Hi again Mirko,
Paul Curnow just got back to me. I also sent him the link to this thread so that's what he's referring to at the beginning of this reply. This is what he said:
Quote:
|
I was surprised to see a few of the somewhat unqualified and negative comments on there about Aboriginal Astronomy. I find most astronomers that make these comments have rarely spent a lot of time studying the topic. I can understand why many don't consider it 'science' in the modern sense, but it does represent some of the earliest ponderings about the cosmos and was an effort to explain natural phenomena. Accepted that many stories about the night sky were a reflection of religious and spiritual significance, but there is also evidence of practical science. The stars were used for navigation, education, to reinforce cultural identity and a seasonal guide to the availability of foods. Additionally, because of the research of people like Ray Norris & John Morieson we now know of locations where they were also monitoring the rising and setting positions of the Sun. Conversely, most astronomers still use the classical constellations founded in Sumerian mythology to navigate their way around the sky, but sometimes shy away from other interpretations. As far as more reading goes they might like to start by visiting: http://sa.apana.org.au/~paulc/loreaussie.html - you already mentioned: Aboriginal Skies, a lecture I gave on Maori Astronomy can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kZcA...&feature=email - and a book my colleague Ray Norris wrote: http://www.emudreaming.com/book.htm - this is s start
|