Aboriginal Studies/Religious Studies
Book Details

Ancestral Power

The Dreaming, Consciousness and Aboriginal Australians

Lynne Hume

Ancestral Power suggests that Aboriginal spirituality is much more complex and compelling than the early missionaries could ever have imagined.

Opinion

‘ . . .it is not only a good introduction to the concept of the Dreaming, it also does well to focus on the spiritual aspect of the Dreaming in such a way to make the concept accessible to a Western audience.’ (JAS Review of Books, April 2003)

'Lynne Hume's book offers a fresh and engaging perspective on the study of Altered States of Consciousness (ASCs) and Aboriginal Australians . . . Overall, this book deals with a fascinating topic that will be a more than enjoyable read to anyone interested in ASCs, Aboriginal studies, religions, and to those who just want a good read . . . It is accessible to a broad readership and could be set up as a key reference for any course in anthropology/sociology of religion and Aboriginal studies.' (Journal of Contemporary Religion, vol 18 no 3, 2003)

About this Title

The Dreaming, or the Dreamtime, is the English translation of a complex Aboriginal religious concept. It relates to the idea of an ancestral presence which exists as a spiritual power that is deeply present in the land. This presence or power also exists in certain paintings, in some dance performances, and in songs, blood and ceremonial objects.

In Ancestral Power, Lynne Hume seeks to further our understanding of human consciousness by looking through a Western lens at the concept of the Dreaming.

She examines the idea that Aboriginal people may have used certain techniques for entering altered states of consciousness. Could their experiences in such states, together with their extensive knowledge of their environment, have helped to create the cosmological scheme we call the Dreaming?

With these questions in mind, she brings together and examines, for the first time, a wide range of existing literature on Aboriginal cosmology and spiritual practices, together with studies of Aboriginal art, data from anthropologists and ethnomusicologists, and statements by Aboriginal people from many different regional areas of Australia. Much of the information she highlights is little known.

Ancestral Power suggests that Aboriginal spirituality is much more complex and compelling than the early missionaries could ever have imagined.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction
1 Consciousness and the Nervous System
2 The Dreaming
3 Timelessness and Transformation
4 Power
5 Paintings are Powerful
6 Songs are Powerful
7 Powerful People
8 Doing Clever Things
9 Clever Techniques
10 The Dreaming, Consciousness, and Experience

Notes
Bibliography
Index

About the Author

Dr. Lynne Hume has a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Queensland and is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Studies in Religion at the University of Queensland. She is the author of Witchcraft and Paganism in Australia (MUP, 1997).

Book Preview

978-0-522-85012-3