Anthropologists [and theologians] have shown that cultures provide people with basic orientations to the world, with ways of defining their lives and their positions in the universe. We have read several anthropologists and others who wrote about the basic concepts of an Aboriginal world-view. In your essays please compare and contrast the way in which Stanner and Myers discuss “The Dreaming.” Consider the following:
How do they present this fundamental concept and its relationship to human life?
What existential questions does it answer?
What are the daily realities of the Dreaming?
How do the authors’ representations of this institution speak to Western perception of Aboriginal people and their culture?
Focus your answers on two to three central issues raised by the prompt, and reference the readings with appropriate citations. You need to support your arguments with reference to specific materials in the readings or lectures.
