The religion of Aborigines is centered on stories of their origin. They referred to the time of their origin as Dreamtime or the Dreaming. In ceremonies, Aborigines would assume the character of a Dreaming and act out the wanderings of this spirit. Every Aboriginal clan had an ancestor figure, or totem. A totem took the form of one of the creatures, plants, or natural features associated with one or more Dreamings.
Aborigines regard death as an event caused by an angry spirit or a curse from another person.
Aborigines may have spoken up to 250 distinct languages, the majority of which also had several dialects. Most Aboriginal languages belong to the language family classified as Australian. The largest group within this family, commonly called Pama-nyungan, takes its name from the words for man in two languages representing extreme ends of the Australian linguistic range. In the past, neighboring Aboriginal groups could generally communicate well with each other, and many people were multilingual. In conclusion, Aborigines are living a lifestyle all their own.