Astronomy: Sky Country traces the sophisticated astronomical knowledge embedded within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Dreamtime and Songlines, connecting star behaviour to seasonal change, food availability, and ceremony across millennia of continuous scientific practice.
About This Book
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the oldest scientists in human history — a fact that Western astronomy is only beginning to reckon with seriously. Astronomy: Sky Country brings that knowledge into focus, exploring how First Peoples have long understood the sky and land as mirrors of one another. Authors Karlie Noon and Krystal De Napoli map the intersections between Indigenous astronomical knowledge and environmental practice: how the movement of stars informs weather reading, seasonal cycles, and ceremonial time. The book also turns its gaze toward the present, asking what must be done to protect dark skies and preserve the profound information they carry for future generations. Essential reading for anyone interested in the history of science, Indigenous knowledge systems, or the future of astronomy.
Key Features
- 224 pages exploring Indigenous astronomical knowledge, environmental practice, and the cultural significance of dark skies
- Authors: Karlie Noon and Krystal De Napoli
- Published by Thames & Hudson Australia, ISBN 9781760762162
What You'll Discover
- How Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples developed sophisticated astronomical expertise over the longest continuous scientific tradition in human history
- The conceptual relationship between land and sky in First Peoples knowledge systems, where each is understood as a reflection of the other
- How Dreamtime and Songlines encode practical knowledge of weather patterns, seasonal shifts, and food availability through celestial observation
- The contemporary imperative to protect dark skies and ensure that the knowledge systems embedded within them can be sustained into the future
About the Author
Karlie Noon is a Gamilaroi woman and one of Australia's leading voices on Indigenous astronomy, working at the intersection of First Nations knowledge systems and contemporary astrophysics. She co-authors this volume with Krystal De Napoli, together bringing both cultural authority and scientific depth to the subject.
Specifications
- Format: Paperback
- Pages: 224
- Dimensions: 196 x 131 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9781760762162
- Publisher: Thames & Hudson Australia
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Readers with an interest in Indigenous knowledge systems, the history of science, environmental practice, and the cultural and scientific future of Australian astronomy.