Abstract
This thesis offers a fresh interpretation on the way dreams function among two small-scale societies with a living oral tradition, viz. the Aborigines of Australia and the Amerindian communities of Suriname. It is based on pertinent literature on both communities, but supplemented by fresh fieldwork among certain Arawak and Kari'na communities of Suriname. This approach offers a comparative flavour to the present work. The focus in this book is on the facilitating function dreams appear to have around important events such as birth and death. In this respect, the object relations theory proves very useful in understanding and explaining the various processes such as dream sharing, dream interpretation, etc. This relational theory serves as the basis for a transitional as well as comparative approach to the study of dreams because it explains the dynamic interaction between individual and culture. Ultimately, this theory gave rise to the development of the notion of rêve de passage 'dreams of passage'. According to this new idea, dreams have been analysed as having a tripartite structure and different layers of meaning on the individual, social and religious level. The main question whether dreams eventually facilitate life-changing events and support the long-life maturational processes, indeed appears to be answered positively by the statement of many Surinamese Amerindians, namely that 'dreams prepare your emotions'. Through the study of dreams Dreams and Transitions explores this issue and provides an original insight into indigenous society.
