Indigenous Australian seasons are classified differently from the traditionalfour-season calendar used by mostwestern European peoples.Aboriginal Australians andTorres Strait Islander people have distinct ways of dividing the year up. Naming and understanding ofseasons differs amonggroups of Aboriginal peoples, and depends on where in Australia the group lives.
The AustralianBureau of Meteorology and theCSIRO have both worked with various groups to produce information about a number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander seasonal calendars.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples observe the position of the stars in the sky and follow water, plant and animal cycles as ways of identifying seasonal phenomena. The seasonal calendars of different Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural groups demonstrate an understanding of the interdependence and interrelationships amongst living things. They use their calendars to predict seasonal changes and weather patterns to determine the availability of particular resources or the timing of journeys.[1]
The seasonal calendars vary according to geographic location,ecological context and cultural interpretation. Specificbiotic events, often referred to asbio-indicators, can occur locally or over great distances, enabling accurate predictions of seasonal changes. For instance, the appearance of particularinsect species may be an indication that the wet season is approaching, indicating that it is time to harvestyams. Observations of cyclical animal behavioural patterns are also important, for example when theD'harawal people of theSydney basin area hear the mating cries oftiger quolls, thelillipilli fruit has started to ripen. Once the fruit starts falling, it is a sign for the people of this country to begin their annual journey to the coast, to seek out other seasonal resources.[1]
Seasonal calendars continue to be used by many groups today. The publication of First Nations' calendars has revealed the immense scientific knowledge held by the respective communities and has informed Western scientific understandings across a wide range of disciplines, for example,botany,zoology,ecology,meteorology and many more.[1]
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) and the CSIRO have both worked with various groups to produce Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander seasonal calendars.[2] BOM has produced an interactive map,[3] and both BOM and the CSIRO have also documented the seasonal calendars of many Aboriginal groups in detail.[4] Both sites provide downloadable and printable posters showing each group's calendar.[2]
TheYolngu, the Aboriginal Australians of north-eastArnhem Land, identify six seasons. Non-Indigenous people living in theTop End usually identify two: thewet and thedry. (Arguably, the build-up period between dry and wet is coming to be identified as a distinct third season.) The six Yolngu seasons, and their characteristics, are:[citation needed]
| Season name | Period | Weather | Flora and fauna | Seasonal activities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mirdawarr | Late March, April | End of wet season with scattered showers. Wind in south-east quarter but air still hot and humid. | Vegetable foods becoming plentiful. Fish numerous. | People generally sedentary & living in big camps. Nomadic movement restricted by floodwaters. Long rank grass and mosquitoes.Macassar traders used to depart at this time with south-east winds. Goose-hunting expeditions into swamps. Fishing, especially large-scale communal fishing operations and drives where floodwaters receding; including basket traps in weirs, nets and the gurl in use only in the valley of theGlyde River. |
| Dhaarratharramirri | Late April, May, June, July, August | South-east or dry season. Wind in east and south-east | People nomadic; big wet-season camps breaking up.Systematic burning of all extensive grassed areas, communal drives forkangaroo,bandicoots,goanna. Fishing still important, with nets, grass barriers, in shallow waters on plains & salt pans. August to November (inclusive) is the most important period for ceremonial activities. | |
| Rarranhdharr | September, October | Hot dry season. Hot periods towards close of dry (south-east) season. Wind chiefly north-east, lightning frequent and first thunder heard. | Stringybark in flower. | Nomadic activities lessen after burning of grass. Poisoning of fish in waters now concentrated by evaporation. Fish spearing continues in estuarine & coastal waters. Important ceremonial time. |
| Worlmamirri | Late October, November, December | The 'nose of the wet season', with or bringing thunder - late October. Period of maximum heat and humidity immediately before the rain season, characterised by violent thunder storms of increasing frequency. | Nomadic activities much restricted. People generally in camps near permanent water. | |
| Baarramirri | Late December, January | Short season with wind in north-west; breaking of the wet. Also calledmunydjutjmirri from the fruit ofmunydjutj. Two kinds of north-west wind recognised: (i)Baarra yindi, the big, or male,baarra; (ii)Baarra nyukukurniny, the small, or female,baarra. The first refers to the more boisterous north-west gales, the second to the gentler breezes from the north-west. | Macassar fleets used to arrive with north-west winds and disperse to regular sites for trepang fishing. People concentrated in wet season camps leading almost sedentary life. Inland travel restricted by floods and dense growth of rank grass. | |
| Gurnmul or Waltjarnmirri | January, February, March | Wet season proper. Two phases, the first,girritjarra is again subdivided into three. | People concentrated in camps. Inland travel restricted by floods. |
TheAnanguPitjantjatjara of northernSouth Australia and the southern part of theNorthern Territory live in central Australia. Examples of some of their seasons include:
| Season name | Period | Weather | Flora and fauna | Seasonal activities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wanitjunkupai | April, May | The beginning of the cold weather. Clouds start around April but usually don't bring rain. They come from the south, brought mainly by westerly winds, and sit low over the hills till late in the day. | Reptiles hibernate. (Wanitjunkupai literally means "hibernate"). | |
| Wari | Late May, June, July | The cold time when there is frost and mist or dew every morning, but little rain. | ||
| Piriyakutu/Piriya-Piriya | ~August, September | This is when thepriya comes – a warm steady wind from the north and west. | Animals breed. Food plants flower, fruit and seed. Hibernating reptiles come out and thehoney grevillea is in bloom. | A good time for hunting kangaroo. |
| Mai Wiyaringkupai /Kuli | ~December | Hottest season. Storm clouds and lightning, but little rain. Lightning strikes can start fires. | Not much food around at this time. | |
| Itjanu /Inuntjji | January, February, March | Overcast clouds usually bring rain. | Food plants flower. If rains are good there is plenty of fruit and seed. |
Noongar seasons do not follow a rigid cycle; timing is dependent on subtle changes in the weather with wind, rain and temperature. The cycles are part ofkatitjin-bidi or "knowledge trails" that lead groups to reliable sources of food and water.[5][6] The seasons are named as follows by theWhadjuk Noongar people ofPerth:[7][8]
| Season name | Period | Weather | Flora and fauna | Seasonal activities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bunuru (second summer) | February, March | Hot, dry, easterly and north winds. | Fish –tailor andmullet – in shallow water.Macrozamia riedlei fruiting. Wattle (Acacia) andbanksia in blossom. | Trapping fish (coasts and estuaries). Collectingfrogs,marron,gilgies,tortoises fromwetlands. Climbing trees forpossums. CollectingMacrozamia fruit and removing toxin. Pounding the horizontalrhizomes of thebulrush (Typha domingensis) into a cake and roasting it. Collecting the bulb ofHaemodorum spicatum and roasting for aspice. Collecting wattle and banksia blossoms and various roots. |
| Djeran (autumn) | April, May | Cooling, south-west winds. | Group fishing at lakes and weirs (inland). Continued fishing at estuaries. Collecting edible bulbs and seeds. | |
| Makuru (winter) | June, July | Cold, rain, westerly gales. | Black swans begin moulting, making them unable to fly. | Moving inland to hunt, when thewatersheds fill. Hunting black swans. CollectingTribonanthustubers. Keeping warm by holding smouldering bull Banksia branches (Banksia grandis) beneathbookas (skin cloaks). |
| Djilba (first spring) | August, September | Warming. | Collecting roots. Digging outPlatysace cirrosa tubers from underwandoo. Hunting ofemus,quenda, kangaroos, possums. | |
| Kambarang (second spring) | October, November | Rain lessening. | Astroloma and desert quandong (Santalum acuminatum) fruiting. | Movement to the coast. Sweet gum gathered by removing the bark from the WA Christmas tree (Nuytsia floribunda). Collection ofyams (Dioscorea hastifolia andPlatysace cirrosa). Collection of eggs fromwaterfowl and other birds. Catching of tortoises, frogs, gilgie. Trapping of possums and kangaroos. |
| Birak (first summer) | December, January | Hot, dry, daytime easterly breezes,late afternoon south-west sea breezes. | Banksia in flower. | Gathering banksia flowers for honey. Catchingbronzewing pigeons. Controlled burning for hunting, and to assist regrowth. |
In theTorres Strait Islands, the seasons are associated with the way the wind blows and changes in the environment. The four seasons based on the wind are known as Kuki, Zey (Zei inMasig) and Nay Gay (Nai Gai in Masig) and Sager (Zoerr):[9][10]
The people ofMasig (otherwise known as Yorke Island), known as the Masigalgal, are part of theKulkulgal nation of the central Torres Strait. The timing and duration of these four seasons varies from year to year, and Masig islanders observe signs in the winds, weather, sea life, plants and animals that tell them when one season is expected to change to another. Community celebrations, hunting, gardening and cultural activities are based around this annual cycle of resource availability and renewal.[10]
Text was copied from this source, which is available under anAttribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence, as perthis note.The Nyoongar seasonal calendar includes six different seasons in a yearly cycle. These are Birak, Bunuru, Djeran, Makuru, Djilba and Kambarang.
Text was copied from this source, which is available under aAttribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU) licence, as inthis note.