In Term 3 the Year 9 students have been learning about Aboriginal spirituality, specifically they have learnt about the sacred stories of the Aboriginal people and how these are linked to the land. An important part of the Year 9 program is attending camp at the Grampians, Aboriginal people have always known this place as Gariwerd.

Gariwerd is a special place, a place central to the dreaming of Aboriginal people, particularly the Djab Wurrung and the Jardwadjali the traditional people of this area. Their descendents are still at Gariwerd involved in maintaining the culture and the stories of the land.

Gariwerd is a very spiritual place for Aboriginal people, and the land holds all of their dreaming stories. For many Indigenous people in Australia, land is much more than soil, rocks or minerals. It’s a living environment that sustains and is sustained by people and culture. Before colonisation, the reciprocal relationship between people and the land underpinned all other aspects of life for Indigenous people. Today, this relationship with the land remains fundamental to the identity and way of life of many Indigenous people. 

Our Year 9 students have been comparing and contrasting the two faiths. Like Christianity is for us, spirituality for aboriginal people gives meaning to all aspects of life including relationships with one another and the environment. As we continue with the school theme for this year `Listen to the Cry of the Earth’ there is much to be learnt from the spirituality of other faiths especially the first people of this nation.