Dreamtime is often used to describe the time before time, or the time of the creation. Most Aboriginals believe that all life is connected to the great spirit ancestors of the Dreamtime. Every hill, water hole, river, the sky, every feature was created in the Dreamtime. The journeys of the ancestors across the country created the landscape, and populated it with plants and animals. These journeys are often told in cycles of stories, songs and dances, known as "iwara", or songlines. These great spirit ancestors have not gone, they are still present, even if they can not be seen. The ceremonies of songs and dance keep the people in contact with the spirits. "Without ceremony the land soon dies..." 