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.
WELLCOME TO OJAI, CALIFORNIA
From camping among oak tree woods to hiking and swimming under waterfalls, Ojai is the perfect relaxation destination for your next holiday. Indulge into spiritual retreats and organic agriculture at the city Native Americans called ‘moon’
Words: Aleksandra Georgieva
Photography: Adrianna Van Groningen, Taylor Simpson
02 April 2020
Organic farmers, spa lovers, spiritual seekers and artists sink into the diversity found in Ojai, California. This destination is found in the Ojai Valley – east of Santa Barbara and northwest of Los Angeles. The area is surrounded my mountain hills and divided into an upper and lower valley, each about 10 miles (16 km) long and 3 miles (5 km) wide.
As a tourist spot, Ojai (‘OH-hi’) is known for hiking and recreation opportunities, spiritual and spa retreats, boutique hotels alongside local organic agriculture and farmers’ markets. The town is kept unique by local and small businesses only – the government has prohibited the opening of chains. The people in Ojai put a strong emphasis on keeping everything local, organic and preserving nature.
Ojai is incredibly spirituality-focused region. The city’s self-styled nickname "Shangri-La" reflects the importance of the natural environment and health sanctuary. The unusual name Ojai was given to the region by the Chumash people – Native Americans who inhabited central and southern coastal areas of California – from Morro Bay in the north to Malibu in the south and the Channel Islands.
Since Chumash Indians were the early settlers in the Ojai Valley they gave the region its name derived from the Ventureño Chumash word ʼawha'y meaning ‘moon’.
DID YOU KNOW: On July 8, 1999, former Apollo astronaut Pete Conrad, one of the twelve men who walked on the moon, died of injuries suffered from a motorcycle accident in Ojai.
CURIOUS FACT: Ojai is one of two cities in California to allow retail sales of marijuana under legalisation of the sale and distribution of cannabis in the county. State laws prohibit companies from selling cannabis, yet allows the personal use for adults.
Ojai is situated situated approximately 15 miles (24 km) inland from the Pacific Ocean, around 745 feet (227 m) above sea level. The mountainous landscape in the area is dominant. North of the Ojai Valley is the Santa Ynez Mountains overlooking Sulphur Mountain and the lower Black Mountain in the south. At the west side of the valley you’ll find the Coyote, Matilija and Santa Ana creeks draining into the Ventura River that reaches the Pacific Ocean at the city of Ventura. The east side of the Upper Ojai Valley is drained by the Sisar and Santa Paula creeks, flowing into the Santa Clara River at Santa Paula.
The Mediterranean climate in Ojai offers hot summers so make sure to pack light. The lovers of the outdoors can indulge into the forests heavily dense with oak trees and well-preserved nature. The culture in Ojai revolves around ecology, organic agriculture and health. Visitors can go hiking, benefit from local art and music as well as visit a classic car and motorcycle weekend exhibit. Matilija Creek offers opportunities for backpacking and swimming under waterfalls. Lake Casitas Recreation Area may prohibit swimming, but it compensates with a variety of activities from visiting a water park, to fishing, hiking, boating, picnicking and camping.
Each year Ojai brings together professional actors and writers from across the country, attending the two-week playwright festival known as the Ojai Playwrights Conference. The Ojai Music Festival is another annual event founded in 1974. This festival of performances sees some of the world’s top composers and musicians, from Aaron Copland to Igor Stravinsky. In early June over 3,000 wine lovers gather at Lake Casitas to sample products of over 30 wineries, as the proceedings of Ojai Wine Festival go to charity.
The city has its own media, kept alive by the community for decades. There is a weekly newspaper the Ojai Valley News, The Ojai Valley Guide and the Ojai Quarterly magazine, published every three months.
If you are a lover of nature, organic food and a truly spiritual holiday, book your visit to Ojai. The tourist destination spoils nature lovers with opportunities to hike, camp, fish and even swim under waterfalls. The valleys are surrounded by oak tree rich mountain hills offering scenic views and the quiet of a place tightly intertwined with nature. Locals preserve the ecological way of coexisting with nature inherited by the Chumash Indians. Ojai is among the tourist places that offer complete detach from the fuss of the big cities and guaranteed spiritual recharge.
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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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