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.
CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF NEW ORLEANS' CUISINE
We take you around New Orleans, exploring the multicultural heritage of the local cuisine. Come with us on a quest to finding the best mix of varied culinary traditions, fresh seafood and just the right seasoning to spice up every dish
Words: Aleksandra Georgieva
Photography: Shuttersnap, Jennifer Pallian
2020
Spread along the Mississippi River in south eastern US, lays the economic and commercial hub of the entire Gulf Coast region. Globally known for its unique music, annual festive celebrations and distinct dialect, New Orleans remains the heart of the Creole and seafood cuisine. We take you for a spin around the colourful, cross-cultural food of the people of New Orleans.
The indigenous cuisine of the consolidated city-parish is world-famous for its distinctive and influential origin. Local ingredients combine a wide variety of Spanish, French, African, Italian, Cajun, Chinese, Native American and even a hint of Cuban traditional cuisine. The flavour of New Orleans remains unique and therefore easily recognisable. For difficulty of replicating the notable local taste, tourists from all corners of the globe visit the destination, ranked among the ten of "America's Favorite Cities" in 2009 by Travel+Leisure.
The seafood is so popular in New Orleans beyond the city’s influence of complex heritage, and cultural variety. The destination’s location allows locals easy access to fresh seafood. New Orleans stands where the Mississippi River flows into the Gulf of Mexico. This means that the locals in the area benefit from both freshwater and saltwater fish and shellfish.
Founded in 1718 by French colonists, to this day New Orleans remains notably cross-cultural. The city’s multilingual heritage and various cultural influences layered a unique cuisine, consisting of some of the most distinctively recognised regional dishes in the whole of the United States. While some of the cuisine originates from New Orleans, certain dishes have made their way in the kitchen of locals due to popularity in the surrounding areas of the Mississippi River Delta.
New Orleans specialties include beignets (square-shaped fried dough served with café au lait), Italian muffuletta sandwiches, Creole dishes such as gumbo and jambalaya, the traditional red beans and rice, and the local praline (a candy made with brown sugar and peacans). One of the biggest influence to the city’s varied cuisine is seafood. Gulf oysters served fried or on the half-shell are one of the most popular dishes among locals, alongside boiled crawfish and many others.
The prominence of the seafood cuisine in New Orleans meets the complexity of Creole dishes, cooked with unique techniques and local ingredients. Preparation of the complex sauces that grace the dining tables in the city often feature celery, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and okra. Alongside Creole dishes and soul food, New Orleans’ seafood specialties are also heavily influenced by Cajun cuisine. Partly based on the French’ taste, Cajun dishes are hearty, complex in flavour, yet easy to prepare. The use of spices is overthrown by rich seasoning including garlic and hot peppers, which complement the commonly used shellfish.
New Orleans is one of the few places on Earth with such rich cuisine, mixing the traditional dishes of a variety of nations with the local seafood dominance, and Cajun preparation techniques. Saltwater and freshwater seafood is always available where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico. Culinary techniques are passed down the generations, origination from a variety of cultures that mix in fine balance. Multicultural heritage and hearty dishes create one of the world’s most unique and delicious cuisine people create.
New Orleans, culinary mix is a proof that people are capable of creating pure masterpieces, culinary or not, if only they come together gathering inspiration from one another’s heritage. Where various cultures blend into one, cherishing the influence of the past alongside the gifts of local ingredients creates dishes one can only try locally. It is no wonder so many travellers head to this culinary bucket list destination and indulge in all the culinary wonders locals continue to create.
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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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