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.
I LOVE LINEN - THE INDEPENDENT AUSTRALIAN HOME-FEEL LABEL
Discover the Australian brand dedicated to making homes around the world cosy. We chatted to Lauren Roe, founder of I Love Linen, to learn how she combines travel wanderlust with her love for being at home and how she gathers inspiration for her designs
It all started with a trip to France. Lauren Roe was on a vacation when an idea occurred to her. She was inspired by the comfort of the boutique hotels she was staying at to create the same effortless luxurious feel in her own home. This is how, in 2012, Lauren founded her own independent business that creates products dedicated to making homes more beautiful. I Love Linen continued to expand over the years until it became the best Australian online shop for all things home related.
Lauren wasn't exactly new to the craft. Growing up, her family worked as retailers and Lauren had always been interested in the industry. Over time she perfected her knowledge of quality sheets and thread count passed down from her family. When she finally founded her own company, the aim was to deliver the best high-quality luxury range of French linen bedding. Since 2012 the brand expanded as Lauren was constantly adding more to I Love Linen. Today, the company's range of products vary from bedroom to dining accessories, bathroom essentials and even lounge wear.
Although the concept was born from the love of French linen, the team behind the brand finds inspiration from their travels anywhere around the world. Lauren loves to stay in cosy little villas and independent guesthouses where she can interact with other individuals who have dedicated their business to bringing homely feel to travellers on their journeys. To keep the designs authentic and stylish, matching your home perfectly, the team always turns to the Australian roots of I Love Linen.
‘‘The style of the brand is a reflection of my personal tastes, and they have changed and expanded over the years. I now live in an area of much natural beauty and am inspired by earthy tones.’’
Lauren Roe, Founder & Creative Director of I Love Linen
for NOMADSofORIGIN Magazine
Each collection that I Love Linen releases, whether it is bedding or clothing, has a feel of sophistication. Choosing between the different colours can be daunting at first as they all look impeccable. Yet, once you decide on one, browsing the rest of the collections to complete the feel of your home becomes effortless. The Organic Bamboo products are a must have and will make an incredible difference to your home, adding a touch of tropical goodness. The Luxury Cotton is a great choice for making your bedroom feel like you're sleeping on clouds, whereas the Pure French Linen collections will give you the feeling of a luxurious stay at a boutique hotel each time you go to bed.
Lauren and her team are on a mission to do their ancestors proud by keeping the tradition of artisan woven textiles alive. The products of each I Love Linen collection are crafted with attention to detail, high-quality materials and the feeling of homeliness in mind to bring beautifully made goods to your home. Stylish, breathable and soft, the cover sets, and sheets are also created to suit people with allergies, who are intolerant to chemicals and dyes.
The team behind I Love Linen are passionate and dedicated professionals, who make homes better everywhere around the globe. Every traveller, who has gone a great distance during their adventures, knows that there is no place like home. Making your house cosy with the I Love Linen products is not only an investment you'll be grateful you've made, but it will also support an independent business on their journey to bringing a global feeling of top-notch comfort to your doorstep.
We talked to Lauren about I Love Linen and her forward-thinking entrepreneur approach. We were moved by the way she manages to balance her wanderlust with her love for staying at home and her search for the homeliness feel when travelling around the world.
NOMADSofORIGIN: We love your philosophy of concentrating on finding the balance for a perfect night’s sleep each night. Your bed is your kingdom and making it special is a must. Why did you choose high-quality French linen to be the material you use?
Lauren: Linen is one of the oldest fibres we have been working with since the dawn of textiles. It has both an artisanal quality and a heritage that is hard to compete with. Linen also looks beautiful when it is draped across your bed, all of the crumpled textures are what makes it so special to work with. When we first started selling our range it was not so well known in Australia but now it is so popular.
NOMADSofORIGIN: Your designs are simple, yet sophisticated. We know it is important for you to pay attention to every detail so that people can love your products for years after they’ve purchased them. Where do you get inspiration for the style of the products and why is it so important for you to give each customer a personalised shopping experience?
Lauren: The style of the brand is a reflection of my personal tastes, and they have changed and expanded over the years. I now live in an area of much natural beauty and am inspired by earthy tones. Also being able to travel the world has been a source of inspiration. Although right now as I write this the world is gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic so travel may be focused on my local areas, so who knows what influence that may have on future colour stories. As much as possible we also have to try to give each customer a way to personally interpret the colour range we produce and find a way to make it their own. We might be an online company but we work hard to feel like a local boutique.
NOMADSofORIGIN: From loungewear to home décor and dining accessories, your products vary in their practicality and purpose. What was the reason you decided to expand beyond creating linen products strictly for bedding?
Lauren: It was because I wanted more linen products in my own home, so I naturally started to create a collection that reflected my personal tastes. All of our collections have been very well received, and I love it when we hear from customers who sleep in the linen, wear the linen, dine with it and even bathe with it too!
NOMADSofORIGIN: I Love Linen has expanded quite a lot since you founded the brand. Can you share what we can expect from you in the future?
Lauren: For the past several years we have designed our own custom colours, and will continue to work on bespoke shades. I also am excited to expand our signature clothing range, it’s an exciting project to work on as a designer.
NOMADSofORIGIN: What are your all-time favourite I Love Linen products?
Lauren: I love slipping into a bed made with beautiful textured French linens, naturally! I also find I use our market tote bags as my go to hand bag as it’s the perfect size for going to the office in and fitting my laptop in too. And I also love the linen bean bags I designed, you will often find me at home lounging in that reading a book with a glass of wine!
NOMADSofORIGIN: The idea for the brand came after you travelled to France and got inspired to find a way and bring that elegant linen feel of the boutique hotels into your own home. What other destinations have become an inspiration for the brand over the years?
Lauren: I have travelled extensively around the world, naturally France is a source of style for me always. We also are inspired by the colours and textures in the Mediterranean area, even last year we did a photoshoot of our new linen designs in Santorini which was a highlight for me!
NOMADSofORIGIN: What are your favourite home décor designers?
Lauren: I would like to say I adore Sarah Ellison, who is a friend of mine and also has designed some incredible furniture collections. If you have not seen her work you must check her out immediately!
Photography: Aura House
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NOMADSofORIGIN x I Love Linen
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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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