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Star Signs
The 13 zodiac constellations have been prominent in ancient cultures for thousands of years. These
constellations all lie in the ecliptic, meaning they are visible from every place on earth where you can see
the sun rise and set.
But people living on the same longitude can see quite different skies.
Using the southern cross individually or with the pointer stars you can get your bearing by finding south.
Navigation, Calendars and Lessons- Astronomy for the Indigenous
It is thought that the astronomy started with the Greeks however, the indigenous communities have used
the night sky to survive the harsh Australian landscape even before that. The indigenous people used the
night sky differently by focusing on the milky way incorporating the dark patches between stars (clouds of
interstellar dust that block light from the stars behind them). This was very practical as navigation at night
was used to traverse during cooler temperatures.
Calendar
The night sky was used as a calendar for the indigenous, indicating when the seasons are shifting so they
knew when to move and which foods are available. For example, the Indigenous in the western desert
would know when to hunt for emus or collect their eggs based upon the position of the emu in the milky
way (running or sitting down).
Navigation
Star maps were used by the Indigenous to navigate outside of their own country, this indicated way points
along the route such as waterholes and turning points on the landscape. The star map was used by
travellers as a memory aid along with songs to teach others who had not made the journey to important
community gatherings. Some Journeys spanned more than 1,500km crossing the Simpson desert in
summer.
Lessons
The stars and dark patches were also used spiritually, teaching values of morality and community
amongst the communities. The stories were ingrained in the young as the constellations appeared,
lessons changing throughout the year.
One day while she was out hunting, she came across some very large emu tracks. She thought of her
husband and how angry he got, and followed the tracks all the way to the nest. She found a huge emu
there and threw stones at it to get at the eggs, but it stood up and ran towards her and killed her.
The blind man became hungry and worried about his wife. He felt around the camp until he came across a
bush with some berries on it and ate some of them. Suddenly he could see. He made some spears and a
woomera and set off to find his wife. He followed her tracks and finally saw the huge emu and the body of
his wife. He speared the emu and banished its spirit to the Milky Way, where it can still be seen today.
— a story from Papunya, Northern Territory
References
Hobbs, B. (2017). A beginner's guide to finding stars and planets. Retrieved from
http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-04-04/a-beginners-guide-to-finding-planets-and-constellations/8373718
Steffens, M. (2009). Australia's first astronomers » Beginner's Guide to the Night Sky (ABC Science). Retrieved from
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/07/27/2632463.htm
Aboriginal Astronomy. Retrieved from http://www.emudreaming.com/whatis.htm