‘We never stop learning to appreciate the fact that we the Aboriginal people are very proud and spiritual. Sadly, we truly are a dying race’.

The name Kalaya means ‘emu’ in the Nanda language, and Dreams are what the world is made of. Kalaya Dreams encompasses both. What then follows is our Aboriginal Dreamtime.

The emu is the ancestral totem of my family within the Nanda tribe and is very special to us. The emu has many great qualities that he shares with us, the people. He is a curious bird always coming close, just to see what is going on and learning about the ways of the people.

I believe I am like the emu a very curious bird. Always looking and searching to find out about the different ways of life and what is around me.

Read the profile of Kalaya Dreams founder, Helen Nutter.

KALAYA - THE EMU

The feathers of the emu were used for items of clothing and special types of shoes. The flesh of the emu gave us the sustenance needed for nourishment, giving us survival. The oil made from the emu fat was and is still used for healing today. The egg was eaten, as it still is today. Carvings are made with the shell of the emu egg.

THE NANDA PEOPLE

Nanda people along side all Aboriginal people have a very strong and spiritual culture. Their culture is their way of life. The law of the land for the Nanda people is passed down from generation to generation from their ancestors. The stories of the Nanda people stem from the past, which becomes their present and then develops into the future. The history of how the world was created is formed by the different beliefs of the Aboriginal people.

Read more about the Nanda people.

THE DREAMTIME

The Dreamtime is seen as the beginning of time. Creation. This is the belief of the Nanda people which is a part of their traditional culture, as with all of the Aboriginal people. The connections made between the people, the land, the flora, the fauna and the vastness of the universe gives the understanding of how the world was created. Aboriginal people are very spiritual in their beliefs and have a great respect for all of creation.

MANY JOURNEYS

Many journeys were taken to achieve this greatness for the belief of the Aboriginal people. Throughout the land of Aboriginal Australia there are many significant places that are revered by the people. These are their ‘Sacred Sites’. Places that are known only to the people in each different community, and hold the stories of important occurrences. Such occurrences are portrayed through their artwork. There are countless paintings of these sites but they are places that outsiders cannot travel to. Stories that can be told, but places that cannot be seen. The only journey that will be taken for these stories will be through the works of their art.

SACRED SITES

Although many sites are registered with the Australian Government there are numerous sites that have not been recorded for registration. The reason for this is that these are places that are for the people of that ‘country’, and not for intruders. This is the Aboriginal people’s ‘hallowed’ ground. When an Aboriginal person talks about his or her ‘country’ , they are referring to the area of land where they were born and where their ancestors come from.

THE STORIES

Although the stories of the Aboriginal people were not recorded and printed in black and white, the stories were recorded in the minds of the people. Each descendant who earned the respect of their elders would then be classed as ‘the right ones’. The ‘right ones’ were told the stories by their ancestors, each descendant in turn had to do the same. This process is still followed today.  This is how the knowledge of the elders is passed down, from ancestor to the descendants.