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.
5 BEST PLACES TO SEE A VOLCANO ERUPT
If you have not yet heard of volcanic tourism, here are the best places to safely experience the fascinating power of volcanic eruption in person
Words: Aleksandra Georgieva
Photography: Asa Rodger, Piermanuele Sberni
23 October 2019
About 1,500 active volcanoes exist worldwide. Most of them are found at the meeting point of tectonic plates as volcanoes remain the natural phenomena that perhaps reminds us best that Earth is alive. If you’re planning a visit to any active volcanoes, be mindful of the local culture as some peaks are sacred to the native population. Others are overwhelmingly dynamic, so be sure to track the volcanic activity and to follow the local rules.
Volcanic tourism is an exciting experience and often an unpredictable force of nature. To avoid dangers travellers must always follow the rules and warnings of authorities and stay safe. Remember that when it comes to volcanic eruptions not all dangers are visible. Volcanic hazards include unstable ground and toxic gasses release. Make sure to book a trip with registered tour guides and avoid the plane tours that disregard the authorities’ rules to make profit.
If you follow the rules and avoid dangers, volcanic tourism can take you to very dynamic destinations. These are some of the most popular locations to witness a volcanic eruption.
1. Italy is the home of some of the most visited volcanoes in the world including Mount Etna and Mount Vesuvius. NOMADSofORIGIN Magazine shines light on the 924m Mount Stromboli, located north of Sicily on an island known as the “lighthouse of the Mediterranean”. A three-hour guided tour leads travellers to the peak where they are greeted with frequent mild eruptions illuminating the sky. We recommend going at sunset and making a stop at the safe platform that allows a peek down at the bursting lava fountain.
2. Costa Rica is a country with vivid natural beauty, where the Arenal volcano attracts the interest of many travellers. The explosive cone is located at a three-hour car ride from the capital, San José, and its aesthetics are often compared to the globally renowned Mount Fuji. Arenal was dormant volcano for centuries until it erupted unexpectedly in 1968 bringing devastating destruction to the small town of Tabacón. Today guided tours lead visitors through trail tracks, across the lava fields from past eruptions. The diverse rain forests are filled with exotic flora and fauna, waterfalls and hot springs.
3. Japan easily comes to mind when thinking of volcanic tourism. Around 60 miles from Tokyo visitors find the iconic, 12,388 feet tall Mount Fuji. The fascinatingly symmetrical stratovolcano has been dormant since its 1707 eruption. UNESCO proclaimed it a World Heritage site describing it as a “sacred place and source of artistic inspiration”. Alternatives to Fuji are the Sakurajima volcano or Mount Aso, accessible through a designated road and via cable cars. Mount Aso is an active volcano with one of the largest calderas in the world, visited by tourists from all corners of the world every year.
4. New Zealand is where travellers find another easily accessible volcano in the Bay of Plenty. Whakaari (White Island) is active but a bit more stable and safer to visit. It has been heavily monitored since its last eruption in 2013 and proclaimed as ‘restless’. The gaps in its crater walls allow travellers to visit straight inside the volcano without doing any climbing. It rises to 321m but measured from its submarine base the number peaks to 1,600m above the sea floor. Whakaari offers tourists views of hot rocks and springs, bubbling mud, acid pool and steaming fumaroles.
5. Iceland hosts 30 active volcanoes and intense volcanic tourism despite the warnings of authorities. The largest recent event that sparked global interest was the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption. This volcano has an area of over 100 km² completely covered by an ice cap and has been frequently erupting since the last glacial period. Iceland is where a third of the global lava output occurs. Other notable volcanoes on the island include Bárðarbunga, Hekla, Grímsvötn, Krafla and more.
NOMADSofORIGIN Magazine urges volcanic tourists to prioritise safety. Whichever volcanic site on Earth you may choose to visit, follow the rules, respect the locals’ sacred beliefs and remember to take a moment to admire. Seeing volcanoes up close tends to be an overwhelming experience so take your time to just be present in the moment and take your time to let the sight sink in.
RELATED STORIES
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.
SOCIAL
© NOMADSofORIGIN Magazine 2023. All rights reserved.