Aboriginal Knowledge: Seasonal Phenomena

Here are some books that you may find useful during your studies.  Search the Bennies catalogue Accessit for more, or browse the Non-fiction collection NFS.

Stories from the sky: astronomy in Indigenous knowledge.

We all know the names of the seasons; summer, autumn, winter and spring. But did you know Australia's Indigenous cultures had completely different seasons each designed around local weather conditions? We visited one school this week as they learned all about them.

For centuries First Nations people across Australia have been developing seasonal calendars based on the regions weather, plants and animals. The number of seasons a region has varies greatly with numbers ranging from three to over six depending on the climate.

Australia is a large country with different climates (such as temperate, tropical and arid). The Northern Hemisphere model of the four seasons (Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring) does not fit with Australia’s different climatic regions. First Nations peoples across Australia have a detailed understanding of their environment, passing it down from generation to generation.

They observe their environment closely, and use this knowledge to understand the changes in plants, animals and climate. Changes in the environment indicates what to eat, when to eat it, what to do, where to live and when to move. A deep understanding of the environment means survival and the continuation of the resources used for future generations. Traditional stories have an importance for First Nations peoples in sharing how to live with the changing of seasons.

Kombumerri Country and People are from the Gold Coast region of Queensland, Australia. This video is part of a series created by the Kombumerri Together Project: one family's perspective to share important cultural knowledge.

The seasonal calendar shows key elements of the changing seasons in the Torres Strait, such as weather patterns, and key behaviour of marine and terrestrial plants and animals.

Learn more about the Indigenous Weather Knowledge (IWK) website and the Bureau of Meteorology's commitment to strengthening respectful and collaborative relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

D'harawal Calendar The D'harawal Country and language area extends from the southern shores of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to the northern shores of the Shoalhaven River, and from the eastern shores of the Wollondilly River system to the eastern seaboard.

Seasonal Descriptions Aboriginal people inhabit regions that are geographically and ecologically distinct. The meteorological view of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is one of great diversity, where the names of the seasons are often dependent on localised events or resources.

For more than 50,000 years, Indigenous Australians have incorporated celestial events into their oral traditions and used the motions of celestial bodies for navigation, time-keeping, food economics, and social structure.

The Sea Country painting illustrates Worimi people’s cultural calendar and shows the relationship between species of significance and elements that coincide with resource presence or availability. Wind, sea temperature, land and air temperature, native plant or animal lifecycle and even cycles or the moon and stars were used to inform of resource availability and associated cultural activities. 

Indigenous Australians use their deep spiritual connection to the land to track the seasons, but elders are warning of a “massive shift” in climate.

Indigenous language groups from across Australia have partnered with CSIRO to co-develop seasonal calendars. They are important enablers for sharing and learning about Indigenous knowledge and management of Country.