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The religion of the Aborigines is based on the stories of their origin, the so called dreamtime. The Expression \"Dreamtime\" is most often used to refer to the \"time before time\" or the \"time of the creation of all things\". Ancestral spirits came down to earth in human or other forms and the land, the plants and animals were given their form as we know them today. These spirits also established the relationships between groups and individuals ( whether people or animals) and where they travelled across the land, or came to a halt, they created rivers, hills, etc. and there are often stories attached to these places.
Once their work was done, the ancestral spirits changed again; into animals or stars or hills or other objects. For indigenous Australians, the past is still alive and vital today and will remain so into future. The Ancestral Spirits and their powers have not gone, they are present in the forms into which they changed at the end of the Dreamtime, as stories tell. The stories have been handed down through the ages and are an integral part of an Indigenous person's \"Dreaming\". From early age storytelling plays a vital role in educationing 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 in the evening, on an expedition to a favourite waterhole or at a landmark of special significance parents or Elders use the stories as the first part of a child's education. Then as children grow into young adults, more of the history and culture is revealed. Adults then take responsibility for passing on the stories to the following generations. In this way the stories of the Dreaming have been handed down over thousands of years.
Because the stories of the Dreaming have been handed down through the generations, they are not owned by individuals. They belong to a group and the storytellers of that group are carrying out an obligation to pass the stories on. The Elders of a group might appoint a particularly skilful and knowledgeable storyteller as \"Custodian\" of the stories of the people. Many stories are considered to be of a secret nature and only to be told to certain people. Some stories are only for men, some for women and some are even only for the Elders.
Every aboriginal clan had an ancestral figure or totem. A totem had the form of one of the creatures, plants or natural features associated with one or more dreamings. Certain group members could encounter totemic spirits and learn their stories by such acts as entering a trance or a deep sleep. Stories of the Dreaming and totemic characters served as subjects for paintings or other works of art.
Aborigines regarded death as an event caused by an angry spirit or a curse from another person. In extended rituals, group members encountered and pacified spirits or symbolically killed the offending person, ensuring the return of the spirit of the dead to its totemic home. Aborigines have buried their dead for over 30 000 years. In many graves the corpses were symbolically decorated with pigments, ornaments or clothing. Some bodies were also buried with tools. these practices grew more elaborate over time, indicating that aboriginal religious beliefs also envolved over time.
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