CONVERSATION
CONVERSATION
CONVERSATION
HUMAN TRACES:
ETHIOPIA
HUMAN TRACES:
ETHIOPIA
THE BALANCE OF FACTS
THE BALANCE OF FACTS
THE BALANCE OF FACTS
THE BALANCE OF FACTS
DESTINATIONS
DESTINATIONS
The Dreamtime, or the Dreaming, portrays the Aboriginal beliefs in spiritual existence. According to the tribes that first settled down in the continent, the Dreaming's roots date all the way back to the very begging of the creation of the world. The meaning and ideology of the term is generally not so well-understood by non-indigenous people as it is referred to as part of the culture of one of the early nations, which differs from modern perceptions.
The Spirits were the creators of everything. They made the land and the seas, the rocks and the plants, the sky and the earth. They were the higher power and the Australian Aborigines spent their lifetimes honoring this power, which guided their path and shaped their way of thinking. Not only creators of everything, which could be seen as well as felt, the Spirits also gave the Aborigines the Dreaming.
The time when everything started existing according to the initial Australians, was called the Dreaming. This is the foundation of the continent's culture. The origin of the Dreaming goes way back - 65 000 years back in time to be exact. The Ancestors of the nation shaped the land, forming some parts of it as sacred. The Aborigines were very careful and overprotective of those places, strongly believing in their significance.
The Australian Aborigines are known to have believed that the world didn't have any shape and was therefore empty. Darkness dominated, and life was simply asleep, but this changed when the creation began happening. After the Dreaming and the influence of the Spirits, objects began taking shapes and came to be. They created the four elements: water, earth, air and fire, as well as all the planets, the Sun and the Moon. The Dreaming therefore is a continuous process, which never ended. It is a small cosmos on its own, unifying the past, present and the future into one.
The Australian Aborigines' home riches so many vivid areas of the continent, including Fraser Island, Tasmania, Palm Island, Groote Eylandt and Mornington Island. The Aborigines had very strong believes in relation to the powers of the land, claiming that they never owned it - it rather owned them. The only reason they were able to call it their home is because they were looking after it and the land was taking care of the people in return.
Equally important to the Dreaming was the tribes' understandings of the disappearance of the Spirits. There came a time, when the creators of everything vanished from sight. Some of them were thought to have started living in sacred places, which is why the Aborigines perceived their homeland to be so sacred. The ancestors of today's Australians used to believe that the creators started living in rocks, in water holes and some went up to the sky to guide the people from above and keep them safe. Others transformed completely, taking the forms of the rain, the lightnings and the thunderstorms so they could be part of peoples' life.
Among the hundred's different Aboriginal languages, there isn't a word to describe 'time', because to them this simply doesn't exist. Dreaming and Dreamtime are used to replace it and summarize the ideologies of the Aborigines about everything they knew, everything they could see, feel and experience. This is why the Dreaming has such a vivid, and overwhelming meaning and has survived the obstacles of time. For the past couple thousand years, the Dreaming has built a rich cultural heritage that can identify a whole nation.
Read more about the Land, its connection to people and the way it has been perceived from different generations in the very first print issue of ORIGIN. The Land Issue covers varied topics, most of which remain related to cultural aspects of the land and its importance.
A lot of people travel to explore places and learn about them which is the message that ORIGIN wants to spread. With traveling, however, comes certain responsibilities that we should all be aware of. Elephants riding has become a popular way to explore locations by land. People have been doing this as part of their trips, mostly to places such as Thailand, Nepal, Cambodia and other parts of Asia. It is a common thing to see in certain places in Africa as well. We investigated the activity to explain why it is wrong and riding elephants should be banned everywhere.
Our first print issue studies culture and traveling represented through the land. We explored various location around the globe and learned what makes the land so valuable, which nations cherish it and how it helps us establish an identity. Traveling is important to us but traveling responsibly and making an impact is what we feel proud to stand behind. This is why riding elephants as a way of amusement should be reconsidered.
Let’s talk about the details. Elephants are very caring and extremely intelligent animals. It is a well-known fact that they never forget anything. When kept in captivity instead of spending their life in the wild, elephants die younger. Unlike in other species, this is common for the gentle giants and is often a result for stress.
Many African cultures respect elephants, believing they symbolize strength, loyalty and power. However, power can be a very tender concept. Elephant used as a tourism tool suffer from great pain daily. Elephants can be hurt very severely from the weight of carrying people and a trainer on their backs. The reason for this is the design of their spines. They have sharp protrusions, extending upwards from their spine instead of having round spinal disks. The protrusions and the tissue that serves to protect them can be harmed easily from weight pressure. Once a damage to their spine has been made, there is no going back and sometimes the harm can be irreversible. While this can’t be physically seen, the harm that the chairs can do to the elephants’ skin is. It is often the case that the chairs and the weight on their back can damage the animal’s skin and cause pain to their body. The chair, called Howdah, that gets attached to their backs, rubs on their skin and can cause blisters, which can sometimes get infected.
The training that elephants are required to go through when in captivity sometimes adopts a traditional Thai ‘phajaan’ or ‘crush’ technique. Explaining the technique would compare it to the animals’ spirits constantly and continuously being broken by the means of torture and social isolation. This is done in order to tame them. Elephants are wild animals, this is their nature as they are born in such conditions. Making them safe and obedient around people requires them to go through such training. As horrible as it sounds, in some places young elephants are taken away from their mothers to be abused with nails, bull hooks and bamboo sticks to make them obey rules, given by people. The animals often lack sleep and are starved to become submissive.
Actions from such nature are cruel and harmful as the technique is used to crash the animals’ spirit. Once wild and free, elephants become a source of tourism and entertainment. Nobody, who cared about sustainable tourism should ever ride an elephant.
In a sense, elephants have a human soul. They socialise and feel everything – pain, happiness, grief, sadness etc. They spend their life building families and finding friends. The largest land animals are a gift from nature and it is our responsibility to take special care of them and make sure they live according to their nature. Many animals, who are kept in captivity, are forced to live in isolation and carry heavy loads all day long, which is a wrong way to treat them. Their strength and power shouldn’t be abused but treated gently and celebrated by people. Elephants require minimal care to stay happy and healthy, which comes from giving them freedom to behave naturally and socialise. It is our responsibility to be culturally aware while traveling and make sure to spread awareness about the problem.
You can read the rest of the article as published in the LAND issue.
BECOME AN ECO-FRIENDLY TRAVELLER
We've got some tips about how you can become more mindful when you travel without having to compromise your comfort. From travel suggestions to tips on how to get to know a place you visit better by being an eco-traveller, you can find it all in our guide
Words: Emily Georgieva
Photography: Taylor Simpson, Justin W, Nathan Dumlao, Maria Ilves, Yoann Siloine
11 November 2019
WANDERLUST
/ˈwɒndəlʌst/
noun
'a strong desire to travel'
We have all been there - desiring to get to the next new destination, counting the days until we pack our bags and explore a new place. Many people are nomads by heart. Some of the friends of NOMADSofORIGIN Magazine's entire editorial team can't stay put for longer than a month. They love to experience life on the go, and they are always planning their next adventure. This incredible WANDERLUST nostalgia is perhaps the closest freedom-like thrill that travellers experience. It revolves around the privilege to become part of something we have not been born into, but can greatly appreciate - unknown cultures, different nations, interesting traditions.
Wanderlust is all about becoming one with the world where we all belong. Nowadays it is easier than it has ever been for people in developed areas to travel freely across countries - continents even - and see how the world looks outside of their homeland. However, this easy access to places should inspire travellers to become more conscious of their habits whilst on the go.
The rise of Airbnbs, home-like hostels and hometels, wanderers have been defined as 'modern'. This is a great way to think about travelling. With time travelling evolved to become easier to manage, cheaper to organise and a way more fun experience in every aspect. Today people have more freedom to explore distant locations and exotic hidden gems. The very definition of 'modern travellers' presents us with the opportunity to be more mindful and respectful of the places we visit. This is especially important when it comes to preserving the purity of different locations so that their charm can be conserved for the nomads yet to visit, as well as for the locals and the younger generations of travellers.
We've made a quick list of suggestions about how you can become an eco-friendly traveller without having to compromise your comfort of change your trip plans. Have a read through and let us know which suggestion was your favourite.
1. FEEL AT HOME NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO
Weather you decide to stay in a fancy hotel or a hostel, even if it is a small Airbnb or a couch surfing spot, be mindful of how you use the local resources. For example, treat your toiletries like you would at home - use a towel more than just once and don't waste what can be re-used. When you brush your teeth, remember to close the water tap since you don't need it continuously on. When exiting a room, consider turning off the lights and the TV. Taking shorter showers can also help you to improve the environmental impact of your travels.
2. THINK GREEN
It is important to have a 'think green' mindset when you are exploring new locations. We are always appreciative when visitors take care of our homeland. In retrospect, treating other' home with respect is a must. Recycle, reduce your carbon footprint and cherish your surroundings. Nowadays it is easy to track the little things you can do to be an eco-traveller. For example, there is an app called The Tap app that helps you find a refill water station nearby. You can bring your cool water bottle and keep hydrated in all 7 300 cities that the app works with.
3. PLAN WISELY AND TRAVEL LIGHTLY
It is easy and very tempting to spend your hard-earned money on a holiday to some very far away place where the culture and traditions are completely different to what you are used to. We are all up for that and encourage our nomads to be adventurous in such ways. Before you book your plane ride and calculate whether you have to sail, bike or road-trip to the coolest places in the desired destination, think about what you might be missing out. There are some amazing places in each country that are not touristy-popular. Those less explored locations are often what makes different destinations so unique from one another. Sometimes the best way to get to know a different culture is to stay off-the-beaten tracks, considering you know where you're going. Instead of spending tons of money trying to see all the places that are listed as a 'must', try to see more of the native side of the destinations you visit. In most cases this would mean that you will use less transport service and cut down on your carbon footprint. It is a cool way to meet locals at the public transport or make friends with other travellers who might be up for giving you and your travel buddies a lift. This way you will see all the best sides of a place and be gentle to the environment.
4. RECYCLE WHAT CAN BE REUSED
Recycling doesn't just stop with separating your trash at home and making sure you throw away your litter in the correct bins. Eco-travelling goes far beyond recycling your trash. Depending on the type of trip you have planned, you can often reuse the things you've got. The same applies to the stuff you accumulate along the way, instead of throwing them away after one use. What we mean is, be considerate of how and what you use. Replace plastic with alternatives. Many restaurants, bars and supermarkets have already embraced the use of bamboo and paper straws, plant leaves for packaging, etc. Travellers can easily become part of this movement. Plastic pollution and micro-plastic have been a cause for environmental disruption many times before and, if we as modern travellers can help reverse this pollution process, then we must try to do so.
5. TAKE ONLY WHAT YOU NEED
The cool thing about being a wanderer is that it makes your soul rich. Travelling gives you a lot of things that nobody can take away from you - knowledge, confidence, cultural intelligence - just to name a few. Many of us are tempted to bring back home souvenirs from the trendy and eccentric places we've seen. However, NOMADSofORIGIN Magazine's team spoke to several travellers and found that what they treasure most post-travelling was the memories they had. Instead of packing your bag with tons of cool souvenirs you bought form the corner markets and the hippie shops, try to take only as much as you need - nothing more, nothing less - so that you've got the memories with you to last you a lifetime. Sometimes that means just bringing your camera back with you. That could make you want to revisit someday and see your favourite places all over again.
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NOMADSofORIGIN is an independent annual publication with a focus on sustainable travelling and global cultural values. Each issue features interviews, engaging articles and photo guides, which take our nomadic readers through different destinations and introduce them to local people's perspectives.
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