Alcheringa

/ælʃəˈrɪŋə/ noun

Definition

An alternative spelling of alchera; the Aboriginal Australian dreaming or dreamtime, the sacred mythological past.

Etymology

Variant spelling from Aranda language, related to alchera. Different spellings reflect the challenges of transliterating Aboriginal languages into English.

Kelly Says

Early European anthropologists spelled Aboriginal words many different ways because there was no standard system—'alcheringa' shows how the same concept was written differently depending on who was recording it, which is why Aboriginal communities now help determine correct spellings.

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