[Suzy]

Originally Posted by pluto

If you're on Facebook there's a page called "Aboriginal Skies", they post interesting tid-bits regarding the way different cultures, including Australian Aboriginals, view the night sky.
It may not be a source of in depth knowledge about the subject you're interested in but it might be somewhere to ask about books etc.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Abori...56305897720881

Hi Mirko, +1 for Hugh's suggestion .
It really is a great site and I regularly share their stuff on our own IIS fb page. Paul Starman Curnow runs it and he knows his stuff. He is a professional astronomer & university teacher in South Australia & does tons of lectures on Aboriginal Astronomy & works at the Adelaide Planetarium. Along with a bit of Greek mythology, I enjoy this also. I'm sure you'd love the page. Meanwhile, Paul is a good buddy of mine so I will message him and ask him for his book recommendations for you.

Here is a couple of examples of what Paul posts on the Aboriginal Skies facebook page (there are pictures attached to the posts but I've not included them here):

ABORIGINAL SKIES – VOLCANO & EARTHQUAKE WEEK:

The Boandik People come from the region around Mount Gambier and Mount Shank in South Australia. Much of what we know today about the Dreaming of the Boandik People comes from the recordings of Christina Smith, who was a teacher and missionary that moved with her family to the region of Mt Gambier in 1854.

The Boandik Dreaming tells of the giant Craitbul and his family who roamed about the area looking for a place to live. Craitbul and his family camped and made ovens at Mount Muirhead near Millicent in South Australia, and also at Mount Schank near Mt Gambier. However, Craitbul and his family were eventually frightened away from both places by the moaning voice of a bird spirit. They decided to escape from the bird spirit by moving closer to Mount Gambier where they resided at for some time. Again Craitbul and his family made an oven; however, one day water came up from beneath them and extinguished their fire. They attempted to make other ovens but all were extinguished due to the water rising beneath them. They made four ovens like this which are now the four main craters which can be found in Mount Gambier. Moreover, Mount Schank and this region is part of the Newer Volcanics Province, which represents the youngest volcanic field on the Australian mainland. (Pictured: Top - Mt Shank and The Blue Lake Caldera in Mt Gambier (bottom). Image source: Kanawinka)

n The Dreaming of the Adnyamathanha People from the Flinders Ranges region of South Australia, the stars Alpha & Beta Centauri (The Pointers) represent two hunters known as the Muda Awi. The hunters had created a fire which had spread accidentally to surrounding scrub. As a result the hunters had to flee up the side of a steep cliff. Eventually, they ended up on the peak of an isolated cliff with the fire all around, and to save themselves the hunters fled into the sky where they are now seen as 'The Pointers'. In 1969 the renowned Australian artist Ainslie Roberts depicted the hunters in this stunning painting titled 'The Hunters of Morowie'.