Language, Physical Appearance And Religion - 1913 Words

TITLE Sanjana Satish H2P Paper 1 The word â€Å"community† is usually defined as a group of people living together in the same area and having some common characteristics, such as language, physical appearance and religion. In The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin, the common characteristics that form the Aboriginals’ tribal communities are familial ties and their culture (similar form of lifestyle, similar beliefs and similar traditions); while in Gilgamesh it is the city-state they belong to and their settled lifestyle that holds the community together. Another difference in the two works is that the society in The Songlines does not have a hierarchal monarchy that Gilgamesh has, but instead has everyone as equals for the most part. However,†¦show more content†¦There are Tjakamarras and Jaburullas and Duburungas like me, and so on all over the country,† (Chatwin, 290). This means that they identify as their tribe and not the name that is put on them by white Australians. However , despite this, all the tribes follow the same religious beliefs. They all go on Walkabouts, they all sing the songs of the Ancestors, and they all have tjurungas that they view as sacred. Another aspect of their religion is that they have Kirda and Kutungurlu in each tribe. Kirda is â€Å"the owner or boss of the land,† while Kutungurlu is the â€Å" manager or helper † of the ‘boss’ (Chatwin, 98). The reason this binds the different tribes together is because the Kutungurlu has to be from â€Å"a different totemic clan and was a nephew† of the Kirda on his mother’s side (Ferry, 98). This ensures that the clans communicate and be at peace with each other, as they are interdependent on the other. Another aspect of their culture that strengthens feelings of community is the abundance of singing and rituals. The songs of the Aboriginals tell the stories of their Ancestor walking across Australia, and each Aboriginal â€Å"owns† a certain part of the song, which also acts as their property deeds. Whenever the elders decided to sing the whole song, they send word so that all the Aboriginals of that clan gather together and stand