LibGuides: Astronomy and Astrophysics: Indigenous resources in ANU Library Collections on Astronomy & Astrophysics topics

ANU Graduate Attribute - Insight into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ knowledges and Indigenous peoples’ perspectives (IP-GA)

Development of this content supports the ANU Graduate Attribute - Insight into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ knowledges and Indigenous peoples’ perspectives (IP-GA). Content that explicitly explores Indigenous ways of knowing relevant to the discipline. ANU's College of Science, Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics highlights Indigenous Astronomy.

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Astronomy and Navigation

Search the ANU Catalogue and SuperSearch with the following search terms to find books and articles and other resources on Indigenous topics in ANU Library Collections on astronomy;

(astronom* OR navigat* OR sky OR planet) AND (aborig* OR "australian aborig*" OR "aboriginal australian" OR "first nations" OR "australian indigenous" OR "indigenous australia*" OR indigenous OR "first nations" OR "torres strait" OR "torres strait islander")

A select list of ebooks is in the box below and click here for the full search results for books and for a selection of journal articles on the topic.

First Knowledges Astronomy: Sky Country by Noon, Karlie ; Napoli, Krystal De ; Neale, Margo
Call Number: View online [ANU staff and students only]
Publication Date: 2022
What do you need to know to prosper for 65,000 years or more? In Astronomy: Sky Country, Karlie Noon and Krystal De Napoli explore the connections between Aboriginal environmental and cultural practices and the behaviour of the stars, and consider what must be done to sustain our dark skies, and the information they hold, into the future.
Astronomy : sky country by Noon, Karlie, De Napoli, Krystal,
Call Number: View online [ANU staff and students only]
Publication Date: 2022
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the oldest scientists in human history. Many First Peoples regard the land as a reflection of the sky and the sky a reflection of the land.
Emu Dreaming by Ray Norris; Priscilla Norris
Call Number: View online [ANU staff and students only]
Publication Date: 2014
The art and traditions of Aboriginal Australia draw on 40,000 years experience of gazing into the richness of unpolluted skies from pristine lands. They include the "emu in the sky" constellation of dark clouds, and stories about the Sun, Moon, and the Seven Sisters. Several Aboriginal groups use the rising and setting of particular stars to show when to harvest a food source.
The Routledge Handbook of Social Studies of Outer Space by Juan Francisco Salazar (Editor); Alice Gorman (Editor)
Call Number: View online [ANU staff and students only]
Publication Date: 2023
Proposes a future-oriented agenda for interdisciplinary researchers of outer space Offers a helpful balance of theoretical and empirical research, as well as case studies Covers a wide range of interdisciplinary topics with a diverse set of contributors, providing readers with novel perspectives
The First Astronomers by Duane Hamacher (Contribution by)
Call Number: View online [ANU staff and students only]
Publication Date: 2023
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.
2023 Australasian Sky Guide by Nick Lomb
Call Number: View online [ANU staff and students only]
Publication Date: 2022
The Australasian Sky Guide will tell you everything you need to know about the southern night sky. With month-by-month features and sky maps for viewing the Moon, planets, stars, and constellations, it is ideal for stargazers who are beginners and experts alike. This year's guide includes a feature by Wiradjuri astronomer Kirsten Banks exploring First Nations constellations.
Star Stories by Anthony Aveni
Call Number: View online [ANU staff and students only]
Publication Date: 2019
Follow an epic animal race, a quest for a disembodied hand, and an emu egg hunt in constellation stories from diverse cultures
Science and Sustainability Learning from Indigenous Wisdom by Hendry, J. author.
Call Number: View online [ANU staff and students only]
Publication Date: 2014
ndigenous peoples have passed down vital knowledge for generations from which local plants help cure common ailments, to which parts of the land are unsuitable for buildings because of earthquakes. Here, Hendry examines science through these indigenous roots, problematizing the idea that Western science is the only type that deserves that name.