Yolngu Conversations with Faith: The 'outward signs of conversion' to Christianity and Islam

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Author(s)
Ganter, Regina
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2016
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Some unmistakable allusions to “Allah” in the folklore of north-east
Arnhem Land suggest that before British colonization the Yolngu
were engaging with Muslim life-worlds at a much deeper level than
has been presumed, because many references to Macassans became
unspoken until the Christian mission period was over. This article
emerges from the hypothetical question what might have happened
if the Muslim contacts had not been forbidden and replaced with
Christian missions at the beginning of the twentieth century. To
sound the depth of that prior engagement with Islam and probe
whether perhaps a gradual process of religious ...
View more >Some unmistakable allusions to “Allah” in the folklore of north-east Arnhem Land suggest that before British colonization the Yolngu were engaging with Muslim life-worlds at a much deeper level than has been presumed, because many references to Macassans became unspoken until the Christian mission period was over. This article emerges from the hypothetical question what might have happened if the Muslim contacts had not been forbidden and replaced with Christian missions at the beginning of the twentieth century. To sound the depth of that prior engagement with Islam and probe whether perhaps a gradual process of religious conversion was underway, it examines the “outward signs” of religious conversion used by Christian missionaries. These “outward signs” are borrowed from Norman Etherington (2002), who observed in his study of Christian missions in Natal that since it is not possible to look into the soul, observable behaviours and material indicators served to signpost progress in the acceptance of Christian faith.
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View more >Some unmistakable allusions to “Allah” in the folklore of north-east Arnhem Land suggest that before British colonization the Yolngu were engaging with Muslim life-worlds at a much deeper level than has been presumed, because many references to Macassans became unspoken until the Christian mission period was over. This article emerges from the hypothetical question what might have happened if the Muslim contacts had not been forbidden and replaced with Christian missions at the beginning of the twentieth century. To sound the depth of that prior engagement with Islam and probe whether perhaps a gradual process of religious conversion was underway, it examines the “outward signs” of religious conversion used by Christian missionaries. These “outward signs” are borrowed from Norman Etherington (2002), who observed in his study of Christian missions in Natal that since it is not possible to look into the soul, observable behaviours and material indicators served to signpost progress in the acceptance of Christian faith.
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Journal Title
Australian Studies Journal
Volume
30
Copyright Statement
© 2016 Association for Australian Studies. The attached file is reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Please refer to the journal's website for access to the definitive, published version.
Subject
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History
Australian History (excl. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History)