#kamilaroi

[twitterexile]

'As long as we can see the sky, we can see our stories': Indigenous Australians first to discover variable stars

Aboriginal astronomers built an observatory older than Stonehenge, and discovered variable stars

Traditional custodian at the Aboriginal Trust in Lake Tyers Victoria, Wayne Thorpe, is learning as much about the traditional science and st

[matriarchy-au]

"To many Aboriginal language groups across Australia, the Coalsack (a dark nebula next to the Southern Cross) represents the head of the Emu in the Sky, an Aboriginal “constellation” which stretches from the head to the body and legs, through the dark lanes in the Milky Way, to the constellation Scorpius... The word “constellation” is in quotes, because for many Aboriginal peoples, the dark patches in the sky, particularly the dark dust lanes in the Milky Way, are more important than the patterns of bright stars that form Western constellations.

The first mention of the Emu in literature was in 1873... gao-ergi “emu in the dark space under the tree” (we have taken this to mean that the “tree” is the Southern Cross, and the “dark space” is the Coalsack). Parker and Lang [in 1905 relate] the story of Gowargay, the featherless emu, who is the “devil” of waterholes, but goes to sky camp at night in the Coalsack. Gawarrgay is the ceremonial name for the Emu in the Sky, and dhinawan is the name for the “real” emu bird on the Earth.

There are two aspects of the Emu in the Sky [here], the first being stories connected to the Emu, and the second the significance of the Emu in ceremony and keeping of seasons.

A woman’s story tells children to:

"Look in the space between the stars, what do you see? What you’re looking at is an emu running, and when it runs, it sticks its neck out. When the old people saw this shape in the sky they knew that the emus were laying their eggs, so the old people would go out into the bush to find the eggs for food."

When the eggs are visible in the body of the Emu in the Sky, that’s the time (April) for hunting the eggs. When the eggs push down to the legs (end of June), the chicks are forming... The Emu in the Sky usually appears in April and May. This story corresponds with the rock engraving of the emu at Kuringai Chase National Park, which aligns with the Emu in the Sky at this time of year." [x]

[ningirida]

ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIAN RESOURCES

The Anthropological Masterlist is HERE.

The Aboriginal Australian people are the indigenous peoples of Australia and the Torres Strait Islands. 

ADNYAMANTHA ─ “The Adnyamathanha people are an Aboriginal Australian people. They are native to the northern Flinders Ranges.” ─ Plants in Adnyamantha Culture

ARRERNTE ─ “The Arrernte, or Aranda, people are an Aboriginal Australian people. They are native to the Arrernte land in central Australia.” ─ Arrernte Information ─ Arrernte Language

BUNDJALUNG ─ “The Bundjalung, or Bunjalung, people are an Aboriginal Australian people. They are native to the northern coast of New South Wales.” ─ Bundjalung Migration

KAMILAROI ─ “The Kamilaroi, or Gamilaraay, are an Aboriginal Australian people. They are native to New South Wales and Queensland.” ─ Kamilaroi Culture ─ Kamilaroi Language & Traditions ─ Kamilaroi Astrology

NGARRINDJERI ─ “The Ngarrindjeri people are an Aboriginal Australian people. They are native to the lower Murray River in southern Australia.” ─ Ngarrindjeri Information ─ Ngarrindjeri Culture

NOONGAR ─ “The Noongar, or Nyunga, people are an Aboriginal Australian people. They are native to southwest Western Australia.” ─ Noongar Culture ─ Noongar Language ─ Western Australian Language

TIWI ─ “The Tiwi, or Tunuvivi, people are an Aboriginal Australian people. They are native to the Bathurst and Melville islands.” ─ Tiwi Information ─ Tiwi Language ─ Tiwi Music

YOLNGU ─ “The Yolngu, or Yolŋu, people are an Aboriginal Australian people. They are native to the northeastern Arnhem Land.” ─ Yolngu Culture ─ Yolngu Printmaking

[sunlilys]

penny evans

[yourdailyqueer]

Vivienne Cleven

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Lesbian

DOB: Born 1968

Ethnicity: Indigenous Australian (Kamilaroi)

Occupation: Writer, columnist

[moodboardmix]

Archie Moore (Descendant of the Kamilaroi peoples), 

“Aboriginal Anarchy” 2012, 

Paintings, Layered Synthetic Polymer Paint. 84.0 h x 94.0 w cm.

© The Artist and The Commercial Gallery, Sydney.

Defying Empire: 3rd National Indigenous Art Triennial at the National Gallery of Australia commemorates the 50th anniversary of 1967 Referendum that recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australians for the first time. 

It explores the ongoing resilience of Australia’s Indigenous people since first contact, through to the historical fight for recognition and ongoing activism in the present day.

https://nga.gov.au/defyingempire/

[uritur-infelix]

I'm thinking of studying an Indigenous Australian language in the near future.

I feel like I know a great deal about Irish and the different aspects/challenges of the revival movement, but I really ought to have the same knowledge of the language situation in Australia, given that this is where I live, but I frankly don't have this knowledge for the most part.

I'm thinking that I'll learn Gamilaraay, as the language is somewhat nearby to where I live and it's intact enough that I can learn it (unlike those highly fragmentary Indigenous languages where only a couple of phrases have survived). The university near me also offers courses in Gamilaraay.

It'd also just be nice to help contribute positively to the language situation in Australia and I'd like to help out wherever the relevant Indigenous communities feel that I could be of use.

I also wonder if there are any people on Tumblr who study an Indigenous Australian language.

[optikes]

Lawrence Leslie (1952-2011) Kamilaroi People | Australia

Carved Trees (2007)

Lawrence Leslie believed he was the last surviving initiated Kamilaroi man authorised to carve trees with traditional and sacred designs. The carving by Leslie reflects a potential re-establishment of this unique North Western art form after a gap of more than a century, and involves non-sacred designs that are able to be viewed by all visitors.

Leslie is one of a few Moree Kamilaroi artists to achieve fame across Australia. His works are represented in many public collections, including the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

In the 1970s he began painting with natural ochres and acrylics on canvas and by 1982 he was screen-printing his works. His fabric designs became famous in the commercial world when he worked in the 1980s for the leading Sydney fashion designer, Linda Jackson. Leslie was one of the leading artists in the renowned Yurundiali artists’ co-operative that was based in the Moree gallery workshop from 1990 to 1998. His skills in printmaking helped train many emerging artists at the workshop. Leslie sought to make contact with his people’s traditional culture through considerable research on early carved trees and Kamilaroi artefacts. He developed his understanding of traditional Aboriginal art while working in Sydney’s Aboriginal Arts and Crafts Agency, and strived for many years to further strengthen and develop the artistic expression of the Kamilaroi people. bankartmuseummoree.org