Australian Aboriginal astronomy: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Aboriginal Australian culture relating to astronomical subjects}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}} |
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}} |
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{{Use Australian English|date=June 2011}} |
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2011}} |
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⚫ | '''Australian Aboriginal astronomy''' has been passed down [[oral tradition|orally]], through [[Aboriginal Australian ceremony|ceremonies]], and in their [[Indigenous Australian art|artwork of many kinds]]. The astronomical systems passed down thus show a depth of understanding of the movement of celestial objects which allowed them to use them as a practical means for creating [[calendar]]s and for [[navigation|navigating]] across the continent and waters of Australia.<ref name=dawes>{{cite journal|title=Dawes Review 5: Australian Aboriginal Astronomy and Navigation|date=2 August 2016| journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia | volume=33 |page=39|arxiv=1607.02215|bibcode=2016PASA...33...39N|doi=10.1017/pasa.2016.25|last1 = Norris|first1 = Ray P.|s2cid=119304459 }}</ref> There is a diversity of astronomical traditions in Australia, each with its own particular expression of [[cosmology]]. However, there appear to be common themes and systems between the groups. Due to the long history of Australian Aboriginal astronomy, the Aboriginal peoples have been described as "world's first astronomers" on several occasions.<ref name="firstabc">{{cite web |last1=Steffens |first1=Maryke |date=27 July 2009 |title=Australia's first astronomers |url=https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/07/27/2632463.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240318204227/https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/07/27/2632463.htm |archive-date=Mar 18, 2024 |access-date=29 August 2019 |website=www.abc.net |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref name="firstnitv">{{cite web |title=Aboriginal astronomy: The science of mapping the sky and the seasons |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/nitv-news/article/2018/08/16/aboriginal-astronomy-science-mapping-sky-and-seasons |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017235410/https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/the-point/article/aboriginal-astronomy-the-science-of-mapping-the-sky-and-the-seasons/9yb8ecblv |archive-date=Oct 17, 2023 |access-date=29 August 2019 |website=NITV |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Australia's first astronomers |url=https://www.bbcearth.com/blog/?article=australias-first-astronomers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017235411/https://www.bbcearth.com/news/australias-first-astronomers |archive-date=Oct 17, 2023 |access-date=29 August 2019 |website=BBC Earth |language=en-gb}}</ref> |
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'''Australian Aboriginal astronomy''' is a name given to [[Aboriginal Australian]] culture relating to [[astronomy|astronomical]] subjects – such as the [[Sun]] and [[Moon]], the [[star]]s, [[planet]]s, and the [[Milky Way]], and their motions on the sky. |
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Many of the [[constellation]]s were given names based on their shapes, just as traditional western astronomy does, such as the [[Pleiades]], [[Orion (constellation)|Orion]] and the [[Milky Way]], with others, such as Emu in the Sky, describes the dark patches rather than the points lit by the stars. [[Contemporary Indigenous Australian art]] often references astronomical subjects and their related [[oral tradition|lore]], such as the [[Pleiades in folklore and literature#Australia|Seven Sisters]]. |
Many of the [[constellation]]s were given names based on their shapes, just as traditional western astronomy does, such as the [[Pleiades]], [[Orion (constellation)|Orion]] and the [[Milky Way]], with others, such as Emu in the Sky, describes the dark patches rather than the points lit by the stars. [[Contemporary Indigenous Australian art]] often references astronomical subjects and their related [[oral tradition|lore]], such as the [[Pleiades in folklore and literature#Australia|Seven Sisters]]. |
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[[Image:Emu public.jpg|frame|The Aboriginal "[[Emu]] in the sky". In Western astronomy terms, the [[Crux|Southern Cross]] is on the right, and [[Scorpius]] on the left; the head of the emu is the [[Coalsack]].]] |
[[Image:Emu public.jpg|frame|The Aboriginal "[[Emu]] in the sky". In Western astronomy terms, the [[Crux|Southern Cross]] is on the right, and [[Scorpius]] on the left; the head of the emu is the [[Coalsack]].]] |
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A [[constellation]] used almost everywhere in Australian Aboriginal culture is the "[[Emu]] in the Sky", which consists of [[dark nebula]]e (opaque clouds of dust and gas in outer space) that are visible against the (centre and other sectors of the) Milky Way background.<ref name=EmuPD1/><ref>{{cite web | |
A [[constellation]] used almost everywhere in Australian Aboriginal culture is the "[[Emu]] in the Sky", which consists of [[dark nebula]]e (opaque clouds of dust and gas in outer space) that are visible against the (centre and other sectors of the) Milky Way background.<ref name=EmuPD1/><ref>{{cite web |title=Emu in the Sky |url=http://emudreaming.com/Examples/emu.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240222184813/http://www.emudreaming.com/Examples/emu.htm |archive-date=Feb 22, 2024 |access-date=26 July 2020 |website=Australian Aboriginal Astronomy}}</ref> The Emu's head is the very dark [[Coalsack]] nebula, next to the [[Southern Cross]]; the body and legs are that extension of the [[Great Rift (astronomy)|Great Rift]] trailing out to [[Scorpius]].<ref name=EmuPD1>{{cite book |title=The Emu in the Sky: Stories about the Aboriginals and the day and night skies. The emu in the sky is shown in the dark space between stars° - The Emu |pages=15, 16 |author=Peter D'Arcy |editor=Margo Sutton |year=1994 |publisher=The National Science and Technology Centre |isbn=978-0-64618-202-5}}</ref> |
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In [[Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park]], north of Sydney, are extensive [[Sydney Rock Engravings|rock engravings]] of the [[Guringai]] people who lived there, including representations of the creator-hero [[Daramulan]] and his emu-wife. An engraving near the Elvina Track<ref name="Wild">{{cite web|title=Elvina Bay Aboriginal Engraving Walk|url=http://www.wildwalks.com/bushwalking-and-hiking-in-nsw/ku-ring-gai-chase-national-park/elvina-bay-aboriginal-engraving-walk.html| |
In [[Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park]], north of Sydney, are extensive [[Sydney Rock Engravings|rock engravings]] of the [[Guringai]] people who lived there, including representations of the creator-hero [[Daramulan]] and his emu-wife. An engraving near the Elvina Track<ref name="Wild">{{cite web |title=Elvina Bay Aboriginal Engraving Walk |url=http://www.wildwalks.com/bushwalking-and-hiking-in-nsw/ku-ring-gai-chase-national-park/elvina-bay-aboriginal-engraving-walk.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017235404/https://www.wildwalks.com/bushwalking-and-hiking-in-nsw/ku-ring-gai-chase-national-park/elvina-bay-aboriginal-engraving-walk.html |archive-date=Oct 17, 2023 |access-date=20 June 2016 |publisher=Wild Walks}}</ref> shows an emu in the same pose and orientation as the Emu in the Sky constellation. |
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To the [[Wardaman people|Wardaman]], however, the Coalsack is the head of a lawman.<ref name="harney05">Yidumduma Harney (2005)</ref> |
To the [[Wardaman people|Wardaman]], however, the Coalsack is the head of a lawman.<ref name="harney05">Yidumduma Harney (2005){{full citation needed|date=October 2023}}</ref> |
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[[Bruce Pascoe]]'s book ''[[Dark Emu]]'' takes its title from one of the Aboriginal names for the constellation, known as Gugurmin to the [[Wiradjuri]] people.<ref name=echonet>{{cite web | title=65,000 years of star gazing for Indigenous Australians |
[[Bruce Pascoe]]'s book ''[[Dark Emu]]'' takes its title from one of the Aboriginal names for the constellation, known as Gugurmin to the [[Wiradjuri]] people.<ref name="echonet">{{cite web |last=Kendall |first=Ross |date=15 October 2020 |title=65,000 years of star gazing for Indigenous Australians |url=https://www.echo.net.au/2020/10/65000-years-of-star-gazing-for-indigenous-australians/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129214542/https://www.echo.net.au/2020/10/65000-years-of-star-gazing-for-indigenous-australians/ |archive-date=Nov 29, 2023 |access-date=15 November 2020 |website=Echonetdaily}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | author1=Pascoe, Bruce|author-link=Bruce Pascoe | title=Dark Emu: Black Seeds: Agriculture or Accident? | date=2014 | publisher=Magabala Books | isbn=978-1-922142-43-6| url=https://www.magabala.com/products/dark-emu }}</ref> |
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In May 2020, the [[Royal Australian Mint]] launched a [[limited edition]] commemorative [[Australian one-dollar coin|one-dollar coin]], as the first in its "Star Dreaming" series celebrating Indigenous Australians' astrology.<ref name=ram>{{cite web | title=The Royal Australian Mint looks to the stars to honour Australian Indigenous stories | |
In May 2020, the [[Royal Australian Mint]] launched a [[limited edition]] commemorative [[Australian one-dollar coin|one-dollar coin]], as the first in its "Star Dreaming" series celebrating Indigenous Australians' astrology.<ref name="ram">{{cite web |date=3 September 2020 |title=The Royal Australian Mint looks to the stars to honour Australian Indigenous stories |url=https://www.ramint.gov.au/publications/royal-australian-mint-looks-stars-honour-australian-indigenous-stories |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240412170822/https://www.ramint.gov.au/publications/royal-australian-mint-looks-stars-honour-australian-indigenous-stories |archive-date=Apr 12, 2024 |access-date=10 August 2021 |website=[[Royal Australian Mint]]}}</ref> |
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===Canoe in Orion=== |
===Canoe in Orion=== |
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The [[Yolngu|Yolŋu]] people of northern Australia say that the constellation of [[Orion (constellation)|Orion]], which they call Julpan (or Djulpan), is a [[canoe]]. They tell the story of three brothers who went fishing, and one of them ate a sawfish that was forbidden under their law. Seeing this, the Sun-woman, Walu, made a waterspout that carried him and his two brothers and their canoe up into the sky. The three |
The [[Yolngu|Yolŋu]] people of northern Australia say that the constellation of [[Orion (constellation)|Orion]], which they call Julpan (or Djulpan), is a [[canoe]]. They tell the story of three brothers who went fishing, and one of them ate a sawfish that was forbidden under their law. Seeing this, the Sun-woman, Walu, made a waterspout that carried him and his two brothers and their canoe up into the sky. The three stars that line in the constellation's centre, which form [[Orion's Belt]] in Western mythology, are the three brothers; the [[Orion Nebula]] above them is the forbidden fish; and the bright stars [[Betelgeuse]] and [[Rigel]] are the [[Bow (ship)|bow]] and [[stern]] of the canoe. This is an example of astronomical legends underpinning the ethical and social codes that people use on Earth.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Canoe in Orion |url=http://emudreaming.com/Examples/djulpan.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017235403/http://emudreaming.com/Examples/djulpan.htm |archive-date=Oct 17, 2023 |access-date=26 July 2020 |website=Australian Aboriginal Astronomy}}</ref><ref name="emudream">{{cite web |title=Australian Aboriginal Astronomy |url=http://emudreaming.com/whatis.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017235403/http://emudreaming.com/whatis.htm |archive-date=Oct 17, 2023 |access-date=26 July 2020 |website=What is Aboriginal astronomy?}}</ref> |
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===Seven Sisters=== |
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{{see also|Pleiades in folklore and literature#Australia}} |
{{see also|Pleiades in folklore and literature#Australia}} |
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The [[Pleiades]] constellation figures in the [[Dreaming (spirituality)|Dreaming]]s and [[songline]]s of several Aboriginal Australian peoples, usually referred to as the seven sisters. The story has been described as "one of the most defining and predominant meta-narratives chronicled in ancient mainland Australia", which describes a male ancestral being (with names including Wati Nyiru, Yurlu and others<ref name=cgsong/>) who pursues seven sisters across the middle of the Australian continent from west to east, where the sisters turn into stars. Told by a number of peoples across the country, using varying names for the characters, it starts in [[Martu people|Martu]] country in the [[Pilbara]] region of [[Western Australia]] (specifically, [[Roebourne, Western Australia|Roebourne]]<ref name=cgsong>{{cite web | title=Songlines | website=Common Ground | url=https://www.commonground.org.au/learn/songlines | access-date= |
The [[Pleiades]] constellation figures in the [[Dreaming (spirituality)|Dreaming]]s and [[songline]]s of several Aboriginal Australian peoples, usually referred to as the seven sisters. The story has been described as "one of the most defining and predominant meta-narratives chronicled in ancient mainland Australia", which describes a male ancestral being (with names including Wati Nyiru, Yurlu and others<ref name=cgsong/>) who pursues seven sisters across the middle of the Australian continent from west to east, where the sisters turn into stars. Told by a number of peoples across the country, using varying names for the characters, it starts in [[Martu people|Martu]] country in the [[Pilbara]] region of [[Western Australia]] (specifically, [[Roebourne, Western Australia|Roebourne]]<ref name=cgsong>{{cite web | title=Songlines | website=Common Ground | url=https://www.commonground.org.au/learn/songlines | access-date=|date = October 25, 2022|first = Rona|last = Glynn-McDonald}}</ref>), and travels across the lands of the [[Ngaanyatjarra]] (WA) to ([[Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara]], or APY lands, of [[South Australia]], where the [[Pitjantjatjara]] and [[Yankunytjatjara]] peoples live. The story also includes [[Warlpiri people|Warlpiri]] lands, the [[Tanami Desert]] of the [[Northern Territory]].<ref name="nm2017">{{cite web |last=Nicholls |first=Christine Judith |date=20 December 2017 |title=Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters is a must-visit exhibition for all Australians |url=http://theconversation.com/songlines-tracking-the-seven-sisters-is-a-must-visit-exhibition-for-all-australians-89293 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018192225/https://theconversation.com/songlines-tracking-the-seven-sisters-is-a-must-visit-exhibition-for-all-australians-89293 |archive-date=Oct 18, 2023 |access-date=10 August 2021 |website=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]]}}</ref> |
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The [[Yamatji]] people of the [[Wajarri language]] group, of the [[Murchison (Western Australia)|Murchison region]] in |
The [[Yamatji]] people of the [[Wajarri language]] group, of the [[Murchison (Western Australia)|Murchison region]] in Western Australia, call the sisters Nyarluwarri. When the constellation is close to the horizon as the sun is setting, the people know that it is the right time to harvest emu eggs, and they also use the brightness of the stars to predict seasonal rainfall.<ref name=ram/> |
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In the [[Kimberley (Western Australia)|Kimberley]] region of |
In the [[Kimberley (Western Australia)|Kimberley]] region of Western Australia, the [[eagle hawk]] chases the seven sisters up into the sky, where they become the star cluster and he becomes the Southern Cross.<ref name=honeyant/> |
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In the [[Western Desert cultural bloc]] in central Australia, they are said to be seven sisters fleeing from the unwelcome attentions of a man represented by some of the stars in Orion, the hunter. In these stories, the man is called Nyiru<ref name=american>{{cite web | title=Seven Sisters Dreaming | website=Aboriginal Art & Culture: An American eye | date=24 March 2013 | url=https://aboriginalartandculture.wordpress.com/2013/03/24/seven-sisters-dreaming/ | access-date=15 November 2020}}</ref> or Nirunja,<ref name=honeyant/> and the Seven Sisters is songline known as ''Kungkarangkalpa''.<ref name=Archibald2017>{{cite web| url= https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2017/29841/ |title=Prizes: Archibald Prize 2017: Tjungkara Ken|website=[[Art Gallery of NSW]]|date=2017|access-date=15 November 2020}}</ref> The seven sisters story often features in the artwork of the region,<ref name=american/><ref>{{cite web | title=Kungkarangkalpa – Seven sisters | website=[[Art Gallery of South Australia]] | url=https://www.agsa.sa.gov.au/collection-publications/collection/works/kungkarangkalpa-seven-sisters/36894/ | access-date=15 November 2020}}</ref> such as the 2017 painting by [[Tjungkara Ken]],<ref name=Archibald2017/> [[Kaylene Whiskey]]'s 2018 work "Seven Sistas",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.magnt.net.au/2019natsiaa-winners|title=2019 Winners - Telstra NATSIAA|website=MAGNT|access-date=15 Nov 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-09/kaylene-whiskey-1/11401024|title=Kaylene Whiskey|date=9 Aug 2019|website=ABC News|access-date=15 Nov 2020}}</ref> and the large-scale [[art installation|installation]] by the [[Tjanpi Desert Weavers]] commissioned as a feature of the [[National Gallery of Australia|National Gallery of Australia's]] 2020 ''Know My Name'' Exhibition.<ref>{{Cite web| last=Bell| first=Delia| date=9 October 2020| title=Tjanpi Desert Weavers celebrated at National Art Gallery exhibition|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2020/10/09/tjanpi-desert-weavers-celebrated-national-art-gallery-exhibition|access-date=15 Nov 2020|website=[[NITV]]}}</ref> The [[Museum of Contemporary Art Australia]] in [[Sydney]] holds a 2013 work by the Tjanpi Desert Weavers called ''Minyma Punu Kungkarangkalpa'' (Seven Sisters Tree Women).<ref>{{cite web | title=Minyma Punu Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters Tree Women) | website=[[MCA Australia]] | url=https://www.mca.com.au/artists-works/works/201363a-g/ | access-date=15 November 2020}}</ref> In March 2013, senior desert dancers from the [[APY Lands]] (South Australia) in collaboration with the [[Australian National University]]'s ARC Linkage and mounted by artistic director [[Wesley Enoch]], |
In the [[Western Desert cultural bloc]] in central Australia, they are said to be seven sisters fleeing from the unwelcome attentions of a man represented by some of the stars in Orion, the hunter. In these stories, the man is called Nyiru<ref name=american>{{cite web | title=Seven Sisters Dreaming | website=Aboriginal Art & Culture: An American eye | date=24 March 2013 | url=https://aboriginalartandculture.wordpress.com/2013/03/24/seven-sisters-dreaming/ | access-date=15 November 2020}}</ref> or Nirunja,<ref name=honeyant/> and the Seven Sisters is songline known as ''Kungkarangkalpa''.<ref name=Archibald2017>{{cite web| url= https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/2017/29841/ |title=Prizes: Archibald Prize 2017: Tjungkara Ken|website=[[Art Gallery of NSW]]|date=2017|access-date=15 November 2020}}</ref> The seven sisters story often features in the artwork of the region,<ref name=american/><ref>{{cite web | title=Kungkarangkalpa – Seven sisters | website=[[Art Gallery of South Australia]] | url=https://www.agsa.sa.gov.au/collection-publications/collection/works/kungkarangkalpa-seven-sisters/36894/ | access-date=15 November 2020}}</ref> such as the 2017 painting by [[Tjungkara Ken]],<ref name=Archibald2017/> [[Kaylene Whiskey]]'s 2018 work "Seven Sistas",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.magnt.net.au/2019natsiaa-winners|title=2019 Winners - Telstra NATSIAA|website=MAGNT|access-date=15 Nov 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-09/kaylene-whiskey-1/11401024|title=Kaylene Whiskey|date=9 Aug 2019|website=ABC News|access-date=15 Nov 2020}}</ref> and the large-scale [[art installation|installation]] by the [[Tjanpi Desert Weavers]] commissioned as a feature of the [[National Gallery of Australia|National Gallery of Australia's]] 2020 ''Know My Name'' Exhibition.<ref>{{Cite web| last=Bell| first=Delia| date=9 October 2020| title=Tjanpi Desert Weavers celebrated at National Art Gallery exhibition|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2020/10/09/tjanpi-desert-weavers-celebrated-national-art-gallery-exhibition|access-date=15 Nov 2020|website=[[NITV]]}}</ref> The [[Museum of Contemporary Art Australia]] in [[Sydney]] holds a 2013 work by the Tjanpi Desert Weavers called ''Minyma Punu Kungkarangkalpa'' (Seven Sisters Tree Women).<ref>{{cite web | title=Minyma Punu Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters Tree Women) | website=[[MCA Australia]] | url=https://www.mca.com.au/artists-works/works/201363a-g/ | access-date=15 November 2020}}</ref> In March 2013, senior desert dancers from the [[APY Lands]] (South Australia) in collaboration with the [[Australian National University]]'s ARC Linkage and mounted by artistic director [[Wesley Enoch]], performed ''Kungkarangkalpa: The Seven Sisters Songline'' on the shores of [[Lake Burley Griffin]] in [[Canberra]].<ref name=american/><ref>{{cite web | title=About | website=Kungkarangkalpa: Seven Sisters Songline | url=http://sevensisterssongline.com/about/ | access-date=15 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Kungkarangkalpa : Seven Sisters Songline | website=Kungkarangkalpa: Seven Sisters Songline | date=2 March 2013 | url=https://cdhr-projects.anu.edu.au/songlines/| format=Video (1 hr 8 mins)| access-date=10 August 2021}}</ref> |
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In the [[Warlpiri people|Warlpiri]] version of the story, the Napaljarri sisters are often represented carrying a man called Wardilyka, who is in love with the women. But the morning star, Jukurra-jukurra, a man from a different [[skin group]] and who is also in love with the sisters, chases them across the sky. Each night they launch themselves into the sky, and each night he follows them. This story is known as the ''Napaljarri-warnu [[Jukurrpa]]''.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Seven Sisters (Pleiades) Star Dreaming Story | website=Japingka Aboriginal Art Gallery | date=30 October 2019 | url=https://japingkaaboriginalart.com/articles/star-dreaming-seven-sisters/ | access-date=15 November 2020}}</ref> |
In the [[Warlpiri people|Warlpiri]] version of the story, the Napaljarri sisters are often represented carrying a man called Wardilyka, who is in love with the women. But the morning star, Jukurra-jukurra, a man from a different [[skin group]] and who is also in love with the sisters, chases them across the sky. Each night they launch themselves into the sky, and each night he follows them. This story is known as the ''Napaljarri-warnu [[Jukurrpa]]''.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Seven Sisters (Pleiades) Star Dreaming Story | website=Japingka Aboriginal Art Gallery | date=30 October 2019 | url=https://japingkaaboriginalart.com/articles/star-dreaming-seven-sisters/ | access-date=15 November 2020}}</ref> |
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The [[Wirangu people]] of the west coast of [[South Australia]] have a [[creation story]] embodied in a [[songline]] of great significance based on the Pleiades. In the story, the hunter (the [[Orion constellation]]) is named Tgilby. Tgilby, after falling in love with the seven sisters, known as Yugarilya, chases them out of the sky, onto and across the earth. He chases them as the Yugarilya chase a snake, Dyunu.<ref name="Hamilton 2020">{{cite web | last=Hamilton | first=Jodie | title=Seven Sisters stars creation story reconnecting people to their country after clifftop massacre taboo lifted | website=ABC News|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation | date=7 October 2020 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-08/wirangu-seven-sisters-songline-indigenous-healing-reconciliation/12380698 | access-date=11 November 2020}}</ref> |
The [[Wirangu people]] of the west coast of [[South Australia]] have a [[creation story]] embodied in a [[songline]] of great significance based on the Pleiades. In the story, the hunter (the [[Orion constellation]]) is named Tgilby. Tgilby, after falling in love with the seven sisters, known as Yugarilya, chases them out of the sky, onto and across the earth. He chases them as the Yugarilya chase a snake, Dyunu.<ref name="Hamilton 2020">{{cite web | last=Hamilton | first=Jodie | title=Seven Sisters stars creation story reconnecting people to their country after clifftop massacre taboo lifted | website=ABC News|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation | date=7 October 2020 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-08/wirangu-seven-sisters-songline-indigenous-healing-reconciliation/12380698 | access-date=11 November 2020}}</ref> |
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[[File:Seven Sisters coin Royal Australian Mint 1 dollar 2020 Reverse.jpg|thumb|1 dollar commemorative coin issued in 2020 by the [[Royal Australian Mint]], with the seven sisters on the reverse |
[[File:Seven Sisters coin Royal Australian Mint 1 dollar 2020 Reverse.jpg|thumb|1 dollar commemorative coin issued in 2020 by the [[Royal Australian Mint]], with the seven sisters on the reverse<ref name=ram/>]] |
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The [[Boonwurrung language|Boonwurrung]] people of the [[Kulin Nation|Kulin]] nation of [[Victoria, Australia|Victoria]] tell the |
The [[Boonwurrung language|Boonwurrung]] people of the [[Kulin Nation|Kulin]] nation of [[Victoria, Australia|Victoria]] tell the [[Karatgurk]] story, which tells of how a crow robbed the seven sisters of their secret of how to make fire, thus bringing the skill to the people on earth.<ref>{{cite book | author=Mudrooroo | title =Aboriginal mythology: An A-Z spanning the history of the Australian Aboriginal people from the earliest legends to the present day | publisher = Thorsons | year = 1994 | location = London | pages = 35–36 | isbn = 978-1-85538-306-7}}</ref> |
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In another story, told by peoples of [[New South Wales]], the seven sisters are beautiful women known as the Maya-Mayi, two of whom are kidnapped by a warrior, Warrumma, or Warunna.<ref name=honeyant>{{cite web | title=The Story of the "Seven Sisters" | website=Honey Ant Gallery | date=2017 | url=https://www.honeyantgallery.com/story-seven-sisters/ | access-date=15 November 2020}}</ref> They eventually escape by climbing a [[pine tree]] that continually grows up into the sky where they join their other sisters.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Emu in the Sky: Stories about the Aboriginals and the day and night skies - The Seven Sisters (The Pleiades) |pages=5–6 |author=Peter D'Arcy |editor=Margo Sutton |year=1994 |publisher=The National Science and Technology Centre |isbn=978-0-64618-202-5}}</ref> |
In another story, told by peoples of [[New South Wales]], the seven sisters are beautiful women known as the Maya-Mayi, two of whom are kidnapped by a warrior, Warrumma, or Warunna.<ref name=honeyant>{{cite web | title=The Story of the "Seven Sisters" | website=Honey Ant Gallery | date=2017 | url=https://www.honeyantgallery.com/story-seven-sisters/ | access-date=15 November 2020}}</ref> They eventually escape by climbing a [[pine tree]] that continually grows up into the sky where they join their other sisters.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Emu in the Sky: Stories about the Aboriginals and the day and night skies - The Seven Sisters (The Pleiades) |pages=5–6 |author=Peter D'Arcy |editor=Margo Sutton |year=1994 |publisher=The National Science and Technology Centre |isbn=978-0-64618-202-5}}</ref> |
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In 2017, a major exhibition entitled ''Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters'' was mounted at the [[National Museum of Australia]] |
In 2017, a major exhibition entitled ''[[Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters]]'' was mounted at the [[National Museum of Australia]],<ref name=nm2017/> afterwards travelling to [[Berlin]] (2022) and [[Paris]] (2023).<ref name=goerling2022>{{cite web | last=Goerling | first=Samantha | title=Acclaimed Martumili artists' work lights up the Opera House for Vivid festival | website=ABC News| publisher= [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] | date=18 June 2022 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-18/vivid-festival-sydney-opera-house-martumili-artists-/101159026 | access-date=20 June 2022}}</ref> |
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In September 2020, the Royal Australian Mint issued its second commemorative one-dollar coin in its "Star Dreaming" series celebrating Indigenous Australians' astrology (see [[Emu in the sky]] above).<ref name=ram/> |
In September 2020, the [[Royal Australian Mint]] issued its second commemorative one-dollar coin in its "Star Dreaming" series celebrating Indigenous Australians' astrology (see [[Emu in the sky]] above).<ref name=ram/> |
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===The Milky Way=== |
===The Milky Way=== |
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| website=Australian Aboriginal Astronomy | url=http://emudreaming.com/Examples/SunMoon.htm| access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref> |
| website=Australian Aboriginal Astronomy | url=http://emudreaming.com/Examples/SunMoon.htm| access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref> |
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The Yolŋu say that [[Wala (goddess)|Walu]], the Sun-woman, lights a small fire each morning, which we see as the dawn.<ref name="wells64">Wells (1964)</ref> She paints herself with [[red ochre]], some of which spills onto the clouds, creating the sunrise. She then lights a torch and carries it across the sky from east to west, creating daylight. At the end of her journey, as she descends from the sky, some of her ochre paints again rubs off onto the clouds, creating the sunset. She then puts out her torch, and throughout the night travels underground back to her starting camp in the east.<ref name=sme/> Other Aboriginal peoples of the [[Northern Territory]] call her [[Wuriupranili]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Emu in the Sky: Stories about the Aboriginals and the day and night skies - The Sun |pages=3, 4 |author=Peter D'Arcy |editor=Margo Sutton |year=1994 |publisher=The National Science and Technology Centre |isbn=978-0-64618-202-5}}</ref> Other stories about the Sun involve [[Wala (goddess)|Wala]], [[Yhi]], and [[Gnowee]]. |
The Yolŋu say that [[Wala (goddess)|Walu]], the Sun-woman, lights a small fire each morning, which we see as the dawn.<ref name="wells64">Wells (1964){{full citation needed|date=October 2023}}</ref> She paints herself with [[red ochre]], some of which spills onto the clouds, creating the sunrise. She then lights a torch and carries it across the sky from east to west, creating daylight. At the end of her journey, as she descends from the sky, some of her ochre paints again rubs off onto the clouds, creating the sunset. She then puts out her torch, and throughout the night travels underground back to her starting camp in the east.<ref name=sme/> Other Aboriginal peoples of the [[Northern Territory]] call her [[Wuriupranili]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Emu in the Sky: Stories about the Aboriginals and the day and night skies - The Sun |pages=3, 4 |author=Peter D'Arcy |editor=Margo Sutton |year=1994 |publisher=The National Science and Technology Centre |isbn= 978-0-64618-202-5}}</ref> Other stories about the Sun involve [[Wala (goddess)|Wala]], [[Yhi]], and [[Gnowee]]. |
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The Yolŋu tell that [[Ngalindi]], the Moon-man, was once young and slim (the [[waxing Moon]]), but grew fat and lazy (the [[full Moon]]). His wives chopped bits off him with their axes (the [[waning Moon]]); to escape them he climbed a tall tree towards the Sun, but died from the wounds (the [[new Moon]]). After remaining dead for three days, he rose again to repeat the cycle, and continues doing so till this day. The [[Malak-Malak language|Kuwema]] people in the [[Northern Territory]] say that he grows fat at each full Moon by devouring the spirits of those who disobey the tribal laws.<ref name=sme/><ref name="wells64"/><ref name="hulley96">Hulley (1996)</ref> Another story by the Aboriginals of [[Cape York Peninsula|Cape York]] involves the making of a giant [[boomerang]] that is thrown into the sky and becomes the Moon.<ref name=EmuPD2/> |
The Yolŋu tell that [[Ngalindi]], the Moon-man, was once young and slim (the [[waxing Moon]]), but grew fat and lazy (the [[full Moon]]). His wives chopped bits off him with their axes (the [[waning Moon]]); to escape them he climbed a tall tree towards the Sun, but died from the wounds (the [[new Moon]]). After remaining dead for three days, he rose again to repeat the cycle, and continues doing so till this day. The [[Malak-Malak language|Kuwema]] people in the [[Northern Territory]] say that he grows fat at each full Moon by devouring the spirits of those who disobey the tribal laws.<ref name=sme/><ref name="wells64"/><ref name="hulley96">Hulley (1996){{full citation needed|date=October 2023}}</ref> Another story by the Aboriginals of [[Cape York Peninsula|Cape York]] involves the making of a giant [[boomerang]] that is thrown into the sky and becomes the Moon.<ref name=EmuPD2/> |
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A story from Southern [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] concerns a beautiful woman who is forced to live by herself in the sky after a number of scandalous [[affair]]s.<ref name=EmuPD2>{{cite book |title=The Emu in the Sky: Stories about the Aboriginals and the day and night skies - The Moon |pages=7, 8 |author=Peter D'Arcy |editor=Margo Sutton |year=1994 |publisher=The National Science and Technology Centre |isbn=978-0-64618-202-5}}</ref> |
A story from Southern [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] concerns a beautiful woman who is forced to live by herself in the sky after a number of scandalous [[affair]]s.<ref name=EmuPD2>{{cite book |title=The Emu in the Sky: Stories about the Aboriginals and the day and night skies - The Moon |pages=7, 8 |author=Peter D'Arcy |editor=Margo Sutton |year=1994 |publisher=The National Science and Technology Centre |isbn=978-0-64618-202-5}}</ref> |
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===Jupiter=== |
===Jupiter=== |
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The [[Dja Dja Wurrung]] call [[Jupiter]] "[[Bunjil]]'s campfire". The [[planet]] features in the |
The [[Dja Dja Wurrung]] call [[Jupiter]] "[[Bunjil]]'s campfire". The [[planet]] features in the Dja Dja Wurrung Aboriginal Clans Corporation logo, as a symbol of the Creator Spirit.<ref name="DjaDjaWurrungSettlement">{{cite web|url=https://assets.justice.vic.gov.au/justice/resources/9bb99c9b-5e06-4276-99f6-52f8c90d284b/brochuredjadjawurrungrecognitionandsettlementagreement.pdf|title=Dja Dja Wurrung Settlement Agreement|date=2011|access-date=23 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326002924/http://assets.justice.vic.gov.au/justice/resources/9bb99c9b-5e06-4276-99f6-52f8c90d284b/brochuredjadjawurrungrecognitionandsettlementagreement.pdf|archive-date=26 March 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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===Eta Carinae=== |
===Eta Carinae=== |
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| issue = 3 |
| issue = 3 |
||
| pages = 220–234 |
| pages = 220–234 |
||
| doi = 10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.2010.03.06 |
|||
| arxiv = 1010.4610 |
| arxiv = 1010.4610 |
||
| bibcode = 2010JAHH...13..220H |
| bibcode = 2010JAHH...13..220H |
||
| s2cid = 118454721 |
|||
}} |
}} |
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</ref> This is the only definitive indigenous record of Eta Carinae's outburst identified in the literature to date. |
</ref> This is the only definitive indigenous record of Eta Carinae's outburst identified in the literature to date. |
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==Astronomical calendars== |
==Astronomical calendars== |
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Aboriginal calendars tend to differ from European calendars: many groups in northern Australia use a calendar with six seasons, and some groups mark the seasons by the stars which are visible during them. For the [[Pitjantjatjara people|Pitjantjatjara]], for example, the rising of the Pleiades at dawn (in May) marks the start of winter.<ref name=cal>{{cite web | title=Calendars | website=Australian Aboriginal Astronomy | url=http://emudreaming.com/Examples/calendar.htm | access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref><ref name="clarke03">Clarke (2003)</ref> |
Aboriginal calendars tend to differ from European calendars: many groups in northern Australia use a calendar with six seasons, and some groups mark the seasons by the stars which are visible during them. For the [[Pitjantjatjara people|Pitjantjatjara]], for example, the rising of the Pleiades at dawn (in May) marks the start of winter.<ref name=cal>{{cite web | title=Calendars | website=Australian Aboriginal Astronomy | url=http://emudreaming.com/Examples/calendar.htm | access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref><ref name="clarke03">Clarke (2003){{full citation needed|date=October 2023}}</ref> |
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Stories enrich a custom-linked calendar whereby the [[heliacal rising]] or setting of stars or constellations indicates to [[Aboriginal Australians]] when it is time to move to a new place and/or look for a new food source.<ref name=cal/> |
Stories enrich a custom-linked calendar whereby the [[heliacal rising]] or setting of stars or constellations indicates to [[Aboriginal Australians]] when it is time to move to a new place and/or look for a new food source.<ref name=cal/> |
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The [[Boorong]] people in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] know that when ''the [[Malleefowl]]'' ([[Lyra]]) disappears in October, to "sit with the Sun", it is time to start gathering her eggs on Earth. Other groups know that when [[Orion (constellation)|Orion]] first appears in the sky, the [[dingo]] puppies are about to be born. When [[Scorpius]] appears, the Yolŋu know that the [[Makassar|Macassan]] fisherman would soon arrive to fish for [[Holothuroidea|trepang]].<ref name=cal/> |
The [[Boorong]] people in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] know that when ''the [[Malleefowl]]'' ([[Lyra]]) disappears in October, to "sit with the Sun", it is time to start gathering her eggs on Earth. Other groups know that when [[Orion (constellation)|Orion]] first appears in the sky, the [[dingo]] puppies are about to be born. When [[Scorpius]] appears, the Yolŋu know that the [[Makassar|Macassan]] fisherman would soon arrive to fish for [[Holothuroidea|trepang]].<ref name=cal/> |
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It is not known to what extent Aboriginal people were interested in the precise motion of the sun, moon, planets or stars. However, it likely that some of the [[stone arrangements]] in Victoria such as [[Wurdi Youang]] near [[Little River, Victoria]] may have been used to predict and confirm the [[equinox]]es and/or [[solstice]]s. The arrangement is aligned with the setting sun at the solstices and equinox, but its age is unknown.<ref name="wyr">{{Cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/technology/sci-tech/ancient-aboriginal-eyes-were-on-the-skies/story-fn5fsgyc-1226000523978 |title=Wurdi Youang rocks could prove Aborigines were first astronomers |author=Andrew Carswell and Robert Cockburn |access-date=14 March 2011 |date=5 February 2011 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |
It is not known to what extent Aboriginal people were interested in the precise motion of the sun, moon, planets or stars. However, it likely that some of the [[stone arrangements]] in Victoria such as [[Wurdi Youang]] near [[Little River, Victoria]], may have been used to predict and confirm the [[equinox]]es and/or [[solstice]]s. The arrangement is aligned with the setting sun at the solstices and equinox, but its age is unknown.<ref name="wyr">{{Cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/technology/sci-tech/ancient-aboriginal-eyes-were-on-the-skies/story-fn5fsgyc-1226000523978 |title=Wurdi Youang rocks could prove Aborigines were first astronomers |author=Andrew Carswell and Robert Cockburn |access-date=14 March 2011 |date=5 February 2011 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Wurdi Youang | website=Australian Aboriginal Astronomy | url=http://emudreaming.com/Examples/WurdiYouang.htm | access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref> |
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There are rock engravings by the [[Nganguraku]] people at [[Ngaut Ngaut]] which, according to oral tradition, represent lunar cycles. Most of their culture (including their language) has been lost because of the banning of such things by Christian [[missionary|missionaries]] before 1913.<ref>{{cite web | title=Ngaut Ngaut: a tally of lunar cycles? | website=Australian Aboriginal Astronomy | url=http://emudreaming.com/Examples/NgautNgaut.htm | access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref><ref name=cal/> |
There are rock engravings by the [[Nganguraku]] people at [[Ngaut Ngaut]] which, according to oral tradition, represent lunar cycles. Most of their culture (including their language) has been lost because of the banning of such things by Christian [[missionary|missionaries]] before 1913.<ref>{{cite web | title=Ngaut Ngaut: a tally of lunar cycles? | website=Australian Aboriginal Astronomy | url=http://emudreaming.com/Examples/NgautNgaut.htm | access-date=26 July 2020}}</ref><ref name=cal/> |
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A great deal of contemporary Aboriginal art has an astronomical theme, reflecting the astronomical elements of the artists' cultures. Prominent examples are [[Gulumbu Yunupingu]], [[Bill Yidumduma Harney]], and [[Nami Maymuru]], all of whom have won awards or been finalists in the [[Telstra Indigenous Art Awards]]. In 2009 an exhibition of Indigenous Astronomical Art from [[Western Australia|WA]], named Ilgarijiri was launched at [[AIATSIS]] in [[Canberra]] in conjunction with a Symposium on Aboriginal Astronomy.<ref>[http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/research/symposia/astronomy09.html 'Things belonging to the sky': a symposium on Indigenous Astronomy] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091112040428/http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/research/symposia/astronomy09.html |date=12 November 2009 }}</ref> |
A great deal of contemporary Aboriginal art has an astronomical theme, reflecting the astronomical elements of the artists' cultures. Prominent examples are [[Gulumbu Yunupingu]], [[Bill Yidumduma Harney]], and [[Nami Maymuru]], all of whom have won awards or been finalists in the [[Telstra Indigenous Art Awards]]. In 2009 an exhibition of Indigenous Astronomical Art from [[Western Australia|WA]], named Ilgarijiri was launched at [[AIATSIS]] in [[Canberra]] in conjunction with a Symposium on Aboriginal Astronomy.<ref>[http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/research/symposia/astronomy09.html 'Things belonging to the sky': a symposium on Indigenous Astronomy] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091112040428/http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/research/symposia/astronomy09.html |date=12 November 2009 }}</ref> |
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Other contemporary painters include the daughters of the late [[Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri]], who have the seven sisters as one of their [[Dreaming (spirituality)|Dreaming]]s. Gabriella Possum and Michelle Possum paint the Seven Sisters Dreaming in their paintings. They inherited this Dreaming through their maternal line. |
Other contemporary painters include the daughters of the late [[Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri]], who have the seven sisters as one of their [[Dreaming (spirituality)|Dreaming]]s. [[Gabriella Possum]] and Michelle Possum paint the Seven Sisters Dreaming in their paintings. They inherited this Dreaming through their maternal line. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* {{cite journal | last1 = Hamacher | first1 = D.W. | year = 2011 | title = Meteoritics and cosmology among the Aboriginal cultures of Central Australia |url=http://journalofcosmology.com/AncientAstronomy121.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711013518/http://journalofcosmology.com/AncientAstronomy121.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 July 2020 | type = PDF | journal = Journal of Cosmology | volume = 13 | pages = 3743–3753 |arxiv = 1103.0595 |bibcode = 2011JCos...13.3743H }}<!-- Fringe journal, that fooled a non-fringe scientist, See bibcode link "Comment: |
* {{cite journal | last1 = Hamacher | first1 = D.W. | year = 2011 | title = Meteoritics and cosmology among the Aboriginal cultures of Central Australia |url=http://journalofcosmology.com/AncientAstronomy121.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711013518/http://journalofcosmology.com/AncientAstronomy121.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 July 2020 | type = PDF | journal = Journal of Cosmology | volume = 13 | pages = 3743–3753 |arxiv = 1103.0595 |bibcode = 2011JCos...13.3743H }}<!-- Fringe journal, that fooled a non-fringe scientist, See bibcode link "Comment: |
||
Notice: This paper in no way supports or endorses Panspermia or any of the fringe or pseudoscientific material published by this journal or its editors." --> |
Notice: This paper in no way supports or endorses Panspermia or any of the fringe or pseudoscientific material published by this journal or its editors." --> |
||
* {{cite journal | last1 = Hamacher | first1 = D.W. | last2 = Frew | first2 = D.J. | year = 2010 | title = An Aboriginal Australian record of the Great Eruption of Eta Carinae | journal = Journal of Astronomical History & Heritage | volume = 13 | issue = 3| pages = 220–234 |arxiv = 1010.4610 |bibcode = 2010JAHH...13..220H }} |
* {{cite journal | last1 = Hamacher | first1 = D.W. | last2 = Frew | first2 = D.J. | year = 2010 | title = An Aboriginal Australian record of the Great Eruption of Eta Carinae | journal = Journal of Astronomical History & Heritage | volume = 13 | issue = 3| pages = 220–234 | doi = 10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.2010.03.06 |arxiv = 1010.4610 |bibcode = 2010JAHH...13..220H | s2cid = 118454721 }} |
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* {{cite journal | last1 = Hamacher | first1 = D.W. | last2 = Fuller | first2 = R.S. | last3 = Norris | first3 = R.P. | year = 2012 | title = Orientations of Linear Stone Arrangements in New South Wales | arxiv = 1209.0146| journal = Australian Archaeology | volume = 75 | pages = 46–54 |bibcode = 2012AuArc..75...46H }} |
* {{cite journal | last1 = Hamacher | first1 = D.W. | last2 = Fuller | first2 = R.S. | last3 = Norris | first3 = R.P. | year = 2012 | title = Orientations of Linear Stone Arrangements in New South Wales | arxiv = 1209.0146| journal = Australian Archaeology | volume = 75 | pages = 46–54 | doi = 10.1080/03122417.2012.11681949 |bibcode = 2012AuArc..75...46H | s2cid = 8171354 }} |
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* {{cite journal | last1 = Hamacher | first1 = D.W. | last2 = Goldsmith | first2 = J. | year = 2013 | title = Aboriginal Oral Traditions of Australian Impact Craters | journal = Journal of Astronomical History & Heritage | volume = 16 | issue = 3| pages = 295–311 |arxiv = 1306.0278 |bibcode = 2013JAHH...16..295H }} |
* {{cite journal | last1 = Hamacher | first1 = D.W. | last2 = Goldsmith | first2 = J. | year = 2013 | title = Aboriginal Oral Traditions of Australian Impact Craters | journal = Journal of Astronomical History & Heritage | volume = 16 | issue = 3| pages = 295–311 | doi = 10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.2013.03.06 |arxiv = 1306.0278 |bibcode = 2013JAHH...16..295H | s2cid = 118556709 }} |
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* Hamacher, D.W. & Norris, R.P. (2011). Bridging the Gap through Australian Cultural Astronomy. In ''Archaeoastronomy & Ethnoastronomy: building bridges between cultures'', edited by C. Ruggles. Cambridge University Press, pp. 282–290. |
* Hamacher, D.W. & Norris, R.P. (2011). Bridging the Gap through Australian Cultural Astronomy. In ''Archaeoastronomy & Ethnoastronomy: building bridges between cultures'', edited by C. Ruggles. Cambridge University Press, pp. 282–290. |
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* {{cite journal | last1 = Hamacher | first1 = D.W. | last2 = Norris | first2 = R.P. | year = 2011 | title = Eclipses in Australian Aboriginal Astronomy | journal = Journal of Astronomical History & Heritage | volume = 14 | issue = 2| pages = 103–114 |arxiv = 1105.2635 |bibcode = 2011JAHH...14..103H }} |
* {{cite journal | last1 = Hamacher | first1 = D.W. | last2 = Norris | first2 = R.P. | year = 2011 | title = Eclipses in Australian Aboriginal Astronomy | journal = Journal of Astronomical History & Heritage | volume = 14 | issue = 2| pages = 103–114 | doi = 10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.2011.02.03 |arxiv = 1105.2635 |bibcode = 2011JAHH...14..103H | s2cid = 54818087 }} |
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* {{cite journal | last1 = Hamacher | first1 = D.W. | last2 = Norris | first2 = R.P. | year = 2011 | title = Comets in Australian Aboriginal Astronomy | journal = Journal of Astronomical History & Heritage | volume = 14 | issue = 1| pages = 31–40 |arxiv = 1010.0801 |bibcode = 2011JAHH...14...31H }} |
* {{cite journal | last1 = Hamacher | first1 = D.W. | last2 = Norris | first2 = R.P. | year = 2011 | title = Comets in Australian Aboriginal Astronomy | journal = Journal of Astronomical History & Heritage | volume = 14 | issue = 1| pages = 31–40 | doi = 10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.2011.01.03 |arxiv = 1010.0801 |bibcode = 2011JAHH...14...31H | s2cid = 118417832 }} |
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* {{cite journal | last1 = Hamacher | first1 = D.W. | last2 = Norris | first2 = R.P. | year = 2010 | title = Meteors in Australian Aboriginal Dreamings | url = http://www.warawara.mq.edu.au/staff/dhamacher/meteors.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110219080442/http://www.warawara.mq.edu.au/staff/dhamacher/meteors.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2011-02-19| journal = WGN, Journal of the International Meteor Organization | volume = 38 | issue = 3 | pages = 87–98 | bibcode = 2010JIMO...38...87H }} |
* {{cite journal | last1 = Hamacher | first1 = D.W. | last2 = Norris | first2 = R.P. | year = 2010 | title = Meteors in Australian Aboriginal Dreamings | url = http://www.warawara.mq.edu.au/staff/dhamacher/meteors.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110219080442/http://www.warawara.mq.edu.au/staff/dhamacher/meteors.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2011-02-19| journal = WGN, Journal of the International Meteor Organization | volume = 38 | issue = 3 | pages = 87–98 | bibcode = 2010JIMO...38...87H }} |
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* {{cite journal | last1 = Hamacher | first1 = D.W. | last2 = Norris | first2 = R.P. | year = 2009 | title = Australian Aboriginal Geomythology: eyewitness accounts of cosmic impacts? | journal = Archaeoastronomy: The Journal of Astronomy in Culture | volume = 22 | pages = 60–93 | arxiv = 1009.4251 }} |
* {{cite journal | last1 = Hamacher | first1 = D.W. | last2 = Norris | first2 = R.P. | year = 2009 | title = Australian Aboriginal Geomythology: eyewitness accounts of cosmic impacts? | journal = Archaeoastronomy: The Journal of Astronomy in Culture | volume = 22 | pages = 60–93 | arxiv = 1009.4251 | bibcode = 2009Arch...22...62H }} |
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* Haynes, R.F., et al. (1996). Dreaming the Stars. In ''Explorers of the Southern Sky'', edited by R. Haynes. Cambridge University Press, pp. 7–20. |
* Haynes, R.F., et al. (1996). Dreaming the Stars. In ''Explorers of the Southern Sky'', edited by R. Haynes. Cambridge University Press, pp. 7–20. |
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* Johnson, D. (1998). ''Night skies of Aboriginal Australia: a Noctuary''. University of Sydney Press. |
* Johnson, D. (1998). ''Night skies of Aboriginal Australia: a Noctuary''. University of Sydney Press. |
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* Morieson, J. (2003). The Astronomy of the Boorong. ''World Archaeological Congress'', June 2003. |
* Morieson, J. (2003). The Astronomy of the Boorong. ''World Archaeological Congress'', June 2003. |
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* Norris, R.P. & Hamacher, D.W. (2013). Australian Aboriginal Astronomy: An Overview. In ''Handbook of Cultural Astronomy'', edited by C. Ruggles. Springer, in press. |
* Norris, R.P. & Hamacher, D.W. (2013). Australian Aboriginal Astronomy: An Overview. In ''Handbook of Cultural Astronomy'', edited by C. Ruggles. Springer, in press. |
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* {{cite journal | last1 = Norris | first1 = R.P. | last2 = Hamacher | first2 = D.W. | year = 2011 | title = Astronomical symbolism in Australian Aboriginal rock art | journal = Rock Art Research | volume = 28 | issue = 1| pages = 99–106 | arxiv = 1009.4753 }} |
* {{cite journal | last1 = Norris | first1 = R.P. | last2 = Hamacher | first2 = D.W. | year = 2011 | title = Astronomical symbolism in Australian Aboriginal rock art | journal = Rock Art Research | volume = 28 | issue = 1| pages = 99–106 | arxiv = 1009.4753 | bibcode = 2011RArtR..28...99N }} |
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* Norris, R.P. & Hamacher, D.W. (2009). The Astronomy of Aboriginal Australia. In ''The Role of Astronomy in Society and Culture'', edited by D. Valls-Gabaud & A. Boksenberg. Cambridge University Press, pp. 39–47. |
* Norris, R.P. & Hamacher, D.W. (2009). The Astronomy of Aboriginal Australia. In ''The Role of Astronomy in Society and Culture'', edited by D. Valls-Gabaud & A. Boksenberg. Cambridge University Press, pp. 39–47. |
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* {{cite journal | last1 = Norris | first1 = R.P. | last2 = Norris | first2 = P.M. | last3 = Hamacher | first3 = D.W. | last4 = Abrahams | first4 = R. | year = 2012 | title = Wurdi Youang: an Australian Aboriginal stone arrangement with possible solar indications | arxiv = 1210.7000| journal = Rock Art Research | volume = 30 | issue = 1| pages = 55–65 |bibcode = 2013RArtR..30...55N }} |
* {{cite journal | last1 = Norris | first1 = R.P. | last2 = Norris | first2 = P.M. | last3 = Hamacher | first3 = D.W. | last4 = Abrahams | first4 = R. | year = 2012 | title = Wurdi Youang: an Australian Aboriginal stone arrangement with possible solar indications | arxiv = 1210.7000| journal = Rock Art Research | volume = 30 | issue = 1| pages = 55–65 |bibcode = 2013RArtR..30...55N }} |
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* Norris, R.P. & Norris, P.M. (2008). ''Emu Dreaming: An Introduction to Aboriginal Astronomy''. Emu Dreaming, Sydney. |
* Norris, R.P. & Norris, P.M. (2008). ''Emu Dreaming: An Introduction to Aboriginal Astronomy''. Emu Dreaming, Sydney. |
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* Norris, R. P., (2016) {{cite journal|title=Dawes Review 5: Australian Aboriginal Astronomy and Navigation|date=2 August 2016| journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia | volume=33 |page=39|arxiv=1607.02215|bibcode=2016PASA...33...39N|doi=10.1017/pasa.2016.25|last1 = Norris|first1 = Ray P.}} |
* Norris, R. P., (2016) {{cite journal|title=Dawes Review 5: Australian Aboriginal Astronomy and Navigation|date=2 August 2016| journal=Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia | volume=33 |page=39|arxiv=1607.02215|bibcode=2016PASA...33...39N|doi=10.1017/pasa.2016.25|last1 = Norris|first1 = Ray P.|s2cid=119304459 }} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
Revision as of 09:17, 22 June 2024
Australian Aboriginal astronomy has been passed down orally, through ceremonies, and in their artwork of many kinds. The astronomical systems passed down thus show a depth of understanding of the movement of celestial objects which allowed them to use them as a practical means for creating calendars and for navigating across the continent and waters of Australia.[1] There is a diversity of astronomical traditions in Australia, each with its own particular expression of cosmology. However, there appear to be common themes and systems between the groups. Due to the long history of Australian Aboriginal astronomy, the Aboriginal peoples have been described as "world's first astronomers" on several occasions.[2][3][4]
Many of the constellations were given names based on their shapes, just as traditional western astronomy does, such as the Pleiades, Orion and the Milky Way, with others, such as Emu in the Sky, describes the dark patches rather than the points lit by the stars. Contemporary Indigenous Australian art often references astronomical subjects and their related lore, such as the Seven Sisters.
Records of Aboriginal astronomy
One of the earliest written records of Aboriginal astronomy was made by William Edward Stanbridge, an Englishman who emigrated to Australia in 1841 and befriended the local Boorong people.[5]
Interpreting the sky
Emu in the sky
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Emu_public.jpg)
A constellation used almost everywhere in Australian Aboriginal culture is the "Emu in the Sky", which consists of dark nebulae (opaque clouds of dust and gas in outer space) that are visible against the (centre and other sectors of the) Milky Way background.[6][7] The Emu's head is the very dark Coalsack nebula, next to the Southern Cross; the body and legs are that extension of the Great Rift trailing out to Scorpius.[6]
In Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, north of Sydney, are extensive rock engravings of the Guringai people who lived there, including representations of the creator-hero Daramulan and his emu-wife. An engraving near the Elvina Track[8] shows an emu in the same pose and orientation as the Emu in the Sky constellation.
To the Wardaman, however, the Coalsack is the head of a lawman.[9]
Bruce Pascoe's book Dark Emu takes its title from one of the Aboriginal names for the constellation, known as Gugurmin to the Wiradjuri people.[10][11]
In May 2020, the Royal Australian Mint launched a limited edition commemorative one-dollar coin, as the first in its "Star Dreaming" series celebrating Indigenous Australians' astrology.[12]
Canoe in Orion
The Yolŋu people of northern Australia say that the constellation of Orion, which they call Julpan (or Djulpan), is a canoe. They tell the story of three brothers who went fishing, and one of them ate a sawfish that was forbidden under their law. Seeing this, the Sun-woman, Walu, made a waterspout that carried him and his two brothers and their canoe up into the sky. The three stars that line in the constellation's centre, which form Orion's Belt in Western mythology, are the three brothers; the Orion Nebula above them is the forbidden fish; and the bright stars Betelgeuse and Rigel are the bow and stern of the canoe. This is an example of astronomical legends underpinning the ethical and social codes that people use on Earth.[13][14]
Seven Sisters
The Pleiades constellation figures in the Dreamings and songlines of several Aboriginal Australian peoples, usually referred to as the seven sisters. The story has been described as "one of the most defining and predominant meta-narratives chronicled in ancient mainland Australia", which describes a male ancestral being (with names including Wati Nyiru, Yurlu and others[15]) who pursues seven sisters across the middle of the Australian continent from west to east, where the sisters turn into stars. Told by a number of peoples across the country, using varying names for the characters, it starts in Martu country in the Pilbara region of Western Australia (specifically, Roebourne[15]), and travels across the lands of the Ngaanyatjarra (WA) to (Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, or APY lands, of South Australia, where the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara peoples live. The story also includes Warlpiri lands, the Tanami Desert of the Northern Territory.[16]
The Yamatji people of the Wajarri language group, of the Murchison region in Western Australia, call the sisters Nyarluwarri. When the constellation is close to the horizon as the sun is setting, the people know that it is the right time to harvest emu eggs, and they also use the brightness of the stars to predict seasonal rainfall.[12]
In the Kimberley region of Western Australia, the eagle hawk chases the seven sisters up into the sky, where they become the star cluster and he becomes the Southern Cross.[17]
In the Western Desert cultural bloc in central Australia, they are said to be seven sisters fleeing from the unwelcome attentions of a man represented by some of the stars in Orion, the hunter. In these stories, the man is called Nyiru[18] or Nirunja,[17] and the Seven Sisters is songline known as Kungkarangkalpa.[19] The seven sisters story often features in the artwork of the region,[18][20] such as the 2017 painting by Tjungkara Ken,[19] Kaylene Whiskey's 2018 work "Seven Sistas",[21][22] and the large-scale installation by the Tjanpi Desert Weavers commissioned as a feature of the National Gallery of Australia's 2020 Know My Name Exhibition.[23] The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in Sydney holds a 2013 work by the Tjanpi Desert Weavers called Minyma Punu Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters Tree Women).[24] In March 2013, senior desert dancers from the APY Lands (South Australia) in collaboration with the Australian National University's ARC Linkage and mounted by artistic director Wesley Enoch, performed Kungkarangkalpa: The Seven Sisters Songline on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra.[18][25][26]
In the Warlpiri version of the story, the Napaljarri sisters are often represented carrying a man called Wardilyka, who is in love with the women. But the morning star, Jukurra-jukurra, a man from a different skin group and who is also in love with the sisters, chases them across the sky. Each night they launch themselves into the sky, and each night he follows them. This story is known as the Napaljarri-warnu Jukurrpa.[27]
The people of around Lake Eyre in South Australia tell how the ancestor male is prevented from capturing one of the seven sisters by a great flood.[17]
The Wirangu people of the west coast of South Australia have a creation story embodied in a songline of great significance based on the Pleiades. In the story, the hunter (the Orion constellation) is named Tgilby. Tgilby, after falling in love with the seven sisters, known as Yugarilya, chases them out of the sky, onto and across the earth. He chases them as the Yugarilya chase a snake, Dyunu.[28]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/Seven_Sisters_coin_Royal_Australian_Mint_1_dollar_2020_Reverse.jpg/220px-Seven_Sisters_coin_Royal_Australian_Mint_1_dollar_2020_Reverse.jpg)
The Boonwurrung people of the Kulin nation of Victoria tell the Karatgurk story, which tells of how a crow robbed the seven sisters of their secret of how to make fire, thus bringing the skill to the people on earth.[29]
In another story, told by peoples of New South Wales, the seven sisters are beautiful women known as the Maya-Mayi, two of whom are kidnapped by a warrior, Warrumma, or Warunna.[17] They eventually escape by climbing a pine tree that continually grows up into the sky where they join their other sisters.[30]
In 2017, a major exhibition entitled Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters was mounted at the National Museum of Australia,[16] afterwards travelling to Berlin (2022) and Paris (2023).[31]
In September 2020, the Royal Australian Mint issued its second commemorative one-dollar coin in its "Star Dreaming" series celebrating Indigenous Australians' astrology (see Emu in the sky above).[12]
The Milky Way
The Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains of South Australia called the (centre and other sectors of) the Milky Way wodliparri in the Kaurna language, meaning "house river". They believed that Karrawirra Parri (the River Torrens) was a reflection of wodliparri.[32]
The Yolŋu people believe that when they die, they are taken by a mystical canoe, Larrpan, to the spirit-island Baralku in the sky, where their camp-fires can be seen burning along the edge of the great river of the Milky Way. The canoe is sent back to Earth as a shooting star, letting their family on Earth know that they have arrived safely in the spirit-land. Aboriginals also thought that god was the canoe.[14]
The Boorong people see in the Southern Cross a possum in a tree.[14]
Sun and Moon
Many traditions have stories of a female Sun and a male Moon.[33]
The Yolŋu say that Walu, the Sun-woman, lights a small fire each morning, which we see as the dawn.[34] She paints herself with red ochre, some of which spills onto the clouds, creating the sunrise. She then lights a torch and carries it across the sky from east to west, creating daylight. At the end of her journey, as she descends from the sky, some of her ochre paints again rubs off onto the clouds, creating the sunset. She then puts out her torch, and throughout the night travels underground back to her starting camp in the east.[33] Other Aboriginal peoples of the Northern Territory call her Wuriupranili.[35] Other stories about the Sun involve Wala, Yhi, and Gnowee.
The Yolŋu tell that Ngalindi, the Moon-man, was once young and slim (the waxing Moon), but grew fat and lazy (the full Moon). His wives chopped bits off him with their axes (the waning Moon); to escape them he climbed a tall tree towards the Sun, but died from the wounds (the new Moon). After remaining dead for three days, he rose again to repeat the cycle, and continues doing so till this day. The Kuwema people in the Northern Territory say that he grows fat at each full Moon by devouring the spirits of those who disobey the tribal laws.[33][34][36] Another story by the Aboriginals of Cape York involves the making of a giant boomerang that is thrown into the sky and becomes the Moon.[37]
A story from Southern Victoria concerns a beautiful woman who is forced to live by herself in the sky after a number of scandalous affairs.[37]
The Yolŋu also associated the Moon with the tides.[14]
Eclipses
The Warlpiri people explain a solar eclipse as being the Sun-woman being hidden by the Moon-man as he makes love to her.[33] This explanation is shared by other groups, such as the Wirangu.
In the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park there are a number of engravings showing a crescent shape, with sharp horns pointing down, and below it a drawing of a man in front of a woman. While the crescent shape has been assumed by most researchers to represent a boomerang, some argue that it is more easily interpreted as a solar eclipse, with the mythical man-and-woman explanation depicted below it.[33]
Venus
The rising of Venus marks an important ceremony of the Yolŋu, who call it Barnumbirr ("Morning Star and Evening Star"). They gather after sunset to await the rising of the planet. As she reappears (or in other nearby weeks appears only) in the early hours before dawn, the Yolŋu say that she draws behind her a rope of light attached to the island of Baralku on Earth, and along this rope, with the aid of a richly decorated "Morning Star Pole", the people are able to communicate with their dead loved ones, showing that they still love and remember them.[38]
Jupiter
The Dja Dja Wurrung call Jupiter "Bunjil's campfire". The planet features in the Dja Dja Wurrung Aboriginal Clans Corporation logo, as a symbol of the Creator Spirit.[39]
Eta Carinae
In 2010, astronomers Duane Hamacher and David Frew from Macquarie University in Sydney showed that the Boorong Aboriginal people of northwestern Victoria, Australia, witnessed the outburst of Eta Carinae in the 1840s and incorporated it into their oral traditions as Collowgulloric War, the wife of War (Canopus, the Crow – wɑː).[40] This is the only definitive indigenous record of Eta Carinae's outburst identified in the literature to date.
Astronomical calendars
Aboriginal calendars tend to differ from European calendars: many groups in northern Australia use a calendar with six seasons, and some groups mark the seasons by the stars which are visible during them. For the Pitjantjatjara, for example, the rising of the Pleiades at dawn (in May) marks the start of winter.[41][42]
Stories enrich a custom-linked calendar whereby the heliacal rising or setting of stars or constellations indicates to Aboriginal Australians when it is time to move to a new place and/or look for a new food source.[41]
The Boorong people in Victoria know that when the Malleefowl (Lyra) disappears in October, to "sit with the Sun", it is time to start gathering her eggs on Earth. Other groups know that when Orion first appears in the sky, the dingo puppies are about to be born. When Scorpius appears, the Yolŋu know that the Macassan fisherman would soon arrive to fish for trepang.[41]
It is not known to what extent Aboriginal people were interested in the precise motion of the sun, moon, planets or stars. However, it likely that some of the stone arrangements in Victoria such as Wurdi Youang near Little River, Victoria, may have been used to predict and confirm the equinoxes and/or solstices. The arrangement is aligned with the setting sun at the solstices and equinox, but its age is unknown.[43][44]
There are rock engravings by the Nganguraku people at Ngaut Ngaut which, according to oral tradition, represent lunar cycles. Most of their culture (including their language) has been lost because of the banning of such things by Christian missionaries before 1913.[45][41]
In contemporary culture
A great deal of contemporary Aboriginal art has an astronomical theme, reflecting the astronomical elements of the artists' cultures. Prominent examples are Gulumbu Yunupingu, Bill Yidumduma Harney, and Nami Maymuru, all of whom have won awards or been finalists in the Telstra Indigenous Art Awards. In 2009 an exhibition of Indigenous Astronomical Art from WA, named Ilgarijiri was launched at AIATSIS in Canberra in conjunction with a Symposium on Aboriginal Astronomy.[46]
Other contemporary painters include the daughters of the late Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, who have the seven sisters as one of their Dreamings. Gabriella Possum and Michelle Possum paint the Seven Sisters Dreaming in their paintings. They inherited this Dreaming through their maternal line.
See also
- Australian Aboriginal Astronomy Project
- Archaeoastronomy
- Indigenous Australian art
- List of archaeoastronomical sites by country
- Pleiades in folklore and literature
References
- ^ Norris, Ray P. (2 August 2016). "Dawes Review 5: Australian Aboriginal Astronomy and Navigation". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia. 33: 39. arXiv:1607.02215. Bibcode:2016PASA...33...39N. doi:10.1017/pasa.2016.25. S2CID 119304459.
- ^ Steffens, Maryke (27 July 2009). "Australia's first astronomers". www.abc.net. Archived from the original on 18 March 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
- ^ "Aboriginal astronomy: The science of mapping the sky and the seasons". NITV. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
- ^ "Australia's first astronomers". BBC Earth. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
- ^ Aboriginal Astronomers: World's Oldest? Archived 1 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Australian Geographic, 28 May 2010
- ^ a b Peter D'Arcy (1994). Margo Sutton (ed.). The Emu in the Sky: Stories about the Aboriginals and the day and night skies. The emu in the sky is shown in the dark space between stars° - The Emu. The National Science and Technology Centre. pp. 15, 16. ISBN 978-0-64618-202-5.
- ^ "Emu in the Sky". Australian Aboriginal Astronomy. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ "Elvina Bay Aboriginal Engraving Walk". Wild Walks. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
- ^ Yidumduma Harney (2005)[full citation needed]
- ^ Kendall, Ross (15 October 2020). "65,000 years of star gazing for Indigenous Australians". Echonetdaily. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Pascoe, Bruce (2014), Dark Emu: Black Seeds: Agriculture or Accident?, Magabala Books, ISBN 978-1-922142-43-6
- ^ a b c d "The Royal Australian Mint looks to the stars to honour Australian Indigenous stories". Royal Australian Mint. 3 September 2020. Archived from the original on 12 April 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ "The Canoe in Orion". Australian Aboriginal Astronomy. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Australian Aboriginal Astronomy". What is Aboriginal astronomy?. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ a b Glynn-McDonald, Rona (25 October 2022). "Songlines". Common Ground.
- ^ a b Nicholls, Christine Judith (20 December 2017). "Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters is a must-visit exhibition for all Australians". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d "The Story of the "Seven Sisters"". Honey Ant Gallery. 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ a b c "Seven Sisters Dreaming". Aboriginal Art & Culture: An American eye. 24 March 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Prizes: Archibald Prize 2017: Tjungkara Ken". Art Gallery of NSW. 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Kungkarangkalpa – Seven sisters". Art Gallery of South Australia. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "2019 Winners - Telstra NATSIAA". MAGNT. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Kaylene Whiskey". ABC News. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Bell, Delia (9 October 2020). "Tjanpi Desert Weavers celebrated at National Art Gallery exhibition". NITV. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Minyma Punu Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters Tree Women)". MCA Australia. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "About". Kungkarangkalpa: Seven Sisters Songline. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Kungkarangkalpa : Seven Sisters Songline" (Video (1 hr 8 mins)). Kungkarangkalpa: Seven Sisters Songline. 2 March 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ "The Seven Sisters (Pleiades) Star Dreaming Story". Japingka Aboriginal Art Gallery. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Hamilton, Jodie (7 October 2020). "Seven Sisters stars creation story reconnecting people to their country after clifftop massacre taboo lifted". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ^ Mudrooroo (1994). Aboriginal mythology: An A-Z spanning the history of the Australian Aboriginal people from the earliest legends to the present day. London: Thorsons. pp. 35–36. ISBN 978-1-85538-306-7.
- ^ Peter D'Arcy (1994). Margo Sutton (ed.). The Emu in the Sky: Stories about the Aboriginals and the day and night skies - The Seven Sisters (The Pleiades). The National Science and Technology Centre. pp. 5–6. ISBN 978-0-64618-202-5.
- ^ Goerling, Samantha (18 June 2022). "Acclaimed Martumili artists' work lights up the Opera House for Vivid festival". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
- ^ "Reconciliation". Adelaide City Council. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Sun, Moon, and eclipses". Australian Aboriginal Astronomy. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ a b Wells (1964)[full citation needed]
- ^ Peter D'Arcy (1994). Margo Sutton (ed.). The Emu in the Sky: Stories about the Aboriginals and the day and night skies - The Sun. The National Science and Technology Centre. pp. 3, 4. ISBN 978-0-64618-202-5.
- ^ Hulley (1996)[full citation needed]
- ^ a b Peter D'Arcy (1994). Margo Sutton (ed.). The Emu in the Sky: Stories about the Aboriginals and the day and night skies - The Moon. The National Science and Technology Centre. pp. 7, 8. ISBN 978-0-64618-202-5.
- ^ "Banumbirr, and the Morning Star ceremony". Australian Aboriginal Astronomy. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ "Dja Dja Wurrung Settlement Agreement" (PDF). 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
- ^ Hamacher, D. W.; Frew, D. J. (2010). "An Aboriginal Australian Record of the Great Eruption of Eta Carinae". Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage. 13 (3): 220–234. arXiv:1010.4610. Bibcode:2010JAHH...13..220H. doi:10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.2010.03.06. S2CID 118454721.
- ^ a b c d "Calendars". Australian Aboriginal Astronomy. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ Clarke (2003)[full citation needed]
- ^ Andrew Carswell and Robert Cockburn (5 February 2011). "Wurdi Youang rocks could prove Aborigines were first astronomers". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
- ^ "Wurdi Youang". Australian Aboriginal Astronomy. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ "Ngaut Ngaut: a tally of lunar cycles?". Australian Aboriginal Astronomy. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ 'Things belonging to the sky': a symposium on Indigenous Astronomy Archived 12 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine
Further reading
- "AIATSIS Subject guide". Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. 28 January 2015.}
- ABC Message Stick program on Aboriginal Astronomy
- The Emu in the Sky story at Questacon
- ABC Radio National Artworks piece on "The First Astronomers"
- Cairns, H. & Yidumduma Harney, B. (2003). Dark Sparklers: Yidumduma's Aboriginal Astronomy. Hugh Cairns, Sydney.
- Fredrick, S. (2008). The Sky of Knowledge: A Study of the Ethnoastronomy of the Aboriginal People of Australia. Master of Philosophy Thesis. Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, UK.
- Fuller, R.S.; Hamacher, D.W. & Norris, R.P. (2013). Astronomical Orientations of Bora Ceremonial Grounds in Southeast Australia. Australian Archaeology, No. 77, pp. 30–37.
- Hamacher, D.W. (2013). Aurorae in Australian Aboriginal Traditions." Journal of Astronomical History & Heritage", Vol. 16(2), pp. 207–219.
- Hamacher, D.W. (2012). On the Astronomical Knowledge and Traditions of Aboriginal Australians. Doctor of Philosophy Thesis. Department of Indigenous Studies, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
- Hamacher, D.W. (2011). "Meteoritics and cosmology among the Aboriginal cultures of Central Australia". Journal of Cosmology (PDF). 13: 3743–3753. arXiv:1103.0595. Bibcode:2011JCos...13.3743H. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020.
- Hamacher, D.W.; Frew, D.J. (2010). "An Aboriginal Australian record of the Great Eruption of Eta Carinae". Journal of Astronomical History & Heritage. 13 (3): 220–234. arXiv:1010.4610. Bibcode:2010JAHH...13..220H. doi:10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.2010.03.06. S2CID 118454721.
- Hamacher, D.W.; Fuller, R.S.; Norris, R.P. (2012). "Orientations of Linear Stone Arrangements in New South Wales". Australian Archaeology. 75: 46–54. arXiv:1209.0146. Bibcode:2012AuArc..75...46H. doi:10.1080/03122417.2012.11681949. S2CID 8171354.
- Hamacher, D.W.; Goldsmith, J. (2013). "Aboriginal Oral Traditions of Australian Impact Craters". Journal of Astronomical History & Heritage. 16 (3): 295–311. arXiv:1306.0278. Bibcode:2013JAHH...16..295H. doi:10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.2013.03.06. S2CID 118556709.
- Hamacher, D.W. & Norris, R.P. (2011). Bridging the Gap through Australian Cultural Astronomy. In Archaeoastronomy & Ethnoastronomy: building bridges between cultures, edited by C. Ruggles. Cambridge University Press, pp. 282–290.
- Hamacher, D.W.; Norris, R.P. (2011). "Eclipses in Australian Aboriginal Astronomy". Journal of Astronomical History & Heritage. 14 (2): 103–114. arXiv:1105.2635. Bibcode:2011JAHH...14..103H. doi:10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.2011.02.03. S2CID 54818087.
- Hamacher, D.W.; Norris, R.P. (2011). "Comets in Australian Aboriginal Astronomy". Journal of Astronomical History & Heritage. 14 (1): 31–40. arXiv:1010.0801. Bibcode:2011JAHH...14...31H. doi:10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.2011.01.03. S2CID 118417832.
- Hamacher, D.W.; Norris, R.P. (2010). "Meteors in Australian Aboriginal Dreamings" (PDF). WGN, Journal of the International Meteor Organization. 38 (3): 87–98. Bibcode:2010JIMO...38...87H. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2011.
- Hamacher, D.W.; Norris, R.P. (2009). "Australian Aboriginal Geomythology: eyewitness accounts of cosmic impacts?". Archaeoastronomy: The Journal of Astronomy in Culture. 22: 60–93. arXiv:1009.4251. Bibcode:2009Arch...22...62H.
- Haynes, R.F., et al. (1996). Dreaming the Stars. In Explorers of the Southern Sky, edited by R. Haynes. Cambridge University Press, pp. 7–20.
- Johnson, D. (1998). Night skies of Aboriginal Australia: a Noctuary. University of Sydney Press.
- "Kamilaroi & Euahlayi". Australian Indigenous Astronomy. 16 May 2018.
- Morieson, J. (1996). The Night Sky of the Boorong. Master of Arts Thesis, Australian Centre, University of Melbourne.
- Morieson, J. (2003). The Astronomy of the Boorong. World Archaeological Congress, June 2003.
- Norris, R.P. & Hamacher, D.W. (2013). Australian Aboriginal Astronomy: An Overview. In Handbook of Cultural Astronomy, edited by C. Ruggles. Springer, in press.
- Norris, R.P.; Hamacher, D.W. (2011). "Astronomical symbolism in Australian Aboriginal rock art". Rock Art Research. 28 (1): 99–106. arXiv:1009.4753. Bibcode:2011RArtR..28...99N.
- Norris, R.P. & Hamacher, D.W. (2009). The Astronomy of Aboriginal Australia. In The Role of Astronomy in Society and Culture, edited by D. Valls-Gabaud & A. Boksenberg. Cambridge University Press, pp. 39–47.
- Norris, R.P.; Norris, P.M.; Hamacher, D.W.; Abrahams, R. (2012). "Wurdi Youang: an Australian Aboriginal stone arrangement with possible solar indications". Rock Art Research. 30 (1): 55–65. arXiv:1210.7000. Bibcode:2013RArtR..30...55N.
- Norris, R.P. & Norris, P.M. (2008). Emu Dreaming: An Introduction to Aboriginal Astronomy. Emu Dreaming, Sydney.
- Norris, R. P., (2016) Norris, Ray P. (2 August 2016). "Dawes Review 5: Australian Aboriginal Astronomy and Navigation". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia. 33: 39. arXiv:1607.02215. Bibcode:2016PASA...33...39N. doi:10.1017/pasa.2016.25. S2CID 119304459.
External links
- Milika, Darryl Pfitzner. "Introduction". Aboriginal Art & Amateur Astronomy: A Confluence of Culture, Creativity, Art & Science. Website created by Kokatha artist Darryl Milika, designer of the Yerrakartarta art installation in Adelaide.