Skies

Animals – Vital to the survival of Australia’s first peoples was an understanding of everything around them. As a food source, an integral part of the ecosystem and as a source of materials for everyday life, animals were very important. The resources below give a good introduction to the connection between animals and the sky.

• Aboriginal Astronomical Traditions From Ooldea, South Australia, Part 2: Animals in the Ooldean Sky –  Indigenous celestial calendars to describe cycles in animal behaviour. 
• Fuller, R.S., Anderson, M.G., Norris, R.P., and Trudgett, M.M. (2014). The emu sky knowledge of the Kamilaroi and Euahlayi Peoples. Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Vol. 17(2), pp. 171–179. Fuller, R.S., Norris, R.P., and Trudgett, M.M. (2014). The Astronomy of the Kamilaroi and Euahlayi Peoples and Their Neighbours. Australian Aboriginal Studies, Vol. 2014(2), pp. 3-27.
• Hamacher, D.W. and Norris, R.P. (2011). “Bridging the gap” through Australian cultural astronomy. Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy: building bridges between cultures, edited by Clive Ruggles. Cambridge University Press, pp. 282-290.
• Morieson, J. (1999). The Astronomy of the Boorong. Australian Journal of Indigenous Issues, Vol. 2(4), pp. 19-28. Tindale, N.B. (1983). Celestial lore of some Australian Aboriginal tribes. Archaeoastronomy, Vol. 12/13, pp. 258-379.  

Landscape – As was demonstrated by the struggle of the first European settlers in Australia, if you didn’t understand the land, it was an almost impossibly tough life. However, Australia’s first people understood their land. Each Nation saw themselves deeply connected to their land. Given the importance of the land, it of course intersected with the sky, not just visually but in Lore. Aboriginalastronomy.com.au is a curation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems relating to the intersection of the landscape with the skyscape. A Methodology for Testing Horizon Astronomy in Australian Aboriginal Cultural Sites: A Case Study describes a methodology for approaching Indigenous astronomical sites with an analytical lens. See below to hear from Karlie Noon, a Kamilaroi women and Astrophysicist talking about Indigenous astronomy and her journey.  

Plants – This webpage at Aboriginalastronomy.com.au is a curation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems relating to plants within astronomy. The Aboriginal Australian Cosmic Landscape. Part 1: The Ethnobotany of the Skyworld by Philip A. Clarke provides insight into how the study of ethnoastronomy can provide insights into the Indigenous understanding and utilisation of plants. The Aboriginal Australian Cosmic Landscape. Part 2: Plant Connections with the Skyworld (by the same author) describes the links between the flora present in the Aboriginal Skyworld and its connection to the plants on the ground. 

The Bureau of Meteorology has a long history of working with Indigenous communities to understand their local climate/weather knowledge. This webpage from the Bureau of Meteorology is a searchable database of Aboriginal weather knowledge. Watch above as Mandy explains the six seasons in the Kakadu/Arnhem land region. 

The moon is often described as a man in Indigenous astronomical traditions.

It can be used to inform Community about changes in the weather and environment. Moon halos are used as an indicator of wet weather forming due to the presence of ice crystals in the atmosphere.

The phases of the moon correlate with changes in tidal conditions, allowed  Torres Strait Islander astronomers to coordinate their fishing expeditions. The angle of the moon cusps tilt, otherwise known as the crescent phases of the moon, is used as a seasonal calendar to indicate impending wet seasons. Aboriginalastronomy.com.au has a good summary of lunar and solar eclipses. 

Australia’s first people understood the motions and influences of the Sun-Earth-Moon system on eclipses and tides. This known relationship between the lunar phases and the oceanic tides that is utilised by Indigenous astronomers and fishermen has been built into a lesson plans for students. as part of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander curriculum project. While this example is a lesson for year eights, it is a great example to start with when planning lessons for older students. More resources can be found on the Moon page of Aboriginalastronomy.com.au.

There are 5 planets that tend to be observable by the naked eye and all 5 appear frequently in Aboriginal oral traditions – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

The Planets in Aboriginal Australia by Hamarcher and Banks gives a  comprehensive overview of the interpretations of the observable planets in Indigenous astronomy for Indigenous communities across the continent. The significance of the morning star (Venus) is captured in the video below and is accompanied by a teaching resource. Once again this is for a high school level but these examples can be used to understand what can work.   

The way we view the night sky in the Southern hemisphere differs from that of the Northern hemisphere. Due to the Southern hemisphere’s optimal view of the Milky Way, Indigenous astronomy features Dark Sky constellations – constellations formed within the dark regions of the sky, within the dust lanes of the galaxy. 

Within the stars we find many constellations that can be used as calendars for various environmental phenomena. The star’s positions can inform us of incoming changes in animal, plant, and climate behaviour.  The stars are also used in aiding long distance travel – being used as stellar maps to navigate from coast to coast, and forming the basis of modern-day highways.

The Sun is an important object in Indigenous astronomy and has a different role for various groups across the continent. Most commonly, the Sun is depicted as a woman bringing day to the land, often paving her way along the Great Ancestral path in the sky – the ecliptic.

The ecliptic is significant due to the fact that most of the unique planetary bodies follow its trajectory across the sky. These other bodies are our moon and our neighbouring planets.