2011/05/13 by Duane W. Hamacher, Ray P. Norris, Hamacher, Duane W. +2
Physics and Astronomy · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Australian Indigenous Culture and History #Categorization, perception, and language #FOS: Physical sciences #History and Philosophy of Physics (physics.hist-ph) #Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies #Physics and Society (physics.soc-ph) #physics.hist-ph #physics.soc-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1105.2635
Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Vol. 14, No. 2 (July, 2011), in press
arxiv created 2011/05/13 · openalex publication_date 2011/05/13 · arxiv updated 2011/05/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We explore 50 Australian Aboriginal accounts of lunar and solar eclipses to determine how Aboriginal groups understood this phenomenon. We summarise the literature on Aboriginal references to eclipses, showing that many Aboriginal groups viewed eclipses negatively, frequently associating them with bad omens, evil magic, disease, blood and death. In many communities, Elders or medicine men were believed to have the ability to control or avert eclipses by magical means, solidifying their role as provider and protector within the community. We also show that many Aboriginal groups understood the motions of the sun-earth-moon system, the connection between the lunar phases and tides, and acknowledged that solar eclipses were caused by the moon blocking the sun.