Organization
Introduction
The Mardu Aborigines by Bob Tokinson is a book which provides an up-to-date account of the people belonging to the Mardu culture. It an indigenous Australian culture which has its roots in the Dreamtime. This book is amongst the most read and modern contemporary classics of Aboriginal Anthropology in Australia. Tokinson discusses and researches in detail, the various aspects of the life of Mardu people who live in the Western Australian Jigalong area. This paper is a reflective analysis of one chapter, The Spiritual Imperative, from the book.
The most important aspect of the chapter, The Spiritual Imperative, for me as an anthropology student is that it helped me in gaining valuable insights into how to develop a monograph. The now well-known concept of Dreaming, as explained in the chapter, provides valuable religious insights regarding the myths, prescriptions and rituals followed by the Madru people (Tokinson, 1991). However, I believe that the concept not only relates to the Aborigines, but rather extends to the lives of all people. It presents a clear view of the focus of the life of Madru Aborigines along with grounding and centering principle of the relationship between dreams and the human beings.
The ideas presented in the chapter helped me in clearing my thoughts about the transforming and interrelation world of the Australian Aborigines. One of the most impressive things about the text is its writing style. The tone of the author and the theoretical discussions are such that even a common man can easily relate to it and enjoy it. The Spiritual Imperative explains how the aboriginal society of the Madru people existed only for the sake of religion and how this also true for many other people and cultures across the world.
Works Cited
Tokinson, Robert. The Mardu Aborigines: Living the Dream in Australia's Desert. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. (1991). Print.
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