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.
SALTY AURA - QUALITY AESTHETIC TRAVEL ESSENTIALS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Introducing Salty Aura - the Aztec cotton rugs that accompany travellers on their adventures while saving marine life and reducing plastic pollution. In a conversation with co-founder, Jade Collins, we talk about sustainability, travel recommendations, product aesthetics and the inspiration behind the boho designs
Travelling the world is in our blood and so is our admiration for brands that share the same love for adventure, while cherishing sustainability. We introduce to you Salty Aura - the brand that creates aesthetic boho and Aztec cotton rugs. Free of plastic, these practical and eye-pleasing products make a positive difference in the world while accompanying you on your adventures. The brand donates proceedings of every sale to non-profits that support their mission of reducing plastic and saving marine life.
Founders Jake and Jade are a young couple from Adelaide, South Australia, on a mission to inspire travellers to explore more of our great big world and give back to it. Designed for adventurous travels, the aesthetic Salty Aura rugs are not just a home décor. Jake and Jade take them everywhere from grass-covered picnic fields to tropical sandy coastlines.
After a trip to Bali the couple encountered the devastating effect of plastic pollution in our oceans. This was what inspired their cause of giving ten per cent of the profit to preserving marine life and reducing plastic waste, which is estimated to out weight the fish in the world oceans by 2050.
Salty Aura also actively encourages travel nomads to donate to Take 3’s mission of reducing the global plastic pollution. In a conversation with the brand’s co-founder, Jade Collins, we explore the inspiration behind the aesthetic designs, the brand’s sustainable approach and tips for how we can give back to the world. Learn about Jade and Jake’s travel adventures, destination recommendations, favourite Salty Aura rug and the couple’s dedication to marine preservation.
‘‘We absolutely love going on road trips, sleeping under the stars and being amongst nature. It’s also a sustainable way of travelling, since everything we need is in our camper van and we are very slow travellers.’’
Jade Collins, co-founder of Salty Aura for NOMADSofORIGIN Magazine
NOMADSofORIGIN: Salty Aura offers a variety of products and no two share a similar pattern. How do you remain inspire to create such different designs?
Jade: We remain inspired by keeping a creative mind through travelling and experiencing new places and cultures. Every day we are surrounded by nature, so prefer to create designs that complement the environment but also stand out.
NOMADSofORIGIN: You got inspired to create the brand on a trip to Bali. What are your favourite travel destinations?
Jade: We absolutely loved that trip to Bali, and spent 10 days exploring the Nusa Islands with a group of friends. We also love the Philippines, and have spent 2 months travelling through Siargao, Cebu, Bohol, El Nido, and Coron. Our favourite travel destination so far would have to be Western Australia. We spent 5 months road tripping down the coast exploring pristine beaches and swimming with incredible wildlife.
NOMADSofORIGIN: What are your favourite ways of travelling sustainably?
Jade: We absolutely love going on road trips, sleeping under the stars and being amongst nature. It’s also a sustainable way of travelling, since everything we need is in our camper van and we are very slow travellers. We cook all our own food, by going grocery shopping once a week with our reusable bags, and try to buy fresh in season products. We store all our leftover food in reusable containers. We also catch our own fish, which is our main source of protein as we don’t usually buy meat. We avoid getting takeaway food inside plastic containers. Our camper can also store 100 litres of water, so we don’t need to buy plastic bottles. We leave campsites and picnic areas better than we found them and always put our toilet paper in the bin.
NOMADSofORIGIN: Jade, which Salty Aura rug is your personal favourite?
Jade: My personal favourite is the Phoenix Rug.
NOMADSofORIGIN: Jake, what is your favourite travel story while having a Salty Aura rug along with you on a trip?
Jade: Jake loved our overnight hike we did in Litchfield National Park NT. We bought our tent, supplies and rug, and camped next to our very own fresh water creek. We lit a fire, and sipped on cups of tea while snuggled into our warm Salty Aura rug.
NOMADSofORIGIN: You say the rugs are designed to inspire travellers to give back to the world. What is the best setting for these aesthetic rugs in the wild – the forest or the seaside?
Jade: We recommend the sea side. We have had countless naps on the beach laying on our Salty rug listening to the waves.
NOMADSofORIGIN: Why did you decide to create something as unique as rugs and what is the customer’s response you have had so far?
Jade: I absolutely love Moroccan rugs, with their bright colours and playful patterns. We wanted to create something with these characteristics, but compact enough to take with us on every adventure. We thought a rug would we versatile enough to be used on picnics, at the beach, in the backyard and in your home. We are blown away with our customers’ response to the product, and they love the patterns and how versatile and unique they are.
NOMADSofORIGIN: You are inspired to help reduce plastic pollution for the future generation. Apart from helping ‘Take 3 for the sea’ by purchasing your incredibly aesthetic products, can you share any other marine preservation organisations we should be helping?
Jade: Other great marine preservation organisations are ‘Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’, ‘Oceana’, and ‘Coral Restoration Foundation’. However, the best thing you can do to help our environment is personally reducing how much plastic you buy, picking up rubbish when you go for walks, and actively thinking about what you’re doing to reduce your negative impact on the environment.
NOMADSofORIGIN: What does the future hold for Salty Aura?
Jade: We are introducing more sustainable fabrics, including 100% recycled cotton. We are also designing cushions, and more rug designs with new colours and patterns. We are also bringing back worldwide shipping so people from all over the world can enjoy our rugs.
NOMADSofORIGIN: Thank you for your time! Is there anything else you wish to share with NOMADSofORIGIN Magazine’s readers?
Jade: Thank you all for reading and learning about our brand and travels! You can follow along with our travels at @salty.aura, @jade_elise_collins and @jake.applebee.
Photography: Aura House
Photography: Aura House
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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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