Dancing With the Mungo Spirits: The Dreaming of a Reborn Australia
In April 2024, Greg Campbell was invited to give two talks at a three-day event – Meeting the Dreaming – on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. The event was part of a year-long dialogue initiated by geomorphologist Dr Jim Bowler about the significance of the day in February 1974 when he became the first scientist in the world to gaze on 42,000-year-old human remains; the day science met the Dreaming. The implications were profound. Mungo Man’s appearance complemented Bowler’s finding five years earlier of Mungo Lady, both skeletons revealed by shifting sands at Lake Mungo in the Willandara Lakes Region of New South Wales.
This paper was one of three written by Greg from May to July 2024 as an offering for all involved in the year-long MTD dialogue.
Introduction
This paper’s purpose is to assist those participating in the Meeting the Dreaming (MTD) process to develop a Statement of Shared Identity and to consider the purpose and impact of such a statement on Australia’s path towards a sustainable, equitable, abundant future for all – human and non-human.
Dr James Bowler’s discovery of 42,000-year-old skeletons of an Aboriginal woman (in 1969) and Aboriginal man (in 1974) at Lake Mungo in the Willandara Lakes Region of New South Wales had profound implications for people’s understanding of what it means for societies to live in harmony, balance and abundance, including with one another and with their context, the natural world.
Whereas it was believed the world’s most ancient continent, Australia, had been occupied for about 400 generations, in the blink of an eye it was 1,680 generations (and by 2017 had further extended to 2,600 generations).2 This dramatic change in scientific understanding of the human evolutionary timeline on our planet led to the inexorable conclusion that Australia’s Indigenous people understood what it took to ensure societies endured and prospered.
Logically, that is not possible without an ethos and politico-socio-economic systems and structures that generate the desired outcome of homeostasis, balance.
The First Peoples societies’ constructs and protocols, their mindset and ethos, their human and non-human relationships, and their understanding of the workings of our Whole Earth system were governed by their knowledge of a reality that pre-exists its material manifestations, its continuous resonances materialising as this space-time universe of forms and phenomena. It is generally known by them as the Dreaming.
Living in that awareness and with respect for the whole, their societies endured even as dramatic shifts happened in their environment in which oceans rose 125 meters or more and 40% of Australia’s land mass disappeared under water.
Whatever else the skeletons findings may have suggested, here was evidence of humanity’s ability to live in balance on Earth for countless generations without, as studies of First Peoples’ societies reveal,3 wars of conquest and control, human-led environmental destruction and disempowered, inequitable, impoverished lives.
As we will see, such outcomes were not possible because the structures, systems and processes of First Peoples’ societies were aligned with a generic blueprint for living that they emphatically maintain was carried by people from Day One. It is known to them as the Law – usually referred as First Law. For reasons explained below this paper refers to it as Unity Law.
Unity Law flows from a dimension of reality that pre-exists the space-time bubble of forms and phenomena which are manifestations of its creative impulse from which it can never be separate. It IS what it creates, nothing apart from it. In that sense, all is sacred, all is One. The Aboriginal elders I knew who held its Original Knowledge referred to it as, ‘the ground at the bottom of everything’.
In the West Kimberley that ground is known as Bugarrigarra (or Bookarrarra). It has many labels in many cultures – The Great Spirit, The Great Mystery, God, Allah, Yaweh, Brahman, Sunyata and so on.
Sitting on the ground at the bottom of everything means people are one with it, connected with the whole, merged with the energy and intelligence of the source of all. It is why such people are commonly referred to as wisdom-keepers for they are perceiving our world through the window of oneness, experiencing unity as an actuality, one that informs their decisions and actions.
The effect of Unity Law is the converse of human law. The inevitable outcome of the latter is one rule over all, non-accountable global rule of the many by a cohort of techno-financial elites. Contrarily, Unity Law produces a wide range of many autonomous interdependently linked entities sharing the obligation to maintain the balance of all life and ensure enduring societies. It is rule of the many for the many, governance widely decentralised, power again in the hands of people connected with the whole.
The term ‘First Law’ is a lineal conceptual expression, implying a hierarchy status (if there is a first, there must be a second, etcetera). The term Unity Law expresses a division-free status, more accurately conveying the concept of diverse elements joined as a single system.
The knowledge that everything is of the dreaming, ‘under the Dreaming’ as the First Peoples say – a prospect now being closely examined in scientific circles as evidenced by the work of David Bohm4 – means all activity in this universe, at all scales, is governed by the nature of its creative outflow. The recurring presence of distinctive patterns such as fractals or the spiral forms of galaxies and sea shells suggests design rules and parameters are embedded in it.
It is also evident that autonomous Earth functions as part of a larger dynamic whole (our solar system, etcetera) in which homeostasis prevails, and within its own boundaries maintains homeostasis via an intricately interconnected web of life in which each has its place and purpose and ‘Law’, its design parameters.
Because Unity Law holds the knowledge of the whole, the possibility of boundless diversity exists free of division and imbalance. It is why in what is now known as Australia there was not just one society – a centralised, hierarchically-organised nation-state – there were hundreds of interdependent sovereign entities each with their unique description and practice of Unity Law.
Each society had its particular ceremonies, songs, dances, stories and artistic expressions for people to receive and pass on that knowledge and live it as autonomous beings, fully connected with the whole. Unity Law meant egalitarian, consensus-based, relational societies. Though political and socio-economic constructs and protocols were many and varied across Australia, there were core commonalities – aspects of Unity Law – that saw all functioning as place-based, kin-centric, eco-centric, spirit-centric societies.
What were the Mungos saying when science met the Dreaming?
When shifting sands revealed Mungo Lady and Mungo Man (referred to hereafter as the Mungos), science met the Dreaming.
While the impact on the scientific community was profound, the impact on Bowler was doubly so for a very distinct feeling arose that he had not found the Mungos, rather, they had revealed themselves to him. The nagging feeling was why. What was the meaning of their sudden appearance? What were they telling us?
If it had been my ancient skeleton that was dug up I suspect my spirit would have been upset not to have been left in peace and my family angered EXCEPT if the disturbance of my bones opened the prospect of people waking up to the realisation that all life on Earth is threatened if humanity does not return to alignment with Unity Law.
In that case, just as some choose to donate organs from their deceased body so that others may live, I would have been pleased my bones were disturbed, indeed, I most likely would have wanted it to happen but not for any reason other than that humanity returns to balance.
Some might argue the Mungos discovery reveals nothing more than the fact that homo sapiens sapiens was in Australia for longer than first thought – “move on, nothing more to see here.” But the scientific mind is innately curious, even more so when it is connected with the human spirit, not merely the intellect.
The dating of the bones meant the scientific community soon appreciated that a society’s continuous habitation of a place for 1,680 generations had major implications. How did diverse societies organise to ensure continuing abundance and survive the trials and tribulations of tens of thousands of years in a dynamic system whose workings can transform tropical forests into desert regions and cause oceans to rise 125 metres or more?
Yes, it was obvious the newly-discovered longevity of Australia’s Indigenous People had major implications, but what were they, what was the resolution of Bowler’s nagging feeling about why the Mungos had revealed themselves? Perhaps a thought experiment helps.
What if we could ask the Mungos one question, one that assumes they revealed themselves because the First Peoples (whether embodied or not) never lose their feeling of respect for the sanctity of all life and always carry the obligation for its continuance? In that case, we might posit the question: What is the most precious gift you and your people carry that ensures the continuance of your society and the well-being of all?”
I would be extremely surprised if the answer was not akin to that given by Lulu (Paddy Roe, 1912-2001). During the work on our book Total Reset I asked that almost identical question of the widely respected West Kimberley senior Law-keeper and ‘clever man’ who was raised as a traditional Nyikina bushman. His response was immediate, without equivocation, “The Law.”
And when I asked why, he replied,
“Law give us everythin’ we need to live proper, lookin’ after each other an’ Country. First Law not been made by people. He been given to us by them fellas who make all this, who become this livin’ Country. Yair, Law is in Country, Country is in Law.
That’s why we bin livin’ long, happy lives together. We know how we connected with Country, how we’re related to the whole thing. Know what we gotta do an’ not do to keep everythin’ in balance – ourselves, our mobs and Country. That’s our job, keepin’ it all in balance. That’s why never have any of them big wars you fellas have, none of that messin’ up Country an’ messin’ up people. When you know Law you not like that, you got respect for everythin’ an' know how to look after it. Yair, proper way.”
The sense of human responsibility for maintaining the balance of the whole system has long been embedded in Indigenous DNA together with the knowledge of how that is accomplished. As our Whole Earth system is known to them as a fusion of both non-material and material elements, it would be surprising if, when that supra-AI system perceives a threat to its balance, its intelligence does not generate the messaging needed for people to correct the imbalance. It seems it can do this in many ways, including by the revelations of shifting sands.
The Mungo’s appearance tells us loud and clear, “Now you know we were here 1,680 generations ago and our ancestors long before that. We prospered because we never deviated from following the Law carried by all people from Day One. Your mob have occupied our land for only ten generations and look at the mess you have made, not only of Country but of people’s hearts and minds. That is what happens when the principles for living proper are not applied. We have revealed ourselves now to tell you, it’s time to reconnect with Country and realign with the Law.”
If that messaging is the existential reason for their appearance, two questions arise, What is Unity Law and how does it resume its necessary place at the heart of society?
What is Unity Law?
Over the past 50 years, as a result of the foundational works of Thomas Berry and others,4 many have become familiar with the concept of Earth Law. Like the knowers of Unity Law, advocates of Earth Law acknowledge the universe as the primary lawgiver, accept there is a relational existence between people and the broader Earth community, and affirm all have rights to exist and contribute to our planet’s well-being. Encouragingly, it is now gaining legislative and judicial recognition in an increasing range of countries.
But whereas Earth Law is a mere 50 years old, Unity Law operated from Day One. It includes all the elements of Earth Law and more. As we have seen, emanating from the non-material level of reality, Unity Law illuminates the place and purpose of all forms and phenomena, each with its unique blueprint for functioning as an interconnected part of the whole. It encodes an account of the nature of reality and of the way of things as well as principles for our species to survive and flourish in a continuing dance of life.
There can be no clearer description of Unity Law than that conveyed by Indigenous people, specifically Indigenous wisdom-keepers “sitting on the ground at the bottom of everything” (to borrow Lulu’s phrase) and Indigenous academics, researchers and others who have access to that knowledge.
Over the past half-century, many articulate Indigenous descriptions of Unity Law have appeared in the literature.6 In 2024 Springer published an important book titled Declaration of Peace for Indigenous Australians and Nature8 in which seven respected Indigenous leaders and thinkers – Anne Poelina, Donna Bagnall, Mary Graham, Ross Timmulbar Williams, Tyson Yunkaporta, Chels Marshall and Shola Anthony Diop - consider its place in society, including how it might become operational again, including alongside Western laws, effectively a legal pluralist system. Non-indigenous writers also contributed (including the author of this paper who had the honour of being invited to write the Postface).
In their book, the authors tell us:
“…First Law is the ‘Law of the Land’, not the ‘law of humankind’. First Law is about the collective, not the individual. It is about common treasures and responsible use of shared resources. It is founded on laws of relationships and principles of ethics such as respect, reciprocity, care and interdependency with nature.
Its implementation involves a system of kinship with non-human beings, and the inheritance of communal proprietary and individual usufructary rights and obligations entrenched in the form of shared totemic ancestors and life forms, Dreamings (Jukurrpa)6 and Songlines that serve to teach and convey First Law from generation to generation. This includes First Law’s unique ways of seeing the world (ontologies) and ways of knowing (epistemologies).”9
In a section titled First Law (Indigenous Customary Law of Traditional Law) they explain:
“Songlines, Jukurrpa and totem systems are the application of First Law ‘through multilayered stories that impart values and ethics; thus they represent a comprehensive ethical framework that defines the code of conduct necessary for maintaining a peaceful, thriving, and co-operative society grounded in love and reciprocity’. Together, they are a system of laws, values and principles for a sustainable Mother Earth, fused with spirituality and sourced in ethics of care and responsibility.
Implicit in these understandings are also the obligations of guardianship, intergenerational responsibility and precautionary stewardship to maintain the balance and harmony of these natural systems and relationships.”10
Archaeologist and anthropologist Professor Scott Cane, who spent years living with desert peoples, elucidates the pivotal, integrative role the oneness reality – the Dreaming or Tjukurrpa of the desert peoples – plays in their holistic societies:
“Tjukurrpa is the core of desert tradition. It expresses the larger spiritual and social dimension of Aboriginal life. It is the dominant traditional concept, touches all parts of existence and imbues it with strong motivation and meaning...Tjukurrpa provides an implicit prescription for environmental relations and explains the creation of the physical world. As such, Tjukurrpa is the intellectual and political basis by which people relate to the land. Tjukurrpa literally means ‘to dream’…The Tjukurrpa is also a corpus of religious narratives – song-lines – that create an iconography of the desert, explaining and defining its resources and the socio-political relationships of the people using them.”11
From the traditional perspective of someone like Lulu, the ancient skeletons Bowler encountered may not have been the only entities present. There is also the matter of the possible presence of subtle energies of the spirits of the departed or of others of that domain who intentionally generated in him a distinctive feeling that the Mungos’ appearance had important implications for humanity’s future, a classic illustration of what Nyikina Warrwa Wangumara Barkindji woman Marlikka Perdrisat understood when she wrote, “We have to use the past, in the present moment, to protect the future.”12
While it may be difficult for many non-Indigenous people to hear the Mungos’ message it has been consistently delivered to non-Indigenous people since the latter’s 1788 arrival in Australia. Like Lulu, as traditional bush people the Mungos would have confirmed that the knowledge and ways of their people had been handed down unbroken from creation time. From their perspective, they were seeing, knowing, feeling and behaving as their ancestors had going back countless generations.
Reflecting the tenets of Unity Law, all was fused. The individual did not exist as a cocooned entity apart from the whole but as an integral part of an indivisible oneness. Unity Law is the quintessential embodiment of the oneness paradigm, its outcome harmonious co-existence. It is what the renowned wisdom-keeper of the Oglala Sioux, Black Elk, understood:
The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of (wo)men when they realize their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its Powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells Wakan-Tanka (commonly translated as ‘The Great Spirit’ or ‘Great Mystery’) and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us. This is the real Peace, and the others are but reflections of this. The second peace is that which is made between two individuals, and the third is that which is made between two nations.13
As it appears similar appreciations were common throughout Australia albeit differently expressed, it is not unreasonable to presume this was the Mungos’ reality. Like Lulu, they would have been sitting on the ground at the bottom of everything, walking the Dreaming connected in multiple ways with the totality of life, members of a vast family of many elements, physical and spiritual working together. The sum of that knowledge is Unity Law, at its heart, connecting with Country and its non-material foundations.
Whether it is the Indigenous wisdom-keepers of Australia, the Americas, Africa, Asia, or any of the many places they reside, there is a shared understanding, however communicated, that humans are inseparably connected with Country as part of a single living system and like all of creation, are sacred, being materialised vibrations of the source of all.
And like Lulu, the Mungos would NOT have identified as Australians but as ‘true people’, an inseparable part of the oneness reality.
No matter where we are from or our skin, gender, age and beliefs, all Australians live in this most extraordinary ancient land and have the opportunity to experience themselves as true people too. Transcending nationalism, it is the deep meaning of being a true Australian, someone who knows themself as ab origine.14
The Law that governs our universe is woven through all creation. Every species holds it. Aligned with it they prosper, misaligned they perish. Known to the First Australians as Unity Law (and to others by a range of names, e.g. the Sanātana Dharma in India and the Tao in China) it is humanity’s sacred thread, uniting us as one without diminishing the uniquely autonomous nature of each, thereby enabling the workings of a balanced whole.
Unity Law is not the special preserve of any group. It is embedded in all without distinction. What is distinct is how each society expresses and applies it and yet always remains aligned with it. It is no surprise to read the founder of Deakin University’s Indigenous Knowledge Lab, scholar and author Dr Tyson Yunkaporta of the Apalech clan of Western Cape York, write:
First Law is accessible for everybody and has the capacity to engage all people in the vital work of creating regenerative systems in every area of human endeavour. I know only one thing for certain. If we are unable to bring settlers back under the Law of the Land, then everything and everyone here will soon die.”15
How does Unity Law resume its necessary place at the heart of society?
Many people across the spectrum are noticing the human condition and state of the planet appear increasingly perilous. Comprehending the root cause as humanity’s significant misalignment with its blueprint for living, the question is prompted, how can Unity Law (or whatever the generic name) resume its place as the overarching guidance/governance system for our return to a sustainable, equitable and peaceful world of abundance at all levels?
Reaping the fullest fruit of any endeavour invariably has three pre-requisites: (1) knowing who we are – as an individual, community, region or nation; (2) knowing where we are going – our vision; the dreaming of what is to be; and (3) developing strategies to realise our vision, in Lulu’s words, “walking our dreaming”.
If Unity Law is to resume its place as the fulcrum of society, meeting the above pre-requisites has three primary requirements:
(1) a Statement of Shared Identity’(SoSI) articulated to align with the ethos of Unity Law, encompassing what we all hold in common amidst the laudable diversity;
(2) a Shared Vision Statement of living in an Australia whose structures, systems and ethos are aligned with Unity Law; and
(3) the formulation of strategic initiatives to propel a return to alignment with Unity Law, implemented in a respectful, harmonious manner, all interests working together.
My understanding is that the MTD process is focused on developing a Statement of Identity from a non-Indigenous perspective with (whether during the process or later) Indigenous people drafting their Statement of Identity (SoI). Both statements can then be considered by everyone (non-Indigenous and Indigenous) to identify the common ground – an agreed Statement of Shared Identity’(SoSI).
On reflection, it is debatable whether this process will have the impact sought as it reflects the non-Indigenous duality paradigm of concretizing differences (let’s see where each stands) as a prelude to bringing people together. The alternative is to embrace Indigenous unity paradigm-aligned processes. In that case, the development of an SoSI would involve all parties from the outset, beginning with the envisaged November 2024 MTD event.
Statement of Shared Identity (SoSI)
Like so many non-Indigenous Australians, I marvel at the beauty and workings of this Great Southern Land – the vast spaces, resplendent skies, unique flora and fauna, great forests, majestic rivers, spectacular deserts, snowy peaks, and so much more. On such a large continent with relatively few people, we can walk, explore and camp to our heart’s content. And whenever we do we invariably feel uplifted, returning home more invigorated.
Though the natural world is the shared context of human life it is generally experienced by non-Indigenous peoples as separate from them, to be enjoyed, worked with and studied, not only by common folk and scientists but also by those seeking to profit from its exploitation.
So it is that while there is widespread appreciation among all peoples of its wonders and value, few non-Indigenous people connect with it at a deeper, more intimate level – as family, where all are recognised as equally worthy, fully alive in all respects.
As long as the feeling ‘Country exists for us’ prevails over the sentiment, ‘We exist for Country’, humanity has a big problem for homo sapiens sapiens is then positioned as pre-eminent among all species, able to impose its will on the system without genuine regard for broader consequences. It is a result of what happens when Country is not family, when we are not related. It is how the obligation for its custodial care is superseded by a presumed right to exploit.
Last week, when I put to the Goolarabooloo people the idea they may be interested in reading/seeing/hearing of the non-Indigenous connection with the Country, they did not consider it necessary. From their perspective, the facts of the ground tell them everything.
They were of the view that whatever noble words may be presented by non-Indigenous people, they see Country continues to be treated as a commodity for profit and sale rather than as a sacred trust to be cared for in perpetuity. They see the ongoing havoc wreaked on ecosystems and people’s hearts and minds. They know toxins are constantly entering the air, waters and soils and that non-bio-biodegradables such as nano-plastics are polluting the oceans and freshwaters. They see all this and more as a consequence of the non-Indigenous worldview and relationship with Country.
For the First Peoples generally, connecting with Country means knowing it to be fully alive in all respects, no less alive than people. More than that, their deeper knowledge of the Dreaming – Unity Law – allows them to remain intimately connected with it as family, protocols for those connections woven through the fabric of their societies.
While finding common ground in any Identity Statements may appear challenging, it is certainly achievable, much aided if all sides look deeply into human nature and the constructs of reality, identifying elements common to all. For example, we are all:
members of the same species, each with a capacity for intuitive awareness or ‘true feeling’ in our contemplations, decisions and actions;
inextricably connected with and part of the natural world;
knowingly or otherwise, forever connected with the ‘ground at the bottom of everything’; the field of our indivisible oneness; and
endowed with the impulse to sustain life in its fullness for the survival and well-being of ourselves, family, community and Country.
Communicating a Statement of (Shared) Identity
Classically – certainly for many tens of thousands of years in Australia – the means to impart knowledge is by song, dance, storytelling, the visual arts, ceremonial activities and via encounters with the energies/powers of non-material (spiritual) reality, typically on Country or in dreams.
The modes of knowledge-transference were invariably place-specific, connected with the deep-time history, geography, cultural beliefs and mores of the relevant region, and therefore distinctive to each society. It was one of the ways diversity was supported and upheld without diminishing the broader sense of unity that all First Peoples share.
It is why those involved in the MTD process might also consider the various possible forms of expression of an agreed Statement including:
a new date and name for an annual celebration of what Australians share in common, symbolising the heart/spirit of what it means to be Australian;
songs – existing and to be composed – celebrating those commonalities (Shane Howard’s Solid Rock is one example);
Dances that express the wonder and joy of our common home and gratitude for all Mother Earth gives us (among others, the Bangarra Dance Company has that ability);
a collection of stories that encapsulate the wonder of our land and what we are privileged to share (Tom Griffiths’ recent work Odyssey Downunder is one example);
a film or documentary (series) showcasing the extraordinary nature of what we share as human beings in this Great Southern Land; and
competitions and/or exhibitions for visual arts expressions by the visual arts of our shared identity.
Logically, the outcomes and commitments flowing from the mooted November MTD event would culminate in the envisaged February 2025 finale of the year-long celebration of the 1974 discovery.
A shared vision of societies aligned with Unity Law
The failure of the 2023 national referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament sends a clear message of the imperative for more effective education regarding the significance of the Indigenous perspective and the benefits of working together to progressively move away from the present destructive trajectory towards the other end of the spectrum where a balanced, respectful, cooperative ethos of connectedness and harmony prevails.
In the broadest sense, that calls for descriptions of constructs and protocols of modern societies functioning in alignment with Unity Law where benefits are equally enjoyed by people, communities and Country.
In turn, that means hearing what prominent Indigenous voices wish to share about Unity Law and possible processes and/or initiatives they suggest for steadily transitioning into alignment with it, everyone working together.
From the window through which I look, as a wider understanding of the nature of Unity Law and the range of considerations relating to its return appears essential, it is suggested that consideration be given to inviting additional respected Indigenous voices to participate in the Sept/Oct/Nov 2024 MTD event by sharing their views about such matters, as well as offering their input on a shared identity.
While there are a lot more than a handful with that capacity, those who immediately spring to mind (because of my recent work) are Professor Anne Poelina, Dr Mary Graham, Dr Tyson Yunkaporta and lawyer, Donna Bagnall (four of the authors of the Declaration of Peace for Indigenous Australians and Nature).
Inviting such Indigenous representatives (whoever they may be) into the MTD process would escalate momentum for the laying of foundations for the formulation of effective strategies whose outcomes honor what the First Peoples have been telling us since 1788. Non-Indigenous ignorance of Unity Law is one reason none of their many societies have ceded sovereignty. Ethical beings do not allow what does not work for the benefit of the whole system to prevail over what does.
Broader Indigenous inclusivity is one way we can dance with the Mungo spirits the dreaming of a reborn Australia.
Strategic initiatives for propelling the return of Unity Law
The MTD process can be seen as one that seeds the ground for ‘walking together’, enabling the development of strategic initiatives (potentially embracing many fields of human endeavour) in the form of a long-term Indigenous and non-Indigenous transdisciplinary collaboration.
It is how beneficial outcomes are maximised in terms of realising the collective dreaming of a Statement of Shared Identity and Vision, essential foundations for society operating in alignment with what works best for all, Unity Law.
The culminating event of the year-long celebrations in February 2025 has the potential of not only reaching consensus on an MTD Statement of Shared Identity but might also sow seeds for the broader development of a Statement of Shared Vision. Ideally, for maximum impact, they would comprise a single statement.
Only then is the stage set for the development of effective strategies that otherwise may be fraught with risk, as illustrated by the 2023 referendum outcome. If a Statement of Shared Vision and Identity had been in place, I believe the correct approach to implementing the hugely important Uluru Statement from the Heart would have been identified, namely, to first establish a national truth-telling and agreement-making bodybody, a standing commission.
While it appears beyond MTD’s purview to develop a Vision Statement and strategies for its realisation, the year-long conversation certainly has the potential to kick-start that broader process, an admirable outcome.
So, while it appears premature to engage in strategy development, the process and possibilities are worthy of inclusion in our thinking and discussions. To illustrate, stakeholders in the process would necessarily include Indigenous and non-Indigenous representatives, including:
politicians and political systems thinkers;
legal experts (currently in academia, research tanks or the judicial system) from various fields such as International law, Constitutional law, Native Title law, Environmental law, Equity law and Common law;
scientists across various fields including the environment, physics, cosmology, anthropology, geology and health;
creative talents in the arts and media;
educators;
business leaders; and
financial experts.
While it is premature to reach conclusions about what strategic initiatives would bring people together to work towards realising a shared vision, one does seem to merit early consideration. It is the concept of SONGLINE HUBS or REGENERATION HUBS. They are envisaged as special locations along songlines (aka songcyles or songspirals) identified by Indigenous People that function as multipurpose ‘reconnection-regeneration-eco-cultural’ hubs designed:
for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to work collaboratively across various disciplines (i) exploring ways of regenerating and preserving the well-being of the Country, and (ii) developing innovative projects for propelling the necessary shifts in culture and prevailing politico-socioeconomic structures and systems, in support of a steady transition to alignment with Unity Law, compatible human laws nested in it; and
for people to reconnect with living Country, experiencing its power and learning of its workings. One example of the many possible ways is Lulu’s dreaming in the form of eco-cultural ‘Connecting with Country’ experiences offered by the local Indigenous people walking visitors on the songline and camping with them for nine days (courtesy of the Lurujarri Dreaming Trail). In such cases, the hub acts as the coordinating centre for on-Country activities, however brief or extended.
Professor Anne Poelina and Indigenous people of the Martuwarra (Fitzroy River) of the West Kimberley (in the Dampierland bio-region) have these kinds of initiatives under active development. They are excited by the prospect of scientists, academics, researchers and others from Australia and overseas working side-by-side, sharing knowledge and co-creatively moving our world’s trajectory in more life-affirming directions.
One of the potentially invaluable uses of such hubs would be for secondary and tertiary students to deepen their awareness of the constructs of First Peoples’ culture. It would be an invaluable complementary means to more formal education via inclusion of relevant knowledge in the tertiary and secondary curricula.
Songline hubs may also act as loci for the regeneration of ancient songlines that have been disrupted by the non-Indigenous usurpation of Country.
When Unity Law is operating in its most authentic form, the superior title to Country is not that of any individual, institution or organisation, it is Country with its human inhabitants its custodians. As Indigenous Australians often remind us, “We do not own Country, it owns us.”
Recognition of the importance of songlines is widely shared by Indigenous Australians with numerous books and films appearing15 and networks emerging such as Regenerative Songlines Australia, “an Indigenous-led initiative, working to create continent-wide connections, conversations and initiatives that enable people to Care for Country and build regenerative economies and societies.”16
‘Connecting with Country’ cultural change initiatives such as songline hubs need to enter the mainstream of government policy settings as a matter of urgency. That means government funding for the establishment of numerous hubs, beginning with at least two in each State and Territory. The dividends are likely to far outweigh development costs, a new shining Australian star rising on the world stage.
Conclusion
The Meeting the Dreaming initiative inspired by Dr James Bowler’s discovery of Mungo Lady and Mungo Man and the subsequent compelling search for meaning has led to a focus on the importance of recognising what we share in common as inhabitants of Australia and as human beings.
It is the first crucial step towards a reborn Australia that celebrates our shared common wealth, with regenerated roots in the form of demonstrated respect for the Earth that cradles us and the rightful place and purpose of its human and non-human inhabitants.
Those sitting on the ground at the bottom of everything, whatever their genes, are calling for the same thing – respect for Living Country and recognition of the sanctity of all life; society reset to enable homeostasis.
It is my deep feeling the Mungos showed themselves as members of the oldest continuous culture on Earth so that all may understand what is needed to ensure the enduring well-being of our common home and all who inhabit it. It is why I find myself unexpectedly engaged in a joyful dance with the Mungo spirits, dreaming of a reborn Australia that functions in accord with the deep knowledge held by this Country since time immemorial.
End Notes
A 2-hour-30-min video of the Saturday evening session, featuring speakers and musicians, can be viewed at: https://unity.earth/uetv/meeting-the-dreaming-phs/
The video timeline is:
N’arweet, Dr Carolyn Briggs 00:07:42 – 00:17:00
Dr Jim Bowler 00:17:15 – 00:23:00
Amos Roach 00:23:25 – 00:57:10
Jason Kelly 00:57:24 – 01:08:50
Emeritus Professor Tom Griffiths 01:09:20 – 01:16:12
Professor Tiffany Shallam 01:16:33 – 01:25:45
Shane Howard 01:26:00 – 01:51:20
Greg Campbell 01:51:51 – 02:03:20
Dr Jim Bowler 02:03:50 – 02:09:40
Shayla Paradeis 02:09:50 – 02:16:10
Dwayne Mallard 02:16:35 – 02:22:00
Shane Howard & Shayla Paradeis 02:22:01 – 02:25:40
2. The discovery team’s peer-reviewed findings were published in the science journal Nature in 2017.
Citation: Chris Clarkson, Zenobia Jacobs, et al., ‘Human occupation of northern Australia by 65,000 years ago’, Nature, 547 (20 July 2017), pp. 306-10. www.nature.com/articles/nature22968
3. Such works include Bill Gammage’s 2012 book, The Biggest Estate on Earth, Tyson Yunkaporta’s
2019 book Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save The World, and Greg Campbell’s 2022 book, Total Reset: realigning with our timeless holistic blueprint for living, the latter available as both a printed book and an audiobook narrated by Mark Coles Smith – see https://www. totalreset.com.au
4. Wholeness and the Implicate Order. David Bohm. 1980 London: Routledge & Kegan Paul
5. Thomas Berry’s works include, The Dream of the Earth (1988); The Universe Story (with Brian
Swimme, 1992); The Great Work: Our Way into the Future (1999); and The Sacred Universe: Earth, Spirituality, and Religion in the Twenty-First Century (2009). A definitive selection from Thomas Berry’s work (selected and introduced by Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim) was published in 2014, titled Thomas Berry: Selected Writings on the Earth Community.
6. Law: The Way of the Ancestors. Marcia Langton & Aaron Corn. 2023. Thomas and Hudson, Australia
7. Declaration of Peace for Indigenous Peoples and Nature: A Legal Pluralist Approach to First Laws
and Earth Laws. Poelina, A., Bagnall, D., Graham, M., Williams, R., Yunkaporta, T., Marshall, C., Diop, S., Samnakay, N., Maloney, M., and Davis, M. 2024. Springer Singapore
8. The many diverse societies of the First Peoples know the Dreaming by different names. While it is
Jukurrpa or Tjukurrpa in the Central Desert and other regions, in the West Kimberley it is Bookarrarra or Bugarrigarra. Among the Yolŋu people of northeast Arnhem Land it is Wongar. The Ngarinyin people speak of it as Ungud or Wungud. It is Palaneri among Tiwi Islanders and Jumangkarni for the Walmajarri people on the fringes of the Great Sandy Desert. Whatever the local/regional name, it references the same overarching reality.
9. Declaration of Peace for Indigenous Australians and Nature, op.cit. p.23
10. Ibid, p.78
11. First Footprints: The epic story of the First Australians. Scott Cane. 2013. Crows Nest, Sydney:
Allen & Unwin
12. Declaration of Peace for Indigenous Australians and Nature, op.cit. p.78
13. Brown, Joseph Epes (editor), The Sacred Pipe: Black Elk’s Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala
Sioux. 1953. Norman, Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma Press. Kindle Edition (loc. 1770 – final
para. of Ch VI). Note: the bracketed text in the extract is mine.
14. The word ‘aborigine’ is derived from the Latin ab meaning ‘from’ and origine, ‘the original’.
14. Declaration of Peace for Indigenous Australians and Nature, op.cit. p.69
15. Songlines: The Power and the Promise. 2020. Margot Neale & Lyne Kelly. Thomas and Hudson,
Australia
Total Reset: realigning with our timeless principles for living. 2022. Greg Campbell with Lulu and
the Goolarabooloo Family. Total Reset, Dunsborough, Western Australia.
https://www. totalreset.com.au
The SBS television series, Songlines on Screen. One of the numerous episodes can be viewed at
https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/creative/songlines-on-screen-naji/0trvunffv
16. https://www.regenerative-songlines.net.au/
© Copyright 2024 Greg Campbell