30 May 2022
As part of Reconciliation Week, the Aboriginal Learning and Engagement Centre (ALEC) arranged for a presentation by astrophysicist and Tiktok star Kirsten Banks on Aboriginal astronomy.
Dialling in from Eora country, Kirsten is a proud Wiradjuri woman whose family hails from near Condobolin. Growing up, she had her sights set on becoming a meteorologist. Upon finding out about the Hubble space telescope on a school excursion, she set her aspirations beyond the stratosphere.
Kirsten’s fascinating talk covered a range of amazing facts about the Aboriginal people and their relationship with the night sky. There were interesting parallels between country, Aboriginal lore, Western Astronomy and Indigenous Astronomy.
Constellations hold a special significance in Aboriginal culture. The constellation that was dubbed Orion by the Greeks is said to depict sky father Baiame in Aboriginal astronomy. The configuration of the Baiame constellation is identical to the Greek configuration, however, it is inverted due to the disparity between the Northern and Southern hemispheres. This inversion is accounted for in a Wiradjuri Dreaming where Baiame took a tumble when he was hunting the dark emu constellation Gugurmin.
Gugurmin is also a great example of the importance of constellations to the Aboriginal people. The dark constellation, which appears as the shadow of an emu in the night sky, will evolve through the year. Through its shape and position in the sky, the Aboriginal people are able to determine emu breeding and egg-laying seasons.
Kirsten also highlighted the importance of the Aboriginal Dreamtime to western astronomy when she recounted the story of an exploding star that was woven into the Dreaming of the Boorong people. The event, which occurred in the 1830s, has been verified by scientific records.
Kirsten’s presentation covered a range of other fascinating insights into the topic and our students were hanging off her every word. Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us, Kirsten!