*Ø* Blogmanac | New site gathers weather knowledge of Aussie indigenous people


Good to see that the Australian Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology has initiated a project to gather weather lore of Australian Aboriginal people. While probably driven by economic motives, the project will nonetheless enrich our understanding of this island continent, and it's also an almanackist's delight. The database is unfortunately very small as yet, so I wish the researchers well and look forward to watching it grow. I've placed a more or less permanent link in the links column at left for those interested in weather lore, Australia, indigenous peoples and so on.

Click thumbnail for climatic map of Australia

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“Australia’s climate is diverse. Monsoon tropics, desert, savanna, alpine and temperate regions can all be found in various locations. The sheer diversity of ecological zones negates the concept of a rigid European seasonal calendar for the entire continent. The Aboriginal people of Australia inhabited distinct regions that were usually concordant with geographical and ecological regions. An intimate knowledge of the environment was paramount for survival and the resulting meteorological view of the Aboriginal people is one of great diversity, where the nomenclature of the seasons is often dependant on localised events or resources.

The ability to link events in the natural world to a cycle that permitted the prediction of seasonal events was a key factor in their success. These natural barometers were not uniform across the land but instead used the reaction of plants and animals to gauge what was happening in the environment.

The presences of march flies, for example, was an indication to the Gadgerong people that crocodile eggs could be found, to look for native honey, and it was approaching the late dry season.

As a result of all this, seasonal cycles as described by the various Aboriginal peoples differ substantially according to location.

This produces a far more intricate and subtle overview of Australia’s climate than the 4-season European climate description of Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring, applied as it is across most areas of the continent.” Source

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Flying foxes move from the inland bush to the rivers during the dry season and nest in the pandanus palm trees. When this happens the onset of rains is imminent. (Yarralin area of the Northern Territory)

In the dry season, the migratory return of the brolga means that the river catfish will again become active, which in turn means that the river will soon fill with the return of the rains. (Yarralin area of the Northern Territory)

White breasted wood swallows are only found together with mudlarks for two short periods each year. These occasions signal the beginnings of the wet and dry seasons. (Northeast Arnhem Land area)

The flowering of the rough barked gum and the bunch spear grass is a sign that the winds will soon blow from the southeast and the Dry Season will arrive. (Kakadu area)

The appearance of the plover is associated with the onset of rain over many areas of central Australia. (Southwest Simpson Desert area)

Read more at the new Indigenous Weather Knowledge website