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.
MASSERIA MOROSETA
Exclusive interview on the Italian guest house, where you will wish to spend your whole summer – as part of NOMADSofORIGIN’s first print issue, the LAND issue
“A soul made up of tradition… Wrapped up by a glorious landscape”...
...this is what you’ll find if you step into the embrace of Masseria Moroseta. The modern guesthouse is designed with simplicity, yet impeccable taste for an opportunity to experience a stay like no other. If you are wondering what the inspiration behind the house was, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that it was Italy itself. In many ways, the guesthouse represents the country. It is elegant, gorgeous and means something special to each guest. When the idea for the guesthouse was born, the land where the house now stands on was just another place where the sun was shining brightly throughout the long summer months and the winds of the winter were scattering the sea breeze above the olive groves. Then a man and his passion to connect people to one another, the nature of Italy and the land turned a dream into a house that feels like a glimpse of paradise on Earth.
Carlo Lanzini had a very clear vision of how he wanted the house to be designed. He wanted to create a space that reflects the region that it was going to be surrounded by. This meant that he intended to use the means of the surrounding to the best of his abilities and incorporate that into the functionality of the house. Located close to ‘The White City’, Ostuni, famous for its wine and olive oil produce, the guesthouse is in close distance to the mesmerizing local coastline and some of the most beautiful beaches of Puglia. The house itself stands midst five hectares of olive groves. Carlo wanted to build a house that looks peaceful among them, a place that looks almost as if it hadn’t been built by people but was rather constructed by nature itself. The concept was clear – a space designed for likely-minded individuals, who could experience the charm of Italy, enjoy their private corner of the house and connect the rest of the guests whenever they wanted to.
The idea was there, now it needed to turn it into reality. When Carlo met Andrew Trotter, he knew he had found the right guy for the job. Andrew had spent four years studying architecture in Australia between 1990 and 1994. Upon finishing his education, he returned to the United Kingdom and spent some years working in London and other places across Europe getting involved in the design and fashion industry. He had worked for Alessi and Russell Jones, as well as Michiko Koshino and Bless to name a few. When he was given the Masseria Moroseta project he had the opportunity to put his creativity into crafting something that in a way reflects a whole culture.
Andrew understood Carlo’s vision and wanted to get involved in the project. Over the course of three years, he perfected every little detail so that the finished result could fit the version that Carlo had in mind. He wanted to make sure that the house reflected the Pugliese traditions and continued the Italian culture in an authentic, but at the same time unique way. Both, Carlo and Andrew wanted to use only local materials to create a modern building with simplistic architecture and a minimalistic feel. When the final touches were done, the guesthouse was exactly what both of them had been planning.
The materials used to build the house are local to cut down the costs of transportation. Every detail of the house was carefully considered, taking care of how it would influence the environment. Nature plays a vital role in the functionality of Masseria Moroseta. The walls of the façade were recycled from the land. The one-meter-thick walls are made with eco-friendly installation. Apart from the energy saving installation, the owners fit solar power panels within the rooms and communal spaces for a positive environmental impact and natural energy sourcing. The recycle installation helps maintain the indoor temperature. This means that the air conditioning is rarely used in the summer months while during colder periods, the house manages to stay naturally warm. The water in the house is also supplied locally from the organic farm surrounding the land.
The house is designed to fit the needs of modern-day travellers. Depending on why you have chosen to visit Italy, in Masseria Moroseta you will probably find just the room you were looking for. The walls and cooling stone floors match the shades of the linen bedding. The bigger rooms have a capacity to fit three adults and children so that families, travelling with children, can still enjoy a stay in the relaxing atmosphere of the guest house. Each room is equipped with a king-size bed and a private shower. For comfort and privacy, there is a double shower in the bigger rooms and additional floor space as well so that you can fit everything you’ve brought with you and make the room feel like home. Suite 3 and 4 are the biggest ones, 45 square meters long, furnished with sofas for ultimate comfort.
From the moment you arrive to the second you leave, the house will be everything you were hoping to find in Italy. As you head to the main entrance, you wouldn’t necessarily know what to expect. The exterior doesn’t give much clues about what the interior looks like, but once inside, you will need a moment to take the view in. There are six bedrooms in total – three rooms on each side of the courtyard. Half of the rooms have private terraces that overlook the green fields, while a stay in the rest of the rooms means that you can enjoy your morning coffee at your very own private garden. You can either let the staircase lead you to the rooftop, or you can head to the living room where the window walls reveal the olive trees in the short distance and the view of the sea shining in the horizon. The salon and the veranda were designed as common spaces for all guests to enjoy. Both share an incredible view of the seaside and the coastlines of the Puglia area. Like the rest of the house, the design revolves around simple tones while leaving a sense of elegant and minimalism.
‘‘A modern country house, an elegant yet familiar environment a place created for those seeking a peaceful atmosphere between nature, good food and beauty.’’
Masseria Moroseta's team for NOMADSofORIGIN Magazine
Masseria Moroseta was built in the embrace of five hectares of olive groves, surrounded by a blossoming tree garden. Guests will find themselves in the company of magnificent trees, some of which have been growing for over 500 years. The outside gardens and even the olive groves that seem to last for miles, match one another in perfect harmony and complete the house.
Cooking is taken seriously at Masseria Moroseta. The hosts use either homegrown food, or shop from local markets, farmers and producers. Contemporary recipes have been gathered from around the world, enriched with Apulian agricultural traditions and brought to your table. Chefs prepare their very own extra virgin olive oil, called ‘Vecchia scuola’ from the olive groves nearby to grace the dishes with a fruitful, true Italian taste. The fresh organic herbs and the sustainably grown ingredients construct the consistent taste of every meal. Just thinking that your food comes from the house’s backyard makes it taste so much more incredible.
During your stay, you can take a cooking class and learn how to prepare meals like the locals. The chefs will show you how to make the most out of the local ingredients so you can always carry a piece of Italy with you and share its charm with your friends and family back home. There is a selection of yoga classes and even wellness corner so that you can stay in shape.
The house is open for bookings all-year-round so hurry up – check out the room types and give them a call. It is our recommendation for a stay that will make you feel like you have connected to nature, the culture of Italy and mostly be able to befriend some of the locals. If you are looking for an authentic experience under the warm Ostuni sun and want to travel consciously contributing to the environment, the Masseria Moroseta should be the next stop on your list. Connect to the guest house and the team behind it online. Follow their Instagram and Facebook page for regular updates.
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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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