Dreamtime

Dreamtime, or the Dreaming, is a central concept in many Aboriginal Australian cultures. It denotes both a primordial epoch when ancestral beings created the land, people, and laws, and the ongoing spiritual reality through which the present is connected to the past.

The exact beliefs and practices associated with the Dreaming vary among language groups. There is no single creed or calendar shared by all Aboriginal peoples; instead, Dreaming concepts are embedded in place-names, kinship, and social obligations. Some communities emphasize the ongoing presence of ancestral beings within landscapes, while others focus on totems, ceremonies, and moral laws derived from Dreaming narratives.

Dreaming narratives are transmitted through stories, songs, dances, art, and ceremonies. They explain the origins of features of the land, how people should relate to one another, and how to access resources responsibly. Songlines or dreaming tracks often link sacred sites across vast distances, encoding geography, history, and law in spoken and sung routes.

Scholars frequently use the term Dreamtime or Dreaming as an umbrella for a complex set of beliefs. Critics note that the expression can imply a single timeless era, which may misrepresent the diversity and living nature of these practices. Some Indigenous communities prefer terms in their own languages or descriptions that emphasize ongoing spiritual presence and living knowledge rather than a past era.