82 AUSTRALIAN SKY & TELESCOPE April 2019
FOCAL POINT by Paul CurnowFrom star lore to space logo
The Australian Space Agency embraced indigenous ideas when developing its new branding.
F
or nearly 30 years now, I have
taught Aboriginal astronomy at the
Adelaide Planetarium, University
of South Australia, which is the world’s
leading institution for the teaching of
Australian Aboriginal astronomy for
students and the public. Moreover,
as an astronomer, I have been able to
work closely with Aboriginal elders
— as well as looking at the records of
early explorers, ethnographers and
missionaries — in order to reach a
greater understanding of how some
of the world’s earliest sky watchers
understood the celestial realm above.
Recently, the new Australian Space
Agency contacted me to ask whether
I would serve as official consultant
on Aboriginal astronomy for its
branding. Founded on July 1, 2018, the
Australian Space Agency “is the public
service agency of Australia
responsible for the development
of Australia’s space industry,
coordinating domestic activities,
identifying opportunities and
facilitating international space
engagement”.
I was able to work with
a number of staff from
the Agency, however, my
primary discussions were with Jacqui
Tyack, the Assistant Manager for
Communications, who initially sent
me an outline of the type of logo they
had in mind. With a deadline looming,
we immediately began work on
modifying the Aboriginal constellations
to be included. Also, as a matter of
protocol and cultural respect, I advised
them on which elders to contact for
permissions. The end result is a brand
that connects those stargazers who
arrived in Australia some 50,000 years
ago with contemporary stargazers, space
scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs.
Here’s what each of the dots in theAgency’s logo represent:
The Emu in the sky. The head of this
celestial Emu is the Coalsack Nebula,
located next to the Southern Cross. The
body of the Emu stretches out across
the Milky Way towards Scorpius. In
some cultures, the Emu’s position in
the sky signals the best time for emu
egg collection, or when the emus are
breeding, depending on the height above
the horizon and time of year. Although
the Emu is a ‘dark pattern,’ here it is
represented by yellow stars on the map
of Australia. Many indigenous groups
throughout Australia see this as an Emu.
Eagle’s footprint and claw.
Embedded within the shape of the
Emu in this image are black stars that
represent the constellation Crux, better
known to most as the Southern Cross.
The Kaurna People of the AdelaideVictoria, Purra (the star Capella in
Auriga) is the Red Kangaroo that was
pursued by the hunters Wanjel and
Yuree, the stars Pollux and Castor in
the constellation Gemini. The stars here
are shown in a dark grey.
Women in the sky. The Noongar
People of Western Australia see the
Southern Cross as four women who had
camped near a forest and were swept into
the sky. These stars are shown in orange.
The seven sisters. Throughout most
of Australia, the Pleiades Cluster, or the
Seven Sisters, in the constellation Taurus,
is seen as a group of women, fleeing from
the advances of a man. These stars are
shown in a light silver-grey.
The three brothers. In the Northern
Territory, the stars in the belt of Orion
are seen as three men sitting in a bark
canoe, with Rigel and Betelgeuse marking
the front and back of the canoe. These
stars are shown in a dark green colour.
Ginan. The fifth star brightest star in
Crux is now officially recognised
by the IAU by its Wardaman
Aboriginal name, Ginan, a
small dilly bag full of songs
of knowledge. The Wardaman
people live near Katherine in the
Northern Territory. This is shown on
the map with the larger Southern Cross,
with stars in red.
In conclusion, I applaud the
Australian Space Agency for the
inclusion of our First People within
its brand. It gives us insight into how
some of our early ancestors perceived
the sky, it is an important step in the
reclamation of culture, and it unites us
in common endeavour.■ PAUL CURNOW is lecturer at the
Adelaide Planetarium, a facility of the
University of South Australia. You can
see a video of how the logo comes
together, at youtu.be/3_AhTvYcSYMPlains see the stars of the Southern
Cross as a footprint from Wilto, the
eagle’s, claw. This is echoed by other
groups such as the Adnyamathanha and
Ngadjuri People who all see a footprint
or the talons of an eagle.
Stingray pursued by sharks.
Aboriginal groups like the Ngarrindjeri
people from South Australia see the
Southern Cross as a stingray, often being
pursued by sharks across the sky. The
blue stars represent the stingray named
Nunganari, with the pointer stars in
Centaurus representative of two sharks
called the Ngarakani in hot pursuit!
Wanjel and Yuree pursuing Purra.
A story from the Boorong People of