The creation of the universe, the time known to most people as the Dreamtime or the Dreaming.
Aura:
Traditional-living Aboriginal people believe that individuals possessing great knowledge and wisdom radiate with coloured light. A blue aura may mean great wisdom whereas a white aura may signify a higher level of wisdom, compared to a higher ‘dan'. It is believed that the body reflects in colour its mental, physical and spiritual condition.
Biami:
The Good Spirit. He is the sun. Although the name is fairly common to Aboriginal people, there are many different spellings.
Coolamon:
A shallow vessel with curved sides, usually carved from hardwood. Sometimes ornately decorated with totemic designs, it is used for carrying everything from food to small infants.
Earth Mother:
Aboriginal people believe that the earth is the mother of mankind, that humans are born of the land. Concepts of land possession, as in European culture and others, are entirely foreign to the Aboriginal people, who believe the land and man are inseparably linked forever.
Frog Tribe:
All Aboriginal stories contain educative information about the environment which can assist in survival. In the creation story, the Frog Tribe reference teaches a way of finding water in a drought. In areas of extreme weather conditions, frogs will bloat themselves with water in the wet season and bury themselves in mud. When the waterholes dry up in the dry season, the animal lives underground on the ingested moisture in a kind of suspended animation. Hunters who find themselves in waterless areas can easily find a drink at a dried-up waterhole by digging up a frog, puncturing the stomach and drinking the water stored inside.
Fullas:
This is a term familiar to most Australians and in general was a colloquial way of referring to a group of men; but in the development of an Aboriginal ‘patois' of the English language, like a regional dialect, the term has taken on a wider meaning and refers to all people, not just males.
Gidday:
A greeting or salutation familiar to all Australians. Widely used at any time of day to mean ‘hello'.
Message sticks:
A stick of communication bearing important universal symbols sent from one tribe to another.
Opal:
Semi-precious gem of rich colours found mainly in central west Queensland.
Quandamooka:
To the Noonuccal Tribe from the Minjerribah (Stradbroke Island), Quandamooka is the sacred water spirit of Moreton Bay (near Brisbane).
Rainbow Serpent:
The mother of life to all Aboriginal tribes. As the story indicates, she is the spirit responsible for the colour and shape of the land we live in.
Sacred place/sacred site:
Aboriginal people believe that the land is spiritually alive and that certain places (usually of extraordinary, natural beauty) are the resting places of the creator, the mother of life, the Rainbow Serpent. These areas command absolute respect from the Aboriginal people and, during regular visits to re-establish contact with the Earth Mother and the spirit world, traditional Aboriginal conservation customs are practised. For instance, movement and voice levels are kept to a minimum; the area is meticulously inspected; controlled burning and seed distribution are practised if necessary; and sacred paintings or carvings are ceremoniously retouched. This practice of retouching, as in the story, ensures that the spirits do not grow weak, and that they will continue to ply their good favour upon the people.
Totem:
All Aboriginal tribes have creatures which are sacred to them. Animals special to a given tribe may not be hunted in any way, captured or eaten by that tribe, for these animals are considered to have been blood relatives since their Alcheringa. A Kangaroo man cannot eat a kangaroo, a Carpet Snake man cannot eat a carpet snake, and so on. It is believed that humans were once animals born of the Rainbow Serpent. She bestowed human form as a gift for keeping her law. The law that no man may eat of his totem is really pure conservation ensuring the survival of all species in a given area.
Uluru/Ayers Rock:
The birth place of the Rainbow Serpent. Uluru is the living altar and symbol of creation for the Aboriginal people.