ZOOM, Meeting For All, 'The First Astronomers: How Indigenous Elders Read The Stars'
Feb 15, 2022
Duane Hamacher, Associate Professor
ZOOM, Meeting For All, 'The First Astronomers: How Indigenous Elders Read The Stars'
Duane Hamacher is Associate Professor of Cultural Astronomy in the School of Physics at the University of Melbourne. He earned graduate degrees in astrophysics and the social sciences and has appeared on TEDx, The Story of God with Morgan Freeman, and many other high profile local and international programs. He serves as an expert consultant for UNESCO and works for Indigenous elders in the Torres Strait and around the world to document traditional star knowledge for educational programs and public understanding.
The First Astronomers is the first book to reveal the rich knowledge of the stars and the planets held by First Peoples around the world.
Our eyes have been drawn away from the skies to our screens. We no longer look to the stars to forecast the weather, predict the seasons or plant our gardens. Most of us cannot even see the Milky Way. But First Nations Elders around the world still maintain this knowledge, and there is much we can learn from them.
These Elders are expert observers of the stars. They teach that everything on the land is reflected in the sky, and everything in the sky is reflected on the land. How does this work, and how can we better understand our place in the universe?
These Elders are expert observers of the stars. They teach that everything on the land is reflected in the sky, and everything in the sky is reflected on the land. How does this work, and how can we better understand our place in the universe?
Beautiful, engaging, and startlingly profound.' - Alan Duffy, Professor of Astrophysics
M.C. David Rush