Teaching Sequence

10 minutes	Watching and Responding to Film
5 minutes	Connection to Country Discussion
15 minutes	Reading and Responding to Dreaming Story
5 minutes	Spiritual and Sacred Discussion
20 minutes	Story Writing (can be extended or completed as homework)
5 minutes	Reflection

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

Teacher preparation: Find a Dreaming story that tells the creation of a place in your local area or of a special landmark. Dreaming stories are traditionally an oral part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, so hearing a local story from someone who owns the story or who has been given permission to share it, is the best way for students to learn about the significance of the Dreaming in a local context. The best option for hearing a local story is to connect with Elders and/or Traditional Owners in your community. Local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander dance and cultural groups may also be an option for you.

Alternatively, visit your school library or look online for a Dreaming story. Dust Echoes: Ancient Stories, New Voices is a good resource when researching Dreaming stories. When using a Dreaming story in class, you must acknowledge where the story comes from, and who gave permission for it to be used with students. If it is a published text, this may be who wrote it, or the person who wrote it might have included an acknowledgement that you can also use.

Step 1.

As a class, watch the following Who We Are: Country/Place film (also available on the Student Worksheet) and invite students to reflect on it using the questions on the Student Worksheet (older students can work independently to answer the questions, younger students can work in pairs or groups):

Who We Are: Country/Place (https://bit.ly/1WBeOCM)

Once complete, invite students to share their ideas through a class discussion around the following questions:

What did you enjoy or find interesting about this film?
How does this film help you understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s beliefs about the significance of Country/place?
How does this film help you understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s connection to Country, and the relationships between the Dreaming, Country, culture and identity?
What questions do you have about this film or the issues raised in it?
What keywords did you record? These words can be added to your Glossary (see Extension activities). Where possible, include the following words in your list: Country, Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Dreaming, Ancestor, Culture.

Step 2.

Explain to students that 'Dreaming' is an English word often used to describe ongoing, familial relationships to Country, which includes plants, animals, land, seas, skies and waterways. These relationships are often depicted in song, art, dance and story; representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing and being with Country. Dreaming can also be used by individuals to refer to either their own Dreaming or their community's Dreaming, sometime manifested in the form of a totem. Dreaming stories often explain why places are special. The word ‘sacred’ is used to describe places that are very special to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Through class discussion invite students to reflect on what Kim says about her Mum's Dreaming, or totem. Explain to students that a totem is a natural object, plant or animal that is inherited by members of a clan or family as their spiritual emblem. Totems define people's roles and responsibilities, and their relationships with each other and creation. Totems are the descendants of the Dreamtime heroes, or totemic beings. Use the following questions to guide your discussion, undertaking research where necessary to answer any questions:

What is Kim's Mum's totem or Dreaming?
How did Kim's Mum get her totem?
What is a Baler shell?
Where is Roebuck Bay?
How does Kim's Mum's Dreaming, or creation story, connect her family to Roebuck Bay?

In her maiden speech to parliament, The Hon Linda Burney MP mentioned that her totem was a white cockatoo - "A very noisy bird" in her words. Read more here.

Step 3.

Once complete, explain to students that Kim is a Yawuru and Karajarri woman on her mother's side.

Working together or in groups, invite students to undertake research to find out what the Yawuru and Karajarri equivalent words for the Dreaming are. Record these on the board. Remind students of the Search strategies for Googling.

Yawuru word is Bugarrigarra - find out more here. Karajarri word is Pukarrikarra - find out more here.

Step 4.

Read the Dreaming story you found earlier to the class. Through class discussion invite students to reflect on the story using the following questions:

What is this Dreaming story about? What happens in this story?
Who are the people, animals or natural objects in this story? What role do they play?
How do the images support the story? What information do the images convey?
In what ways do you think the story speaks about the significance of Country and Dreaming?

Step 5.

Explain to students that through the passing down of Dreaming stories and knowledge of Country, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders often have specific connections to sacred sites or places. These sites or places are usually located on Country. The significance of sacred sites is usually because of the knowledge held by or associated with these places or sites.

Spend time as a class discussing students’ understanding of the words ‘spiritual’ and ‘sacred’. You can use the following definitions to guide your discussion:

Some simple definitions of spiritual include (from Merriam-Webster):

of or relating to a person's spirit
of or relating to religion or religious beliefs
having similar values and ideas: related or joined in spirit

Some simple definitions of sacred include (from Merriam-Webster):

worthy of religious worship: very holy
relating to religion
highly valued and important: deserving great respect

Discuss with students how these definitions might link to Country and The Dreaming.

Step 6.

Students are now invited to reflect on what the hosts in the films talk about in terms of sites from their Country that are significant to them and their families. Ask students to think about how the hosts spoke about spiritually significant sites on their Country. Work as a class to discuss the following questions:

What features or areas of the Country of the hosts could be considered significant?
What reasons do the hosts give for the sites being significant?

Once complete, break the class into groups and invite each group to undertake research to find out whether there are any significant sites in your local area, and if there are, what the history of these sites are. Ask students to prepare a poster to share what they found. Consider displaying these posters where other members of the school community can view them.

Reflection

Invite students to answer the Reflection questions on the Student Worksheet.

Extension

Create a Glossary with keywords and definitions that can be added to while completing the other Who We Are: Brave New Clan units - People and Culture.

Take it further

Organise a class excursion to a significant place in your local area. Seek guidance from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language and cultural centres, rangers or community members about significant areas and invite them to join you to speak about the significance and the history of that place.

Brave New Clan - Country/Place - Holistic Belief Systems

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