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.
DESTINATION CALLING:
SAN CLEMENTE, USA
We visit “the Spanish Village by the Sea” to bring you a piece of this Californian paradise
Words: Emily Georgieva
Photography: Jessi Pena
07 November 2019
If you’ve got that Orange County lust, then visiting San Clemente is a must for you. Located halfway between San Diego and Los Angelis, this charming town combines the best of both locations – it is chilled, stunning and sunny nearly all-year round. What more can you ask for!
San Clemente is more than just a postcard-like place where you can take cool photos for your social media’s feed. It combines different traces of nature to shine some light on what impeccable taste Mother Nature has. Known for the mountains, the hills and the ocean views, this city is heavily influenced by the Spanish movement so being there will give you a distant feel of the sunny part of Europe. The architecture, which was inspired by the Spanish colonial style does bring an extra something to the place. The facades of the buildings seem to compliment the nature surrounding them. If you take a casual walk down the sidewalks and pay attention to the houses on the little hills and the ocean spilling graciously behind them, you might feel a sort of sweet nostalgia.
The city gets its name based on its purpose. It was founded by Ole Hanson in 1925. Ole wanted to build a space for real-estate development and found the perfect spot for the purpose. He named the city after the San Clemente Island, which in its turn had previously received its name from the Spanish explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno.
San Clemente is cool in a modern and very Orange County sense of the word. Although the cost of living is a bit more expensive compared to other places in the nearby area, San Clemente definitely defends its reputation. You can pick between exploring the nature by hiking, climbing or visiting some of the national reserves. If you are after a relaxing visit, make sure to spend a day at the beach in a true Californian style or get to know the area better by walking to the famous 1296ft-long San Clemente Pier, which has become something of a symbol of the place.
The hot weather and the deep turquoise water are enough to make any sun-chaser pack their bags and go under-the-radar at this Californian paradise. However, there is something we cannot help but recommend doing whilst there. You guessed it, it’s surfing! If there is one thing that you must try to do while exploring San Clemente is to grab a surfboard and try to catch up with the dance of the ocean’s waves. It is not without a reason that the city is a famous surfing spot. It goes without saying that there are plenty of spots to practice your skills. If you live for that surf break life, then the protected San Onofre State Beach is the place to start. This world-renowned place will have you come back for more surf experiences and even if you aren’t a big fan of catching the waves, chances are you will join the community after visiting this trendy ocean spot.
Standing its ground as a one of the coolest surf places, San Clemente is also the home of many surf legends. There surfing is a culture, a lifestyle, a mantra. You will have the opportunity to learn so much about where surfing originates from and how it became so important for the locals if you make your way to the Surfing Heritage & Culture Center. The Centre explores surfing through generations to see how it changes people’s life and how locals and tourists surf enthusiasts alike share their passion for riding the waves. You will have access to the archives where you can find over 100,000 photos tracing back the history of surfing back to its roots by following the stories of some of the greatest surfers in the world.
San Clemente is a vivid place with an attitude. Travellers can find a sunny piece of California dreaming there. Visit it if you want to surf in the spots where surf legends made their names or if you are simply looking for a restaurant by the ocean to get you in a tropical mood.
Here is our recommendation of how to make the most out of a day in the city:
I. Camp at the beach by hiring one of the cabanas in the morning.
II. Explore the trendy coffee shops during the afternoon.
III. Grab a chilled glass of rose wine as the sun sets down in a restaurant overlooking the ocean.
Does San Clemente sound like a paradise spot to you already? Let us know what your favourite thing to do at San Clemente is by emailing us at editorial@readorigin.co.uk.
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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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