Astroblog: A Tale of Larnankurrk and Kulkunbulla

Sunday, June 17, 2012

A Tale of Larnankurrk and Kulkunbulla

Over at Astronomy Blog Stuart has the story of Aldebaran the Hunter, an African Bushman's tale of the stars we we associate with Greek and Roman mythology. I promised to give a similar tale from Indigenous Australians.

Unfortunately most of the Indigenous lore of South-Eastern Australia is lost. Still we have some stories. This one comes from the Boorong peoples of north-west Victoria.

The stars we know as the belt and sword of Orion (or the Saucepan, here in Australia) are Kulkunbulla, a group of young men dancing a corroboree. Larnankurrk, the group of stars we know as the Pleiades, is a group of young women watching th young men dance. Gellarlec (Aldebaran) is an old man singing and beating time to the dancing. Gellarlecis also known as the Major Mitchell Cockatoo.

See Paul Curnow's Boorong Skies for more information.

Labels: constellations, miscelaneous