Indigenous Knowledge Institute Astronomy Activities

University of Melbourne

Indigenous Knowledge Institute Astronomy Activities

The Indigenous Knowledge Institute of the University of Melbourne provides a range of curriculum based activities for students at Primary (5-6) and Secondary (7-8) school levels. The below activities have been chosen specifically as guides for the 2021 theme, Under One Sky: Yesterday, Today and Forever.

Teachers should use these resources to expand their students knowledge in Indigenous astronomy and Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM). The resources should stimulate conversation and the creativity of students for their art projects.

 

Primary Education Activities

Stellar navigation and mathematics

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people developed techniques to navigate using the stars in a variety of ways, using mathematical principles.
  • Visit this University of Melbourne website for detailed instruction on the Stellar navigation and mathematics activity HERE

*Source: Indigenous Knowledge Resources for Australian Schools Curricula Project, developed by University of Melbourne.

Law, song, and a Meriam Moon Dance

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples maintain complex oral traditions, which include song and dance, that serve as oral texts, containing important information about traditional Laws.
  • Visit this University of Melbourne website for detailed instruction on the Stellar navigation and mathematics activity HERE

*Source: Indigenous Knowledge Resources for Australian Schools Curricula Project, developed by University of Melbourne.

Indigenous astronomy and seasonal calendars

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have an understanding of how the stars and constellations are connected to environmental phenomena on Earth.
  • Visit this University of Melbourne website for detailed instruction on the Stellar navigation and mathematics activity HERE

*Source: Indigenous Knowledge Resources for Australian Schools Curricula Project, developed by University of Melbourne.

Seasonal foods and Aboriginal astronomy

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people pay close attention to the positions of the stars to determine seasonal change. This informs them about the behaviours of plants and animals that are used for food and medicine.
  • Visit this University of Melbourne website for detailed instruction on the Seasonal foods and Aboriginal astronomy activity HERE

*Source: Indigenous Knowledge Resources for Australian Schools Curricula Project, developed by University of Melbourne.

Sharing astronomical narratives from Country

  • Aboriginal narratives are shared through symbols and with materials made from and of Country, and provide a connection to Country and a portal to a metaphysical or spiritual dimension.
  • Visit this University of Melbourne website for detailed instruction on the Sharing astronomical narratives from Country activity HERE

*Source: Indigenous Knowledge Resources for Australian Schools Curricula Project, developed by University of Melbourne.

Indigenous astronomy and the Solar System

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people maintain detailed knowledge systems about objects in the Solar System, including the Sun, Moon, planets, comets, and meteors.
  • Visit this University of Melbourne website for detailed instruction on the Indigenous astronomy and the Solar System activity HERE

*Source: Indigenous Knowledge Resources for Australian Schools Curricula Project, developed by University of Melbourne.

Secondary Education Activities

Astronomical knowledge in art

  • In the Visual Arts Indigenous narratives are shared through symbols and with materials made from and of Country.
  • Visit this University of Melbourne website for detailed instruction on the Astronomical knowledge in art activity HERE

*Source: Indigenous Knowledge Resources for Australian Schools Curricula Project, developed by University of Melbourne.

Mathematics, Moon phases, and tides

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have long observed the phases of the Moon and used it to understand the tides and the effect on the environment around them.
  • Visit this University of Melbourne website for detailed instruction on the Astronomical knowledge in art activity HERE

*Source: Indigenous Knowledge Resources for Australian Schools Curricula Project, developed by University of Melbourne.

Indigenous astronomy and song series

  • For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to navigate across vast areas of land and sea, sophisticated knowledge systems were necessary. Their terrestrial and astronomical knowledge was remembered in cultural expressions, such song series (or song lines) which provided memory maps used to travel long distances across the landscape or seas. These songs and their rhythm (which are often composed of different languages) aided travellers crossing the land, telling them where to find food, water, and shelter by using landscape and skyscape features.
  • Visit this University of Melbourne website for detailed instruction on the Astronomical knowledge in art activity HERE

*Source: Indigenous Knowledge Resources for Australian Schools Curricula Project, developed by University of Melbourne.

Indigenous astronomy, geography and star maps

  • Star maps are song series encoded to memory using the stars. In these maps, stars correlate with landscape features and places to find food and water, while their orientations represent the directions of the pathways for traveling.
  • Visit this University of Melbourne website for detailed instruction on the Indigenous astronomy, geography and star maps activity HERE

*Source: Indigenous Knowledge Resources for Australian Schools Curricula Project, developed by University of Melbourne.

Stellar scintillation

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people developed extensive knowledge about the world around them through observation, experimentation, experience, and deduction.
  • Visit this University of Melbourne website for detailed instruction on the Stellar scintillation activity HERE

*Source: Indigenous Knowledge Resources for Australian Schools Curricula Project, developed by University of Melbourne.

Aboriginal astronomy and appropriate relationships

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander laws, often conveyed in lore, contain strict rules about social behaviours, warning and punishing those who act in a disrespectful and harassing manner. This sort of negative behaviour is taboo, and helps the community maintain a healthy relationship and a communal sense of wellbeing.
  • Visit this University of Melbourne website for detailed instruction on the Aboriginal astronomy and appropriate relationships activity HERE

*Source: Indigenous Knowledge Resources for Australian Schools Curricula Project, developed by University of Melbourne.

Teachers Click Here

Many of these resources and activities have been developed in consultation with NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) to ensure that the program meets NSW curriculum outcomes for Stages 3, 4 & 5.