Welcome to the Australian Indigenous Astronomy site!
The First Nations cultures of Australia – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders – speak over 250 distinct languages and stretch back for over 65,000 years. This makes the First Australians the oldest astronomers and the oldest continuing cultures in the world. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people developed a number of practical ways to observe the Sun, Moon and stars to inform navigation, calendars, and predict weather. Our First Nations people assign meaning and agency to astronomical phenomena, which informs Law and social structure and serves as the foundation for narratives that are passed down the generations through song, dance, and oral tradition.
“Indigenous astronomy” is the first astronomy – the astronomy that existed long before the Babylonians, Greeks, the Renaissance, and the Enlightenment. This website explores the many aspects of Indigenous Astronomy in Australia. Learn how Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities perceive various types astronomical phenomena, how elders read the stars, or watch videos of animations, dances, and songs related to the stars. You can find educational curricula, information about degree programs, and learn about the generation of Aboriginal students studying astrophysics who are quickly becoming the new faces and voices of this work.
The site will constantly improve and grow. Take some time to explore!
New Research
- The Planets in Indigenous Australian Traditions, by Duane W. Hamacher and Kirsten Banks. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Planetary Science, edited by Peter Read. Oxford University Press, in press.
- A methodology for testing horizon astronomy in Australian Aboriginal cultural sites: a case study, by Trevor Leaman and Duane Hamacher. Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, 2018, in press.
- Yes, Aboriginal Australians can and did discover the variability of Betelgeuse, by Brad Schaefer. Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Vol. 21(1), pp. 7-12, 2018.
Recent Media
Upcoming Events
Public Talk: Sam Merrifield Library, Melbourne. 18 July 2018
Public Talk: Westmead Hospital, 5 July 2018
Planetarium Exhibition: Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, Brisbane.
Credits
Curator: Dr Duane Hamacher
Website: Sean Williams
Logo: Rae Cooper