The Astronomy of Two Indian Tribes: The Banjaras and the Kolams (original) (raw)
Related papers
Astronomy of two Indian tribes: Banjaras and Kolams
Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 2014
We report field studies of the astronomical beliefs of two Indian tribes: the Banjaras and the Kolams. The Banjaras are an ancient tribe connected with the gypsies of Europe while the Kolams have been foragers until recently. They share their landscape with each other and also with the Gonds whose astronomy was reported previously (Vahia and Halkare, 2013). The primary profession of the Banjaras was trade, based on the large-scale movement of goods over long distances, but their services were taken over by the railways about one hundred years ago. Since then the Banjaras have begun the long journey to a sedentary lifestyle. Meanwhile, the Kolams were foragers until about fifty years ago when the Government of India began to help them lead a settled life. Here, we compare their astronomical beliefs of the Banjaras and the Kolams, which indicate the strong sense of identity that each community possesses. Our study also highlights their perspective about the sky and its relation to the...
Astronomy of Tribals of Central India
Current Science
A summary of the astronomical beliefs of four tribes Gond, Banjara, Kolam and Korku from Nagpur region of Maharashtra has been presented. Primary conclusions are that the tribals are mainly focused on the winter sky with Big Dipper (Saptarshi), the Orion region including Orion, Taurus, Auriga, Gemini, Canis Major and Pleiades. They are also quite conscious of the Southern Cross (Crux) and the region around it. Many tribes are aware of Scorpius but are often unable to define its location in the sky. Gonds are aware of the Great Square of Pegasus and of Leo. We discuss these beliefs in the background of the region of the sky that occupies them and the similarity and differences in their beliefs of these regions. We then summarize the results in the general framework of human intellectual development and the environment in which they live.
Astronomy of the Korku Tribe of India
2016
The Korku are an ancient tribe of India believed to be of Austro-Asian origin. They trace their origin to the eastern Indian region of Chota Nagpur but large numbers of these people are settled in the forest reserves of central India. We visited twelve villages almost exclusively populated by Korku people in Northern Maharashtra about 200 km north of the city of Amravati, and focused on recording their astronomical beliefs. While living in the same Satpuda Mountain ranges, these groups differ in their astronomical beliefs from other tribes in the region. They focus on the Big Dipper (part of Ursa Major), and also show an understanding of some other aspects of the sky. They are particularly fascinated by eclipses (but treat solar and lunar eclipses the same) and have elaborate ways of measuring time. They also are aware of conjunctions of Mars and Venus and consider these to be of importance for marriages. They also are fascinated by Taurus. In this paper we report on the astronomica...
Star Maps and Travelling to Ceremonies: The Euahlayi People and Their Use of the Night Sky
Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 2014
The Euahlayi people are an Aboriginal Australian language group located in north-central New South Wales and south-central Queensland. They have a rich culture of astronomy and use of the night sky in resource management. Like several other Aboriginal peoples, they did not travel extensively at night, and so were assumed not to use the night sky for navigation. This study has confirmed that they, like most other Aboriginal groups, travelled extensively outside their own country for purposes of trade and ceremonies. We also found previously unpublished evidence that they used „star maps‟ in the night sky for learning and remembering waypoints along their routes of travel, but not for actual navigation.
The Astronomy of the Kamilaroi and Euahlayi Peoples and Their Neighbours
Australian Aboriginal Studies 2014/2, 2014
The Kamilaroi people and their neighbours, the Euahlayi, Ngemba and Murrawarri, are an Aboriginal cultural grouping located in north-west and north central New South Wales. They have a rich history, but have been missed in much of the literature concerning sky knowledge in culture. This study collected stories, some not previously reported in an academic format, from Aboriginal people practising their culture, augmented with stories from the literature, and analysed the data to create a database of sky knowledge that will be added to the larger body of Aboriginal cultural knowledge in Australia. We found that there is a strong sky culture reflected in the stories, and we explored the stories for evidence of an ethnoscientific approach to knowledge of the sky.
In situ studies of astronomy of the Nicobarese Tribe of Nicobar Islands Paper in Heritage.pdf
Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology 6 (2018): 1013‐1038, 2018
Sky is open for all to observe and it has fascinated humans from the time they first realised its existence. Humans have seen various objects in the patterns that the stars make. Most of the commonly held division of the sky has its roots in Babylonia about 3000 years before the Common Era. However, isolated tribal groups have not been a part of this narrative and they have interpreted the sky in different manner. Elsewhere (Vahia and Halkare 2017 and references therein ) we have reported studies of the astronomy of various inland tribes in central India. Here we report the astronomical perspective of the tribes of the Nicobar Island. Isolated from the mainstream they have developed their own story about the astronomy and cosmogony of human race and the nature of Sun, Moon and stars. However, we find surprising lack of interest in using astronomy for navigational purposes.
The astronomy of the Kamilaroi people and their neighbours
The Kamilaroi people and their neighbours, the Euahlayi, Ngemba, and Murrawarri, are an Aboriginal cultural grouping located in the northwest and north central of New South Wales. They have a rich history, but have been missed in much of the literature concerned with sky knowledge in culture. This study collected stories, some of which have not previously been reported in an academic format, from Aboriginal people practicing their culture, augmented with stories from the literature, and analysed the data to create a database of sky knowledge that will be added to the larger body of Aboriginal cultural knowledge in Australia. We found that there is a strong sky culture reflected in the stories, and we also explored the stories for evidence of an ethnoscientific approach to knowledge of the sky.
HRAF, 2018
The practice of looking to and tracking the heavens, stars, sun, and moon has roots and parallels in many cultures around the world. In epochs both ancient and contemporary, humans have looked to the stars for a variety of reasons—seeking wisdom, prophecy, better understandings of the passage of time, and the human place within the cosmos. Archaeological studies have long been interested in the methods that ancients used to observe the stars, looking for evidence of observational practices in architectural ruins, codices, glyphs, artifacts, stone alignments, and natural landscape features. Working with living peoples, cultural anthropologists have also gathered important insights regarding astronomical practices, showing how the stars and cosmos play important roles in timing cyclical practices across the world. In cases both ancient and contemporary, humans have often observed the stars in order to achieve pragmatic goals such as planting fields at optimal times or learning to predict and associate the behavior of their environment based on cosmological timing. In other words, people look to the stars to understand their world and environment and utilize what they learn.
Unheard Voices, Part 1: The Astronomy of Many Cultures -- A Resource Guide
2015
A quick overview. Aveni, Anthony Conversing with the Planets. 1992, Times Books. Celebrates the traditions of many cultures; emphasizes the importance of seeing them in their own context. Aveni, Anthony Empires of Time. 1989, Basic Books. A discussion of calendars, clocks, and cultures, with chapters on the Maya, Aztecs, Incas, Ancient Chinese, and several other early civilizations. Aveni, Anthony Stairways to the Stars: Skywatching in Three Great Ancient Cultures. 1997, John Wiley. Focuses of the monuments and astronomy of the people who built Stonehenge, plus the Maya and the Inca. Gleiser, Marcelo The Dancing Universe: From Creation Myths to the Big Bang. 1997, Dutton/Penguin. An exploration by a physicist of ideas from many cultures of how the universe came to be, including ancient legends and modern science. Hadingham, Evan Early Man and the Cosmos. 1984, Walker & Co. A clear primer on the subject of ancient sites and the astronomical thinking of ancient cultures around the world. Kelley, David & Milone, Eugene Exploring Ancient Skies: A Survey of Ancient and Cultural Astronomy, 2nd ed. 2011, Springer. A textbook for a course at the University of Calgary, this volume compiles a lot of information from different cultures. Krupp, Edwin Beyond the Blue Horizon: Myths and Legends of the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Planets. 1991, HarperCollins. Superb collection of astronomical tales from many cultures. Best book to start with. Krupp, Edwin Skywatchers, Shamans, & Kings: Astronomy and the Archaeology of Power. 1997, J. Wiley. Fine guide to sites around the world, written for beginners with humor and verve. Krupp, Edwin Echoes of the Ancient Skies: The Astronomy of Lost Civilizations. 1983, Harper & Row. An excellent introduction on the thoughts and monuments of earlier cultures. Penprase, Bryan The Power of the Stars: How Celestial Observations Have Shaped Civilization. 2011, Springer. Good non-technical introduction to the myths, constellation, calendars, astronomical buildings, and world views of various cultures. Ruggles, Clive Ancient Astronomy: An Encyclopedia of Cosmologies and Myth. 2005, ABC-Clio. Mammoth A-Z compilation of the ancient knowledge of a wide range of cultures. Walker, Christopher, ed. Astronomy Before the Telescope. 1996, St. Martin's Press. 17 essays on how people observed and interpreted the sky before modern instruments. Zeitlin, Steve The Four Corners of the Sky: Creation Stories and Cosmologies from Around the World. 2000, Henry Holt. Short book introducing and retelling the stories. Websites and Articles on the Web: Ancient Observatories, Timeless Knowledge from the Stanford Solar Center (An introduction to ancient sites where the movements of celestial objects were tracked over the years, with a special focus on tracking the Sun.): http://solar-center.stanford.edu/AO/ Maya official from the town of Oxchuc, Chiapas, attired in traditional dress from his town, observes the Sun through a special telescope.
Michael Janda The night sky of the Indo-Europeans. IE Interfaces
Indo-European Interfaces, 2024
It is not easy to talk about the stars, which are strewn across the night sky in immense abundance and seemingly at random. But this communication was of the utmost importance to farmers and sailors of ancient times. To be able to name the stars, they used metaphors – similarities to earthly phenomena – and perceived relations among the stars, and justified their existence through aitia. This study presents the names of stars and con- stellations that can be reconstructed for the Neolithic culture of the Indo- Europeans – known ones and some newly discovered ones – and tries to determine their respective naming motives. As in ancient and modern cultures, there existed among the Indo-Europeans a plurality of competing names for stars, constellations and their variously defined subdivisions, which led to conceptual overlaps and to the formation of those stories that constitute the core stock of ancient myths and conceptions of gods.