Extracts from a longer paper entitled

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT THE PHILOSOPHICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF ABORIGINAL WORLDVIEWS

Graham, M 1999, ‘Some Thoughts about the Philosophical Underpinnings of Aboriginal Worldviews’, World views Environment, Culture, Religion 3:

Western: What’s the meaning of life?

Aboriginal: What is it that wants to know?

“The white man’s law is always changing, but Aboriginal Law never changes, and is valid for all people”

Mr. Bill Neidjie, “Kakadu Man”

BASIC PRECEPTS OF THE ABORIGINAL SPIRITUALITY

* The Land is the Law

*Your are not alone in the world

Aboriginal people’s culture is ancient, and certain observations have been made over many millennia about the nature of nature, spirit and being human. The most basic questions for any human group, despite advances in technology, have not changed much over time; they include:

*How do we live together (area/nation/globally), without killing each other off?

*How do we live without substantially damaging the environment?

*Why do we live? The need to find the answer to this question in a way that does not make people feel alienated, lonely or murderous.