Sydneys six seasons has something to teach Goethean science. (Reuters-2003) Indigenous weather patterns Aboriginal culture is dominated by a creation time called the Dreaming, which links past and present in a continuum. In it, the weather, land, plants, animals, people, previous generations and supernatural forces are all inter-related. Aboriginal culture is passed down from generation to generation in oral form, using stories and legends, but this generation is the first to start recording weather knowledge. Frances Bodkin, a descendant of Sydneys Dharawal Aborigines, said indigenous weather patterns were signposted by plants, animals and the stars and were as accurate as any modern-day meteorological forecast. Present-day scientists do their studies by measurements and experiments. Aboriginal people are just as good scientists, but they use observation and experience, Bodkin, a botanist at Sydneys Mount Annan Botanical gardens, told Reuters. In 1788, when English settlers first arrived in Sydney, they imposed the four European seasons on their new home without any real knowledge of local weather patterns, yet the local Aborigines lived according to an annual six-season calendar. For longer-range weather forecasting they used an 11-12 year cycle and a massive 8,000-10,000-year cycle, said Bodkin, who is entrusted with Dharawal weather knowledge. The bushfires which burned through Sydney in the past two European summers came as no surprise to Aborigines as Sydneys queen wattle trees bloomed heavily for the past two years, a sign bushfires were coming, said Bodkin. When it has a very heavy bloom the Dharawal people knew they had 18 months to burn off before massive fires went through, explained Bodkin. That gave them two really good seasons to burn off before the fires appeared. Bodkin warned the queen wattle had a massive number of buds this year and would again flower heavily -- a portent of more fires to come. Sydneys six-season Aboriginal calendar is based on the flowering of various native plants. • Murraiyunggoray, when the red waratah flower blooms, is the first season. Spanning September and October, it is a time when temperatures rise. • Goraymurrai, when the two-veined hickory wattle flowers, occurs around November to December. It is a time of warm, wet weather and historically Aborigines would not camp near rivers for fear of flooding. • Gadalung marool, when the single-veined hickory wattle flowers, is hot and dry. It occurs from January to February and Aborigines only ate fruit and seeds as the heat meant stored meat would spoil quickly. • Banamurraiyung, when the lillipilli tree produces tiny sour berries, is around March to May and is a time of wet, cooling temperatures, a signal to make cloaks to keep warm. • Tugarahtuli, when the forest red gum flowers around June to July, is a cold time. Aborigines would traditionally journey to the coast where food was more abundant. • Tugarahgunyamarra, when the gossamer wattle flowers around August.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 11:04:56 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015