The First Astronomers by Duane Hamacher

Author:Duane Hamacher [Duane Hamacher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2021-12-24T00:00:00+00:00

The taboo of Waiyungari

The Ngarrindjeri people of the Coorong in South Australia maintain an oral tradition about Waiyungari (meaning ‘red man’)—a young man going through Kaindjani (initiation). During this time, he is considered Ngarambi, a sacred state of being in which he is subject to strict prohibitions. He is covered in red ochre (hence his name) and must fast, go without clothing, and have no contact with other initiates or women. Violating this Law could result in serious reprimand for the offender and their relatives.

As the (highly abridged) story goes, Waiyungari was walking along the water’s edge one day and knelt down to get a drink, using a reed as a straw. As he drank, some of the red ochre fell from his body into the water. It flowed downstream, catching the attention of two women. After searching for the source of the ochre, they saw Waiyungari. They found him extremely attractive and secretly followed him to his house. When Waiyungari retired for the night, the women morphed into emus, making sounds that drew the initiate from his home. He rushed outside, ready to spear the ‘emus’, when they changed back into human form. The women wrapped their arms around Waiyungari and asked him to take them as wives. He willingly consented.

Through this act, Waiyungari broke Ngarambi Law. But the situation was much worse. Unbeknown to him, the women were the wives of his older brother, Nepeli. Waiyungari’s mother had witnessed the incident and was enraged. She told Nepeli that his wives had betrayed him, and his brother had broken a sacred taboo.

In a state of fury, Nepeli set Waiyungari’s house ablaze while the trio slept inside. The smoke woke them, and they quickly escaped, running along the riverbank. Knowing they faced death as punishment, Waiyungari tied a rope to a spear and cast it into the Milky Way. He pulled himself and the women into Wyirrewarre (sky-world) where he became a bright red star, signifying the colour of his ochred body. The two women went up to become stars flanking him on either side. He later pulled his canoe up into the Milky Way. On the land, you can also see their hut as a mound of limestone, located at Pulluwewal, near Point Macleay, South Australia.

In Ngarrindjeri traditions, the trio sit in his canoe in the Milky Way with the celestial emu to the west. Occasionally, Waiyungari brightens, getting ‘hotter’. This represents his forbidden desires, and serves as a warning to initiates that they must obey traditional Law. With a clear indication that the star brightens and fades repeatedly over time, why was this tradition not considered by scientists of the day? Or even in the decades since?

One reason is because the star representing Waiyungari was misidentified as the planet Mars by early ethnographers. This highlights the problem of researchers trying to record Indigenous star knowledge when they themselves have a limited knowledge of the stars. Discussions and consultations between anthropologists over the next century did nothing to correct this error, which was published in multiple popular books and went unchecked until 2017.

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