First Astronomers: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sky Knowledge

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are among the world's first astronomers. For tens of thousands of years, Peoples across this continent and the Torres Strait have watched the night sky, recorded its patterns, and used that knowledge in daily life. This is the NSW syllabus dot point you are studying today: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' Cultural Knowledges of astronomy (SC4-OTU-01).

It is important to be accurate and respectful here. There is no single "Aboriginal belief" about the sky. There are many distinct Nations, each with its own language, Country and Cultural Knowledges. When we name a Nation, we attribute the knowledge to that Nation.

• Knowledge of the sky was, and still is, passed on through oral tradition, story, song and Lore, rather than written books.
• This knowledge comes from careful observation repeated over a very long time, which is the same way science builds reliable knowledge.
• Sky knowledge had practical uses, such as knowing when food was ready, when to travel, and how the tides would behave.

We will look only at knowledge that is well established and publicly shared. Some Cultural Knowledge is sacred or held only by certain people, and it is not ours to retell. Treating knowledge with respect is part of learning about it properly.

The Yolngu People of north-east Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory, hold well-documented Cultural Knowledge connecting the Moon to the tides. Living on Country beside the sea, Yolngu People observed over many generations that the rising and falling of the tides matches the position and phase of the Moon in the sky.

This is detailed, practical Knowledge. People who live by the coast need to know when the water will be high and when it will be low, for fishing, for gathering shellfish, and for travelling safely. By watching how the tides changed as the Moon moved through its phases, Yolngu People built up a reliable understanding of when high and low tides would come.

This Knowledge was developed over many thousands of years and passed down through story, song and Lore. We present it here respectfully as Cultural Knowledge of a specific Nation. It is a clear example of the same idea you met earlier in this unit: that knowledge of the sky comes from patient, repeated observation.

In earlier lessons you met the mainstream scientific explanation. It is worth recalling here so you can compare it with the Cultural Knowledge above.

• Moon phases: the Moon does not make its own light; it reflects sunlight. As the Moon orbits the Earth, we see different amounts of its lit side. The phase depends on the relative positions of the Sun, the Earth and the Moon. This gives us new Moon, first quarter, full Moon and last quarter.
• Tides: the Moon's gravity pulls on the Earth's oceans, raising a bulge of water that we feel as a high tide. As the Earth rotates, places move into and out of these bulges, giving roughly two high and two low tides each day.
• Spring and neap tides: at new Moon and full Moon, the Sun and Moon line up, so their pulls add together and we get the largest tides, called spring tides. At the quarter Moons, the Sun and Moon pull at right angles, so the tides are smallest, called neap tides.

So in the scientific account, the Moon's phase tells us where the Moon is compared with the Sun, and that position is exactly what decides how strong the tides are. The phase of the Moon and the size of the tide are connected.

The syllabus asks you to compare Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledge of the Moon and tides with the mainstream scientific explanation. The most important point is this: both recognise a real, predictable link between the Moon's phase and the tides.

They are different in how they are expressed and passed on, but they are not opposites. This is not a case of "myth versus fact". Both are the result of careful, repeated observation of the sky over long periods of time.

• What they share: both agree the Moon and the tides are connected, and both can be used to predict when high and low tides will come. Both were built up by watching the sky carefully over a long time.
• How they differ: Yolngu Knowledge is held within Culture and passed on through story, song and Lore. The scientific account is written down and explains the link using the idea of the Moon's gravity. Each fits the way that knowledge system works.

A good way to think about it is that these are two different but complementary ways of knowing. They look at the same sky, notice the same real pattern, and each builds reliable, useful knowledge from it. This ties back to the big idea of this whole unit: science, and Cultural Knowledge, are built from observation over time.

The Moon and tides are just one example. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples across the continent and the Torres Strait hold a wealth of well-documented astronomy Knowledges. Here are a few that are publicly shared, each attributed to the Peoples who hold them.

• The Emu in the Sky: many Aboriginal Nations recognise a great emu shape formed by the dark dust clouds of the Milky Way, not by stars. Its position through the year is linked to the behaviour of real emus, such as when they lay their eggs.
• Tagai of the Torres Strait: Torres Strait Islander Peoples hold detailed Knowledge of Tagai, a great figure made of stars, which is used to mark the seasons and to guide planting, fishing and sailing.
• Seasonal star calendars: the appearance of certain stars at certain times of year tells Peoples when seasons are changing and when particular foods are ready. This is careful, long-term sky observation put to practical use.

These examples show the same theme as the Moon and tides: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander astronomy is detailed, practical and built from patient observation over a very long time. We only share what is public and established, and we attribute it to the Peoples who hold it.