The basis of Aboriginal religion revolves around their sacred mythology known as "The Dreamtime". The Dreamtime specifically refers to the period of time when the creators made the territory of a tribe and all it contained. It was a period when patterns of living were established and laws were laid down for human beings to follow. The Dreamtime is linked with many aspects of Aboriginal practise, including rituals, storytelling and Aboriginal lore, and explains the

Aboriginal beliefs are expressed in a number of ways, including their Dreamtime practices, such as stories, art and corroborees, and rituals, such as initiation, birth, marriage and death, as well as the Aboriginal lore. Such a complex and unique outlook on the universe and humans, and with the assistance of their ability to continue their practices through hundreds of generations, allowed the Aboriginal belief system to evolve to be one of, if not the, oldest surviving race in the world.

The people took a great amount of care to ensure that a deceased spirit could find its' way to the sky or a 'spirit-place', by sitting by the person's grave and mourning. After death, the relatives took a number of precautions against the deceased person's spirit returning to their camp. This involved them in taking a zig-zag course to the burial ground, turning in circles and even crossing rivers to trick the deceased spirit about the direction back to their camp. After a death, some tribes beat their bodies with sticks or clubs, or cut themselves with shells or stone knives to cause bleeding. In these instances, the period of sorrow or mourning was considered to be at an end when their wounds were healed. After the mourning period was completed, a deceased persons name was never mentioned again, as a sign of respect. The people also believed that a person's spirit could visit living people to harm or warn them of danger. This usually resulted in an in an inquiry about the death of a person who was considered to have died prematurely or in unusual circumstances.

Another aspect of their regard for the spirits is the touching way they care for the land. They took care of the land in a number of different ways. One of the best-known practices was to regularly set fire to the land. This had the effect of removing and containing weeds and promoting new growth. Food taboos and totemism had the effect of protecting animal and other species because some people were not permitted to eat certain foods and a person could not always eat their own totem. This had the effect of providing a safe environment for particular species. Many sub-tribes moved around their land following the food chain cycles. This meant that they never stayed in the one place where they could extinguish the food sources. In some tribes particular beliefs were held about dangers that could threaten the life of animals or birds. One tribe (the Wiimbaio) were afraid of blood falling into lakes or rivers, incase storms or other disasters would result, and would kill the fish.

When people were born, their parents gave each

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