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.
THE POWER OF PLANTS
Plants are beautiful to look at, but they are so much more than just a decoration. We take a look at the benefits that plants have to show you why you should surround yourself with them
Words: Emily Georgieva
Photography: Emma Valerio, Annie Spratt
24 March 2020
When I was a kid, we had loads of plants around the house. My mum made sure that there is at least one, if not more in every room. She would spray them with water and take care of the leaves that were going dry so that new ones can show up on their place. Each room had its own charm because of the plats we had there.
I remember this huge palm tree that lived in the corner of the living room. This was the plant everybody noticed and talked about whenever they came to visit because it was majestic. It was very thin and looked like it didn't have much strength going for it, but each month it would birth more leaves which would reach all the way to the ceiling. It was a beautiful, exotic thing to look at and although it didn't take centre stage in the room, it always used to be the crowd-pleaser. My mum used to tell me that plants are like every living thing; they needed attention and care to grow stronger. I remember my grandmother used to sing when she was around them and be extra careful not to touch them too much so she wouldn't hurt them.
It is an undeniable truth that plants bring more life to a place. They add character to a room and generally make it a better place to be at. We explore why getting a new plant is always a good idea, what difference they make in your mood and what kinds of flowers are the best ones to have around.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT
Plants make people feel uplifted. This is a simple truth as they bring more life to a room. Having any type of plant around on your desk or workspace will improve your quality of work because it increases your level of productivity and makes you more creative. This is known as the subliminal effect of plants, meaning that they make you happier. Stress-related depression is also known to decrease if people have flowers around them. The Exeter University released a study, which showed that indoor plants increase productivity levels by 47%.
Although plants can't feel loneliness, they are generally aware of other living things around the such as more plants, so it is always a great idea to have more than one potted plant in a room. It has been noticed that bringing flowers to hospital recovery rooms also has a great impact on patients. People who physically interact with plants have required less recovery time than those who didn't do the same. This can be explained with the effects of ornamental horticulture and the science that flowers typically make people feel happier and healthier. The Journal of Physiological Anthropology released a study that supports the evidence that interacting with plants reduces psychological and physiological stress. Their soil contains outdoorphins, which are known to have the power of natural antidepressants. The activity of the heart is would also ease and improve considering you spend some time around plants according to an article published by The Conversation.
Being in touch with nature is also good for our immune system. In the past the majority of people lived in houses or lower flats, which meant that they were in direct contact with nearby parks and green areas than most of us are now. Kids grew up running on soil and bare grass and as a result they developed a strong immune system since they were continuously exposed to different kinds of bacteria. We need to have a diverse bacteria in out microbiota in order for our bodies to be strong enough to fight diseases and flues of different kind. People who live higher off from soil, trees and land in places like urban areas with high-rise apartments are exposed to more air pollution and heat stress.
The air contains different toxins such as carbon monoxide and mold which cause irritations. Plants, however, can work as a natural filter. They clean the air from the fine particles and make it clearer so that it is easier to breathe. According to NASA, there are plants that you can pick for a space that will absorb all the pollutants completely like the Peace Lily for example.
WHAT TYPES OF PLANTS TO CHOOSE
You can choose different kind of plants for your home and for your work space. This is the fun of it. Mix and match and see what types of plants you enjoy having around you the most. The amount of time and care will vary according to the types of plants you choose so it will be a cool process learning how to bond to them.
To keep your plants happy, you need to make sure you keep replanting them in bigger pots after having them for a while to give them more space to grow and get bigger. Make sure you keep learning more tips about what you can do to plants individually to give them the best that they deserve.
Basically, plants are cool so go buy yourself some new ones to add to your greenery at home. Get a little cactus one for the living room and even pineapples to arrange in the fruit bow in the kitchen! Here are suggestions of some of the best plants you can grow indoors.
Aloe Vera
Spider Plant
Bamboo Plant
Orchids
Philodendron
Rubber Tree
Peace Lily
The Snake Plant
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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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