Aboriginal Spirituality

This week I read Aboriginal Spirituality in a New Age by Peter Sutton. Sutton discusses the influence of Christianity and new age practices in Aboriginal culture. Sutton found that Aboriginal people are able to combine Christian and indigenous faith perspectives and beliefs simultaneously (2010: 71).   Sutton studied the Wik indigenous people of the Cape York Peninsula and found that it was common for them to integrate their two religious beliefs. Sutton found that when the two traditions and beliefs merged the indigenous community where able to merge the two beliefs resulting in a dual cosmology (2010: p.72).  

According to Sutton in the 1980’s there began reports that Indigenous culture had been strongly influenced by new age practices from around the world (2010: p.74). Popular theorist of the time argued that Aboriginal people had been influenced by new age practices and incorporated it into their Aboriginal spirituality.  According to Sutton new age concepts date back to the early twentieth century and includes the occult, spirituality, natural therapies and even dolphins. 

Sutton argues that whilst there are some very vague similarities between some of the new age concepts overall Aboriginal spirituality and New age thought are unable to coexist. Importantly aboriginal spirituality was only available to those within the close nit community whereas new ageism is created for an open society (2010: p.86).  Finally Sutton argues that it is highly unlikely that indigenous people from a classical indigenous spirituality would be influenced by new age concepts (2010: p.87).  

References:

Sutton, P. 2010, Aboriginal Spirituality in A New Age, The Australian Journal of Anthropology, Vol21, p.71-89.  

Images:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aboriginal_holllow_log_tombs.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_age_dolphin_rainbow.svg