The Burunh Program
About Us
Astronomy is the oldest of the sciences, playing a central role in the history of science and the Knowledge Systems of traditional cultures of the world, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures of Australia. The canopy of stars serves as a time piece, a navigational aide, a map, a calendar, a memory space, a canvas on which we can create art, and a storyboard for narratives that give life meaning and purpose.
Understanding the complexity of the universe and our place in the cosmos merits research from both scientific and cultural perspectives. It is also critical to secure our view of the cosmos, which is being gradually erased by the glow of light pollution.
Our comprehensive program in Cultural & Indigenous Astronomy combines world-class teaching, research, public programs, professional development, and community engagement in the interdisciplinary fields of Indigenous astronomy, archaeoastronomy, astrosociology, dark sky studies, geomythology, social studies of outer space, the philosophy of science, and the history of astronomy.
Our work examines the myriad ways that observations of celestial objects and phenomena inform Knowledge Systems that guide cultural practices. We also research the impacts of light pollution and satellites, pedagogies for science education and communication, how psychology guides our views of the cosmos, and ancient records of geological and astronomical events encoded in oral tradition.
We host the world’s only comprehensive undergraduate and graduate teaching and research program in Cultural & Indigenous Astronomy, with the theme of Indigenous Knowledges and perspectives threaded throughout.
Major Research Outcomes
What have been some of the major outcomes and discoveries of our work? Access some of our recent publications here.
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We published best-selling and award winning books, such as The First Astronomers and Astronomy: Sky Country.
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Our work has directly informed the Australian National Curriculum through The Ngarnngga Project.
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Our work demonstrated conclusively that Aboriginal people had observed variable stars long before they were known to Western science.
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We showed that the Boorong people observed the Great Eruption of the star Eta Carinae in the 1840s and incorporated it into their oral traditions - standing as the only known example globally.
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We published the first detailed paper examining Indigenous use of stellar scintillation to forecast weather, inform navigation and predict seasonal change.
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We showed how Aboriginal stories of falling stars led to the discovery of previously unknown meteorites and showed that Aboriginal oral traditions describe meteorite impacts that occurred over 4,000 years ago.
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We published research using geological and astronomical lines of evidence to demonstrate that Palawa traditions of Tasmania have been passed down for at least 12,000 years.
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We showed that human perception using Gestalt principles best explains why so many cultures across the globe see the same constellations in remarkably similar ways.
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We published the first paper showing that Indigenous people predicted lunar eclipses using oral tradition.
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We published he first paper to detail how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people observes solstice and solar points to establish annual and seasonal calendars.
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We worked with communities to identify celestial objects misidentified in the anthropological record, which in turn informed the development of seasonal calendars and helped in language revitalisation.
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Our work on cosmic nomenclature resulted in setting standards for naming meteorite craters, formalised seven Aboriginal star names being adopted by the IAU, and five asteroid names being adopted by the IAU, named after Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, scholars, and a community.
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We demonstrated how stone arrangements have preferred orientations to cardinal points.
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We demonstrated that ceremonial grounds align to the Milky Way at particular times of the year.
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We argued a case for light pollution as a form of cultural genocide.
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We established frameworks and protocols for safeguarding Sky Country from light pollution.
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We published the first account of Indigenous people using zodiacal light to predict seasonal change.
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We have worked to establish policy and protocols for engagement between First Nations communities and the Space Sector.
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We examined historical documents to understand apocalyptic cosmic phenomena in early modern Europe.
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We have examined representations of science by Indigenous astronomy researchers to help us better understand how and why we do the work we do.
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We examined the role of transient celestial phenomena in Indigenous traditions, such as eclipses, comets, meteors, and supernovae.
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We showed that Aboriginal xcommunities noted the Russel-McPheron Effect and based long term climate calendars on the appearance of aurorae.
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We demonstrated the various ways that astronomical phenomena and measurements are encoded in Aborigial rock art.
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We designed research frameworks for conducting Indigenous astronomy scholarship.
Advisory Board
Burunh (pronounced BOOR-run) means "night sky; darkness" in the Bunurong language of south-central Victoria. The word is shared by languages across Victoria and in southern parts of New South Wales.
The Bunurong / Boon Wurrung people are an Aboriginal community and language whose country spans southern and coastal Victoria, from Wirribi-Yaluk (Werribee River) and Mirrangbamuran (Maribyrnong River) across Narm-narm (Port Philip Bay) to Korranwarrabul (Dandenong Ranges), down to Gorm-Griya (the Mornington Peninsula), Corriong (Phillip Island) and beyond. They are part of the Kulin Nation - a group of five Aboriginal groups - that include the Taunguraung, Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wuurring, and Wadawurrung.
The first work dedicated to the study of Aboriginal astronomy was published in 1857 by Englishman William Stanbridge, focusing on the star knowledge of the Boorong people of Lake Tyrrell in northwestern Victoria. 'Tyrrell' is derived from the local Aboriginal word 'direl", meaning 'night sky', as it is beautifully reflected in the mirror-calm waters of the salt lake.
The Boorong clan of the Wergaia prided themselves on being expert astronomers. That name in the Wergaia language is the same word as Burunh, meaning they were "the night people". We continue that tradition in Narrm/Melbourne using the local Bunurong spelling of the term.
How do you pronounce Burunh?
There, look! There’s the Sun going down over there. That’s the place our people go when they die. Then it’s dark and we can see all our knowledge, all our stories, all our science in the sky. It’s night. ‘Night’ is ‘Burunh’.
- Aunty Gail Kunwarra Dawson, Bunurong Elder
This name is used with permission of the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation
Letter of Approval (PDF)
Our Charity
We are supported by the Australian Association for Astronomy in Culture, Inc. - a registered charity in Victoria. The purposes of the Association is to support, fund, and develop research, education and public engagement - including scholarships, grants, and fellowships - for scholars studying the role of the cosmos in culture, history, society, and heritage. We place a special focus on supporting Indigenous communities and Elders.
Since 2020, the charity has supported conference attendance for research students, travel grants for scholars attending IAU Symposium 399, travel scholarships for visiting academics, research materials for graduate students, travel grants for Indigenous researchers, and more.