Shanti Morell-Hart

Study of African and Australian Archaeoastronomy AUSTRALIA Eve Chase Freshman Monroe Project, Advisor: Shanti Morell-Hart Indigenous Australians are grouped into hundreds of tribes with different languages living in different regions. Folklore in regards to astronomy is equally diverse Africa consists of over a thousand different ethnic groups and tribes, each A common trend among the different Aboriginal groups is the concept of with varying astronomical views and practices. As it requires a significant Skyworld in which the sky is a different land inhabited by many people, amount of time, money, and effort to systematically analyze and record represented by stars. each groups’ astronomical views, a large amount of Africa’s astronomical knowledge is left undocumented. Aboriginal Astronomical Practices and Beliefs: • The Milky Way, seen as a band across the sky, has several different In the ancient Mali city of Timbuktu, thousands of manuscripts, mostly representations. Most commonly, it is considered to be a river, but it is from the 15th and 16th centuries, are stored in the city’s main library. Of also viewed as a tree or canoe. Some tribes view it as a separation these manuscripts, several are found to contain astronomical records and between two camps. The Milky Way is also considered to be inhabited information. One such manuscript contained information on using the by disembodied spirits. stars for navigation, observing the stars as a means to keep track of prayer • A shooting star foretold a relative’s death. times, and calendar determination based on astronomy. This article also • The Skyworld could be accessed by climbing a rope. Shooting stars contained an algorithm to determine leap years in the Islamic calendar represent the descent of this rope. Large trees and hills were also which was confirmed to be accurate. Another manuscript provides possible passageways to the Skyworld. recordings of a meteor shower in August 1583. • The stars are organized by family relations, for example, a man would be near his wives and family in the sky. Sun and Moon worship tend to be fairly ubiquitous religious practices • The Moon is male and subordinate to the female Sun. throughout Africa. • The Sun turns into a fish at night and swims underneath Earth to return to the east in the morning. One Igbo tradition involves staring at the Sun for extended periods of time • Some tribes believed there are two suns— one in the winter and one allowing for the “third eye” to emerge and view enlightening experiences. in the summer. The Igbo society exhibits rampant Sun worship and even produces shrines • The Moon got in an argument with his wife. She threw hot coals at him to the Sun such as Onu Anyanwu. resulting in craters. • The Moon is partially covered in water and tides affect the phases that The Sun and Moon are depicted as a married couple in a myth among the are viewed from Earth. Sandawe people of Tanzania: • Women were not allowed to look at the Pleiades on winter nights Very long ago the Sun, who was the son of Mathunda, Archaeoastronomy- the study of how past peoples observe the sky Lived in the north [the country of] Omi. because it would make the night colder. In those olden days, the earth was very beautiful and cool, and incorporate the sky into their cultures And the ruler of the earth was the Moon. Ngemba people of central New South Wales buried their dead “with the When the son of Mathunda looked up and saw the Moon, body in a sitting position, leaning back, with the head facing toward He loved her very much, and he followed her to the south, There where she lived in the sky. And he said: “Her I shall marry.” A common archaeoastronomical study involves observation of sunrise” (Clarke 2008). ancient landmarks and landmarks’ alignments with Stellar navigation was necessary to travel across the Pacific. A ship would One Nigerian ethnic group, believes that the Sun and Moon once lived in astronomical features. Common alignments include harmony, until the two had a child. The Sun (wife) asked the Moon be aligned with a setting or rising star indicating the direction of the island (husband) to hold the child. The Moon was burnt by holding the child and • summer solstice- northern-most sunrise of the year destination. Islands were often associated with the star(s) that passed dropped it, angering the Sun, who, to this day, pursues the Moon around • winter solstice- southern-most sunrise of the year over their zenith. the sky. • equinox- days with daytime and nighttime equaling in length A substantial archaeoastronomical record exists at Easter Island, the most The Igbo calendar was based on the lunar cycle, divided into twelve • heliacal risings- brief appearances of an astronomical object remote of the Pacific islands and the last to be inhabited. The indigenous months each consisting of seven weeks of four days. Occasionally, a just before sunrise after a short period of time in which the people of Easter Island used a lunisolar calendar, with the year beginning thirteenth month would be added to keep the year in sync with the object was not visible due to the position of the sun at the new moon following the heliacal rising of the Pleiades or possibly seasons. the summer solstice. The temple of Ahu Uri A Urenga points to all solstice and equinox risings and settings, and is one of the only ahu to have There is some evidence of constellation naming, such as the Hausa name astronomical alignments. for the Pleiades, Kaza Maiyaya (the hen with chickens). Why study African and Australian archaeoastronomy? Most famous archaeoastronomical studies focus on Egypt, Western Europe (Stonehenge), and Mesoamerica. I wanted to focus on the less-famous and less-studied regions of Sub- Saharan Africa and Oceania. While these regions contain few archaeological sites of astronomical significance, much is known about the ethnoarchaeoastronomical nature of peoples residing in these regions. Images: The Megalith Portal; One-Minute Astronomer; The World at Night, University of Florida Libraries, NASA, Zonu. References: Krupp, E.C. In Search of Ancient Astronomies.; Clarke, Philip A. “An Overview of Australian Aboriginal Ethnoastronomy.” 2008, The Journal of Astronomy in Culture, Volume XXI.; Esteban, César. “Astronomy in Island Cultures.” 2000, The Journal of Astronomy in Culture, Volume XV.; Green, David A. & Orchiston, Wayne. “In Search of Mahutonga: A Possible Supernova Recorded in Maori Astronomical Traditions.” 2004, The Journal of Astronomy in Culture, Volume XVIII.; Hamacher, Duane W., & Norris, Ray P. “Australian Aboriginal Geomythology: Eyewitness Accounts of Cosmic Impacts?” 2009, The Journal of Astronomy in Culture, Volume XXII. J. Holbrook et al. African Cultural Astronomy – Current Archaeastronomy and Ethnoastronomy Research in Africa. .

Load more