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The Making of Modern Australia: Aunty Beryl Carmichael on spirit and culture

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Aunty Beryl Carmichael
The Making of Modern Australia: Aunty Beryl Carmichael on spirit and culture

SUBJECTS:  History

YEARS:  9–10


Ngiyaampaa Elder Aunty Beryl Carmichael speaks in this clip about how important it is that Aboriginal people care for, or nurture, their spiritual self.

She discusses the way things are connected and the importance of Dreaming stories.

She also explains why she passes on knowledge and cultural heritage to younger members of Indigenous communities.


Things to think about

  1. 1.How does your community pass on knowledge about the world, religion and spiritual teachings? How has this activity changed over time? Do you know any Dreaming stories? What is their continuing purpose and significance for Indigenous communities?
  2. 2.Aunty Beryl Carmichael gives examples of things that connect to form the 'oneness' at the heart of Aboriginal people's beliefs. What are they? Why does she feel the need to share her knowledge and preserve the Dreaming stories? How does Aunty Beryl Carmichael pass on to younger generations her knowledge found within Dreaming stories?
  3. 3.How might an understanding of the oneness that Aunty Beryl talks about affect your values? How might it influence the way you live in the world? Why do you think it's been so difficult for Indigenous peoples to pass on their beliefs and values over the last 200 years? What do you learn about Indigenous culture from listening to Aunty Beryl Carmichael?
  4. 4.Aunty Beryl Carmichael is the custodian of stories, songs and dances passed on to her. Some of them are available on the internet. Do a search on 'Beryl Carmichael stories' to find some. Read what Aunty Beryl says about their importance.



Date of broadcast: 19 Aug 2010


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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