Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 22(2), 225‒237 (2019). BAIAMI AND THE EMU CHASE: AN ASTRONOMICAL INTERPRETATION OF A WIRADJURI DREAMING ASSOCIATED WITH THE BURBUNG BAIAMI-BU DHINAWAN YANHAMANHA: GIBBIRGIRRBAANG WINHANGA-DURIN-YA WIRADJURI YARRUDHUMARRA-BU BURBUNG Trevor M. Leaman School of Humanities and Languages, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia Email: [email protected] and Duane W. Hamacher School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia Email: [email protected] Abstract: A Wiradjuri Dreaming connected to the Aboriginal creation ancestor Baiami, and enacted during a Burbung male initiation ceremony, was recorded by the Australian anthropologist R.H. Mathews in 1896. We investigate this further and conclude that the Dreaming most likely relates to the annual movements of the constellations in the Wiradjuri night sky, with Baiami represented by the stars in the Greek constellation of Orion, and the terrestrial emu featured in the Dreaming represented by the Wiradjuri ‗dark‘ constellation of Gugurmin the Celestial Emu, formed from the dust bands of the Milky Way. The Celestial Emu may also represent Daramulun, another important ancestral figure associated with the Burbung, whose spirit descends from the Milky Way in emu form to take part in the male initiation ceremony. The Dreaming narrative has parallels with the Greek myth of Orion and the scorpion, represented by the constellation of Scorpius, in eternal pursuit of each other in the sky throughout the year. The Dreaming narrative recorded by Mathews also suggests a reference to the orientation of Baiami in Orion. He appears to be oriented the same way in the sky as Orion from Greek mythology, which is upside-down as seen from a Southern Hemisphere perspective. This is consistent with rock art depictions of Baiami from the Sydney Basin, and that of Nyeeruna, a creation ancestor of the Kokatha and Ngalea peoples from the Great Victoria Desert, South Australia, which shares similar characteristics and attributions with Baiami. The alternative ‗right-side-up‘ orientation is also being investigated and will be the subject of a follow-up paper. Warning to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People: This paper contains references to Aboriginal cultural practices surrounding male initiations ‒ but does not provide secret details about those ceremonies. It also contains historical archival photographs of people who are deceased. Keywords: Aboriginal Australian Astronomy, ethnoastronomy, Wiradjuri, Baiami, Orion, Celestial Emu, R.H. Mathews 1 INTRODUCTION any formal qualifications or training in astronomy The Milky Way is Warrambool ... There is makes it likely that many subtle clues relating to one old man up there who was once a great astronomical content and connections to the sky- rainmaker, and when you see that he has world were missed. One such case is explored turned round as the position of the Milky in detail here. Way is altered, you may expect rain; he Among the extensive list of publications by never moves except to make it … (Parker, 1905: 95). Robert Hamilton (R.H.) Mathews (1841‒1918), is a detailed record of a Wiradjuri male initiation By drawing upon the available literature, mus- ceremony, or Burbung,1 which was held at Bul- eum and library archives, artworks, ethnograph- geraga Creek, New South Wales (NSW) (Math- ic fieldwork and archaeological studies, we are ews, 1896b; 1897a). The Wiradjuri (var: Wirad- now gaining a better understanding of the true yuri) people of central NSW, Australia, represent extent and wealth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait the largest Aboriginal language group in the Islander astronomical knowledge (e.g. Norris, State, and second largest in Australia (Figure 1). 2016). What is becoming clearer is just how Having cultural and linguistic similarities to their much this astronomical knowledge is integrated neighbours, such as the Kamilaroi (var: Gamilaroi/ into every aspect of daily life, particularly its Gamilaraay) and Ngemba (var: Ngiyampaa) (Fuler prominent role in ceremony. Although several et al., 2014a; 2014b), astronomical knowledge is early Australian ethnographers recorded such deeply embedded within Wiradjuri culture (Ham- ceremonies in detail, the fact that they lacked Page 225 Trevor M. Leaman and Duane W. Hamacher Baiami and the Emu Chase: Wiradjuri Dreaming Figure 1: Language map of SE Australia showing the Wiradjuri (Wiradyuri) in relation to neighbouring Aboriginal language groups (Wikimedia Commons). acher, 2014; Leaman and Hamacher, 2019). However, as is the case throughout Aboriginal Australia, invasion, colonisation and forced dis- placement caused a significant fragmentation of Wiradjuri traditional knowledge (e.g. see Mac- Donald, 1998; Read, 1983; 1984), hampering efforts to recover and determine the full extent of this knowledge. In his observations, Mathews describes the physical layout of the Burbung initiation grounds, and outlines the proceedings of the ceremony. Of particular note was his detailed description of a Dreaming associated with the ceremony involv- ing the important ancestral creator Baiami, and his pursuit of an emu. As both figures are repre- sented in the Wiradjuri skyworld as constella- tions, we explore the possibility that this Dream- ing narrative of a seemingly terrestrial event is in fact a reflection of events occurring in the sky- world. We analyse this story, along with evi- dence from rock art depictions of Baiami from the Sydney Basin, to determine the orientation of Baiami in Orion that best fits the narrative. His chasing of the emu in the narrative also appears to describe the movements of both constellations around the South Celestial Pole (SCP), similar to the later Greek story of Orion chasing Scorpius across the sky. 2 ROBERT HAMILTON MATHEWS: A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Figure 2: R.H. Mathews, in about 1909 (courtesy: National The Australian-born Government surveyor and Library of Australia). anthropologist R.H. Mathews (Figure 2) observ- Page 226 Trevor M. Leaman and Duane W. Hamacher Baiami and the Emu Chase: Wiradjuri Dreaming ed and recorded the culture of many south- others suggest Daramulun was the son of eastern Aboriginal language groups, including Baiami (e.g. see Howitt, 1904: 502). Mathews the Wiradjuri. Being self-taught in the field and (1896b) and Hartland (1898) simply state that he lacking any formal qualifications, he was often was ―… one of Baiami‘s people.‖ derided privately and publicly by his British-born According to Wiradjuri lore (Mathews, 1896b), university-educated peers, Walter Baldwin Spen- at a certain age young boys are handed over to cer (1860‒1929) and Alfred William Howitt Daramulun to be instructed in the law and cust- (1830‒1908), who saw Mathews as something oms of the community. When they returned to of a ‗colonial upstart‘ (Thomas, 2012: 343‒345). camp, the boys were missing a tooth. This was Other contemporaries from outside Australia, a sign that they were initiated by Daramulun, such as folklorists Edwin Sydney Hartland (1848‒ who told Baiami that he had killed the boys, cut 1927) and Andrew Lang (1844‒1912), although them up, burnt them to ashes, then moulded the caught up in their own personal disputes, were ashes into human form, and restored the boys to more supportive and appreciative of Mathews‘ life, albeit with one tooth missing (Hartland, work, often comparing and exchanging field notes 1898; Mathews, 1896b). However, it was ap- and ideas via frequent correspondences (Thom- parent that not all of the boys had returned from as, 2012: 270; 280‒281). this ordeal. When questioned by Baiami, the Mathews‘ extensive and detailed accounts surviving boys reluctantly admitted that Dara- of Aboriginal daily life and culture are indicative mulun had not killed and reassembled them, but of the level of rapport he had developed with his had extracted their teeth using his own lower Aboriginal peers, often being allowed to witness incisors. During this process, he sometimes bit and record secret-sacred ceremonies normally off the boy‘s entire face and then devoured him off-limits to non-initiates. His ethnographic re- (Mathews, 1896b). In his anger on hearing this, cords have more recently been used in support Baiami destroyed Daramulun, but put his voice of several Aboriginal native title claims (Thomas, into every tree in the forest. Thus, a bullroarer 2012:196). Mathews‘ interest in anthropology (Mudthega) fashioned from any tree will have was initiated by first encountering the creation the voice of Daramulun, and hence plays an im- ancestor Baiami painted in a rock shelter at Mil- portant role in the Burbung ceremony (Hartland, brodale, in the Hunter Valley, NSW (Mathews, 1898; Mathews, 1896b; 1897b). Baiami decided 1893; Thomas, 2012: Chapters 1 and 6). Math- not to tell the women and uninitiated about Dar- ews was to encounter this figure time and again amulun‟s indiscretions, but rather continued to during his years among south-eastern Aboriginal make them believe that boys were still being put peoples, as Baiami is strongly associated with to death and restored to life by Daramulun. By the land and skyscape of many of the neigh- doing so, and showing men how to perform bouring language groups, including Muruwari, tooth evulsion and how the laws were to be pas- Ngemba, Wailwan, Wongaibon, Euahlayi, and sed on, he instituted the first Burbung ceremony, Kamilaroi (Berndt and Berndt, 1977; Eliade, which has been followed by Wiradjuri men ever 1966; 1967a; 1967b; Hartland, 1898; Lang, 1899; since (Hartland, 1898; Mathews, 1896b). Mathews, 1994; Parker, 1905; Tindale, 1983). Most Burbung grounds consist of a larger Another equally important ancestral figure ass- circle of stones or mounded earth connected by ociated with Baiami and the Burbung, and en- an avenue to a smaller circle some distance countered by Mathews during his research, was away (Fuller et al., 2013; Hamacher et al., the maleficent shapeshifter Daramulun. 2012). The larger circle is the open, public gath- 3 THE BURBUNG AND THE MILKY WAY ering site and the smaller circle is a restricted secret/sacred space (Figure 3, right).