Hunter and Protector – Nyeeruna and Kambugudha
REGION
Aboriginal Australia
Aboriginal Australia
OBJECT
Orion, Hyades
Orion, Hyades
SOURCE
Adapted from Karlie Noon and Krystal De Napoli, “First Knowledges Astronomy: Sky Country” (Australia: Thames and Hudson, 2022) and Duane Hamacher, “Observations of red–giant variable stars by Aboriginal Australians”, The Australian Journal of Anthropology, 29(3) (Sept 2017).
Adapted from Karlie Noon and Krystal De Napoli, “First Knowledges Astronomy: Sky Country” (Australia: Thames and Hudson, 2022) and Duane Hamacher, “Observations of red–giant variable stars by Aboriginal Australians”, The Australian Journal of Anthropology, 29(3) (Sept 2017).
In South Australia, a story tells of the Ming-arri sisters, who particularly enjoy the single life. They live in solitude and have no intention of marrying or procreating. In order to protect themselves, they always have their pack of dingos nearby to scare off potential predators. In the same region lives a great hunter called Nyeeruna (Orion), who is used to getting anything he wants. He decides he wants one of the Ming-arri sisters and starts chasing them. They run to the sky and he follows in pursuit.
The oldest of the sisters, whose name is Kambugudha (the Hyades star cluster), considers herself a fierce protector of her younger sisters. She places herself between the Ming-arri and Nyeeruna, staunching Nyeeruna in a wide, taunting stance (shown in the inverted ‘V’ shape of Hyades). Angered at the hurdle before him, Nyeeruna summons fire magic into the club he holds in his right hand (Betelgeuse) and takes aim at Kambugudha. She has a special defence tactic and summons fire magic into her left foot (Aldebaran). When Nyeeruna goes to strike, she defensively lifts her foot and uses the fire magic to kick dust in his face. This humiliates Nyeeruna and his fire fizzles out. In the peace that follows, she dulls the fire magic in her foot.
All too soon, Nyeeruna is inspired to battle Kambugudha again, and summons his fire magic once more. Kambugudha needs time to prepare her magic and so calls upon the father dingo, Babba, and his pups (Orion’s shield) to serve as the Ming-arri’s defence. The dingos rush over to Nyeeruna, shaking and swinging him by his middle while Kambugudha and the other sisters point and laugh at him. Once again, he is thwarted and his fire magic dies down.
Ever since, Kambugudha and Nyeeruna have been engaged in an eternal cyclic battle over the Ming-arri, in which their fire magic repeatedly dies down and reignites.
Image: Duane Hamacher, “Observations of red–giant variable stars by Aboriginal Australians”, The Australian Journal of Anthropology, 29(3) (Sept 2017).Nyeeruna’s fire-magic club is the red giant star we know today as Betelgeuse, while Kambugudha’s left foot is the giant star we know as Aldebaran. These two are variable stars – a type of star that dims and brightens over a period of time.
Nyeeruna’s fire magic has a variability period of around seven years, while she restores her power, which means that over a seven-year period the star goes from really bright to barely visible. This is represented in the Ming-arri Dreaming through Kambugudha and Nyeeruna’s cyclical battle.
Kambugudha’s fire magic is a particular kind of variable star, what we call a slow irregular variable star. That means its period is long and unknown. It is also believed in Western astronomy that such a star’s period is undetectable by the human eye, but the Ming-arri people probably have something to say about that.
See also: Seven Sisters Dreaming – Miyay-Miyay