Abstract
We present a comprehensive analysis of Australian Aboriginal accounts of meteors. The data used were taken from anthropological and ethnographic literature describing oral traditions, ceremonies, and Dreamings of 97 Aboriginal groups representing all states of modern Australia. This revealed common themes in the way meteors were viewed between Aboriginal groups, focusing on supernatural events, death, omens, and war. The presence of such themes around Australia was probably due to the unpredictable nature of meteors in an otherwise well-ordered cosmos.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 87-98 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | WGN : Journal of the International Meteor Organization |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 2010 |
Keywords
- meteors
- ethnoastronomy
- Aboriginal Australians
- mythology