Article ID: CBB622772852

Baiami and the emu chase: an astronomical interpretation of a Wiradjuri Dreaming associated with the Burbung (2019)

unapi

A Wiradjuri Dreaming connected to the Aboriginal creation ancestor Baiami, and enacted during a Burbung male initiation ceremony, was recorded by the Australian anthropologist R.H. Mathews in 1896. We investigate this further and conclude that the Dreaming most likely relates to the annual movements of the constellations in the Wiradjuri night sky, with Baiami represented by the stars in the Greek constellation of Orion, and the terrestrial emu featured in the Dreaming represented by the Wiradjuri 'dark' constellation of Gugurmin the Celestial Emu, formed from the dust bands of the Milky Way. The Celestial Emu may also represent Daramulun, another important ancestral figure associated with the Burbung, whose spirit descends from the Milky Way in emu form to take part in the male initiation ceremony. The Dreaming narrative has parallels with the Greek myth of Orion and the scorpion, represented by the constellation of Scorpius, in eternal pursuit of each other in the sky throughout the year. The Dreaming narrative recorded by Mathews also suggests a reference to the orientation of Baiami in Orion. He appears to be oriented the same way in the sky as Orion from Greek mythology, which is upside-down as seen from a Southern Hemisphere perspective. This is consistent with rock art depictions of Baiami from the Sydney Basin, and that of Nyeeruna, a creation ancestor of the Kokatha and Ngalea peoples from the Great Victoria Desert, South Australia, which shares similar characteristics and attributions with Baiami. The alternative 'right-side-up' orientation is also being investigated and will be the subject of a follow-up paper.

...More
Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB622772852/

Similar Citations

Book Stephen Robert Chadwick; Martin Paviour-Smith; (2017)
The Great Canoes in the Sky: Starlore and Astronomy of the South Pacific (/isis/citation/CBB502128643/)

Article Bradley E. Schaefer; (2018)
Yes, Aboriginal Australians can and did discover the variability of Betelgeuse (/isis/citation/CBB084427622/)

Article Fuller, Robert S.; Anderson, Michael G.; Norris, Ray P.; Trudgett, Michelle; (2014)
The Emu Sky Knowledge of the Kamilaroi and Euahlayi Peoples (/isis/citation/CBB001451559/)

Article Hamacher, Duane W.; Norris, Ray P.; (2011)
Eclipses in Australian Aboriginal Astronomy (/isis/citation/CBB001221512/)

Article Philip A. Clarke; (2019)
Australites. Part 2: early Aboriginal reception and use (/isis/citation/CBB661447014/)

Article Steven R. Gullberg; Duane W. Hamacher; Alejandro Martín López; Javier Mejuto; Andrew M. Munro; Wayne Orchiston; (2020)
A cultural comparison of the 'dark constellations' in the Milky Way (/isis/citation/CBB584961949/)

Book Lankford, George E.; (2007)
Reachable Stars: Patterns in the Ethnoastronomy of Eastern North America (/isis/citation/CBB000930211/)

Article Ruby Ann B. Dela Cruz; Wayne Orchiston; Rose Ann B. Bautista; Princess B. Tucio; Jesus Rodrigo F. Torres; Ryan Manuel D. Guido; (2022)
Mabel Cook Cole's Philippine Folk Tales: an ethnoastronomical analysis (/isis/citation/CBB502441072/)

Book Dante L. Ambrosio; (2021)
Balatik. An English Translation. Ethnoastronomy: The Sky in Filipino Civilization (/isis/citation/CBB667334113/)

Article D. W. Hamacher; Rubina R. Visuvanathan; (2018)
Twin Suns in Australian Aboriginal traditions (/isis/citation/CBB312099464/)

Article Hamacher, Duane W.; (2015)
Identifying Seasonal Stars in Kaurna Astronomical Traditions (/isis/citation/CBB001551811/)

Article Leaman, Trevor M.; Hamacher, Duane W.; (2014)
Aboriginal Astronomical Traditions from Ooldea, South Australia. Part 1: Nyeeruna and “The Orion Story” (/isis/citation/CBB001451560/)

Article Daniela Sánchez-Giraldo; Edwin A. Quintero-Salazar; (2023)
Astronomical Phenomena in the Cultural Practices of the Kumba-Quimbaya Indigenous Community of Colombia (/isis/citation/CBB049094981/)

Article Hamacher, Duane W.; Norris, Ray P.; (2011)
Comets in Australian Aboriginal Astronomy (/isis/citation/CBB001221507/)

Chapter Gartner, William Gustav; (2011)
An Image to Carry the World within It: Performance Cartography and the Skidi Star Chart (/isis/citation/CBB001221179/)

Article R. A. Benfer; Lucio Laura; (2019)
A Stone Pillar of a Condor Marked the Equinox at the Site of Buena Vista, Peru at 2200 BC (/isis/citation/CBB050656539/)

Book Clive L. N. Ruggles; (2014)
Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy (/isis/citation/CBB655086028/)

Article Relke, Joan; Ernest, Allan; (2002/2003)
Ancient Egyptian Astronomy: Ursa Major---Symbol of Rejuvenation (/isis/citation/CBB001252010/)

Authors & Contributors
Hamacher, Duane W.
Norris, Ray P.
Ruby Ann B. Dela Cruz
Jesus Rodrigo F. Torres
Orchiston, Wayne
Daniela Sánchez-Giraldo
Concepts
Indigenous peoples; indigeneity
Ethnoastronomy
Astronomy
Constellations; zodiac
Cosmology
Science and religion
Time Periods
Ancient
Prehistory
19th century
Medieval
21st century
20th century, early
Places
Australia
Philippines
Micronesia
Peru
New Guinea
Colombia
Comments

Be the first to comment!

{{ comment.created_by.username }} on {{ comment.created_on | date:'medium' }}

Log in or register to comment