees, ceremonial headgear, ceremonial poles, cultural lore, dances, dreaming's, games, geographical locations, how people are required to behave in their communities, initiations, laws of community, paintings, rock art, rock engravings, rules for social behaviour, sacred chants, sacred earth mounds, sacred ground paintings, songlines, songs, stone artifacts, stone objects, stories, structures of society, symbols, technologies, the ceremonies performed in order to ensure continuity of life and land, values, wooden articles, wooden sacred objects, and also the beliefs, values, rules and practices concerning the peoples relationship to the land and water of Widje tribal territory within Bundjalung country. '' The Dirawong is known as a benevolent protector of its people (in the Bundjalung Nation) from the Rainbow Snake (also known as the 'Snake' or 'Rainbow Serpent').〔Australian Aboriginal mythology〕 The Dirawong (goanna) is also associated with rain and there is a rain cave on Goanna Headland where the Elders of the Bundjalung Nation people went in the old days to conduct ceremonies for rain. ==Introduction== Firstly, nearly all of the information known about the deity called the 'Dirawong' and the associated tribal spiritual beliefs, come from the Aboriginal tribes people of the Bundjalung Nation and Europeans; therefore it is necessary to be aware of the possibility of bias in the historical record. Secondly, the Bundjalung Nation tribal groups never developed a written language, using verbal tradition to communicate mythological stories. This meant there was no common written language or alphabet for all tribes like there is for the English, Greeks, or Italians. All the world's peoples have a concept of how the world was formed. The Bundjalung Nation tribal groups believe that, in the beginning, the earth was featureless, flat and grey. There were no mountain ranges, no rivers, no billabongs, no birds or animals - in fact no living thing. Then long, long ago came the Dreamtime. In The Dreamtime (also Dreaming or Altjeringa. A sacred "once upon a time" period in which ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings formed "Creation") giant creatures began to rise up out of the grey plains where they had been slumbering for countless ages. These mythical Beings looked like animals, plants or insects, but behaved in a similar manner to humans. Because of their giant size, as these beings wandered across the vast grey wastes, performing ceremonies, digging for water, and searching for food and as they went, they made huge ravines and rivers in the land. The greatest of all these beings took the form of the Rainbow Snake. The movement of his huge multicolored body across the land formed the mountains and rivers that flow to the ocean. By lifting his tail he makes rainbows. The Bundjalung people tell us that Rainbow Snake and Dirawong worked together to create the Richmond River area. Thus the world took on the shape it has today. The tribal groups of the Bundjalung Nation believe that in the Dreamtime the traditional Aboriginal way of life was established by these mythical Beings and that this way of life is still followed in traditional Aboriginal societies today. These groups believe that their ancestors were taught about their tribal lands by the mythical Beings of The Dreamtime, and were told how they, as descendants of these Beings, should behave. These teachings are as important to them as the "Ten commandments" are to the ancient Hebrews. Following the end of The Dreamtime (how and ended and for what reason is unknown), these Aboriginal ancestor Beings changed into the landscape. All contemporary mountain ranges and rocks are formed by these beings. Isolated hills, islands, rivers and even trees arose to mark the Beings change. From here time and life, as we know it, began. Because of this belief, the land has a very special meaning to the Aboriginal people. All over the earth there are features which act as reminders of the giant Beings of the Dreamtime. When they see a mountain or river, a rock or a tree, they think of the mythical Beings that had a part in their own creation. The tribal groups of the Bundjalung Nation believe that they are directly descended from these mythical Beings. When The Dreamtime ended, the people were left with a social and cultural heritage which came from their ancestors. All the rites and ceremonies are aimed at preserving this heritage. Their ancestors from the Dreamtime also gave them possession of tribal lands, and hence this land with all the forms of life contained within it are regarded as being in a sacred trust. The bonds with the mythical Beings of the Dreamtime are such that tribal groups of the Bundjalung Nation believe in a united world of body and spirit with every aspect of the land, both living and non-living. This then means that the rocks, rivers and waterholes are more than just a reminder or a symbol of the Dreamtime but represent reality and eternal truth. The legends in this article are some of the stories about the ancestors from the Dreamtime. The legends portray all sorts of human behaviour, including the less endearing ones such as vanity, lying, cruelty, trickery and cheating. Morality is a key part of these myths. Through the antics of 'The Three Brothers', or of 'The Rainbow Snake & the Dreamtime', one is warned by the characters' downfall of what might should one fall into the same temptation. The legendary tales of the Bundjalung Nation tribal groups have come down to us from a series of European people. The Aboriginal story-teller would have added facial and bodily gestures and voice inflection to a narrative that was sparing in words. In the re-telling by European people, additional words and phrases have been necessary, while occasional interpolations and omissions have produced different versions. In each case the version used in this article is the one that makes the best story while being consistent with what is known of the beliefs and customs of the Bundjalung Nation tribal groups.〔(Temple of the Sacred Spiral - Aboriginal Lore )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dirawong」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|