Fire in the sky: The southern lights in Indigenous oral traditions
History and Philosophy of Physics
2015-04-20 v1 Physics and Society
Abstract
Parts of Australia have been privileged to see dazzling lights in the night sky as the Aurora Australis (known as the southern lights) puts on a show this year. Aurorae are significant in Australian Indigenous astronomical traditions. Aboriginal people associate aurorae with fire, death, blood, and omens, sharing many similarities with Native American communities.
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Cite
@article{arxiv.1504.04597,
title = {Fire in the sky: The southern lights in Indigenous oral traditions},
author = {Duane W. Hamacher},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1504.04597},
year = {2015}
}
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Originally published in The Conversation, 2 April 2015, 6.09am AEDT