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.
BEST CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR TRAVELLERS
As the festve season is upon us, we made a quick list of thoughtful gifts you can get for the travellers in your life
Words: Emily Georgieva
Photography: Yoann Siloine, Will&Bear, Douchebags, Bold Tuesday, Traveller Collective
10 December 2020
The festive season is upon us and thoughts of what to get your friends and family have probably already started to occupy your mind. Our editors know how difficult it can be to pick the right gift sometimes. Since everyone can use a little help to think outside the box, this is NOMADSofORIGIN's ultimate guide to Christmas shopping for travel lovers. With everything that happened this year our team believes that it is more crucial than ever to support small and independent businesses. Even though travelling has become strickter, there are great ideas of things you can get for those who can't wait to plan their next adventures once the world is safe to explore again.
Join us in supporting cool and independent businesses by getting some thoughtful gifts that will make every traveller happy this Christmas and encourage them to keep exploring the world all year long.
Will&Bear Hats
Who doesn't want a stylish hat that makes them look the part as well as feel like the traveller they are?! Will&Bear are the brand you should keep on your radar this Christmas season. Each collection is personalised, unique and has that traveller-chic feel to it. If this isn't enough to get you to head to their online shop, the fact that the business is on a mission to positively impact the environment will. For each hat anyone buys, Will&Bear plants 10 trees. Learn more about their initiative from our interview with the founders of the brand and get inspiration to pick out the right hat from browsing their online shop.
Coffee Table Books
The thing about coffee table books is that they not only inspire but also educate their readers. There is always something new you can learn from them and get motivated to tick more countries off your bucket list. We strongly believe that it is important to travel across destinations in a conscious manner and be respectful of the local culture. From the comfort of their own home, readers can learn about different cuisines from travellers' cookbooks, admire portraits that capture the essence of nations as shown in The Atlas of Beauty or discover top-notch photography that revolves around the customs of native tribes around the world in books such as Jimmy Nelson's work.
Traveller Collective
Every traveller can use charms either to trace places they have been to or to map out destinations they plan to visit. Traveller Collective have made this not only possible but also stylish. The aesthetical rings are easy to carry around wherever your adventures take you and with each place you visit, you can add another ring to your collection. With this thoughtful gift instead of keeping track of your travels only from photographs on your Instagram page, you can also carry a reminder of them in your pocket. Head to Traveller Collective's online shop and choose your charms.
Travel Guide Books
A pocket travel guide is always a handy thing to own. Travellers can easy flick through the pages to learn more about the place they plan to explore. Most guides are designed in a cool and simplistic way to fit the style of every nomad. From phrasebooks to city and continent guides, there is a little something for everyone.
Instax or Digital Camera
A picture is worth a thousand words and it has never been as fun to document your travels than it is with an instant camera. The Instax cameras are compact and easy to pack so you can take them with you everywhere you head to. Every traveller needs one so this suggestion is a no brainer. Alternativelly, depending on your budget, you can pick a different style or a more expensive camera. This gift is also one that keeps on giving as the traveller in your life will be albe to make memories with their loved ones and keep the pictures in their travel archives.
Sunglasses
Everybody needs a cool pair of sunglasses to accompany them on their travells to sunny and even snowy destinations. If you have a bigger budget, explore this as an option. Even though RayBan naturally comes to mind, there are many independent brands to consider and you can easily look up the local businesses around you to pick the brand you like best.
Bold Tuesday
A trendy world map that keeps track of your adventures around the world - yes, please! Bold Tuesday is a pro when it comes to designing cool maps of continents and countries that are both stylish and allow you to interract with them to mark your travels. From peeling off the countries you have visited to colouring the states you have travelled to and tracking all the capital cities you have ever headed to, Bold Tuesday adds a whole new dimension to your adventures and turn into the perfect gift for travel enthusiasts.
Water Bottle
With the current global warming rates we all need to make smarter everyday decidions to positively impact the environment. Plastic polution is one of the biggest modern-day problems we face. There are easy things to do like switching from single use plastic bottles to permanent water bottles. Various brands allow you to choose from bottles that keep your water cold or warm. In addition, they often have cool designs and multifunctions allowing you to freshen up your H2O with healthy fruits. Apart from stylysh, water bottles are also practical and easy to carry around whether you are a backpacker or a luxury traveller.
Douchebags
Travelling with style has never been easier than it is with the backpacks from Douchebags. The founders of the Scandinavian company are fashion wizards who specialise in making your packing as comfortable and stress-free as possible. The award-winning travel gear is designed for the modern nomads that have a lust for exploring new places and always being on the go. The brand is a favourite one of travellers from all over the world. Browse their online shop and find the most unique Christmas present for your sister, brother, other half and everyone else on your list.
Travel Magazine
Last, but not least, a subscription to a travel magazine is the perfect way to start off the festive season for someone you love. From copies of NOMADSofORIGIN Magazine to Cereal Magazine, Suitcase Magazine, Water Journal and Kinfolk, there are many possibilities that combine art, travel, culture and design all brought to you through the work of journalist, travel gurus and expert photographers. A perfect excuse to explore tucked-away destinations and lesser known places, a travel magazine will inevitably spark your sense of adventure.
RELATED STORIES
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.
SOCIAL
© NOMADSofORIGIN Magazine 2023. All rights reserved.