The Wire

The sky belongs to us all – and humans have always looked at the stars and told stories about them. The ancient and modern interpretations of the night sky come together tonight when elder Bill Harney and astrophysicist Ray Norris give a talk at the Royal Institute in Adelaide . Bill Yidumduma Harney is the last fully initiated male custodian of the Wardaman people, and is a celebrated artist, writer, didjeridu maker, songman and storyteller Bill has already co-authored a book on the night sky, Dark Sparklers – it came about when he was telling tourists dreaming stories. Ray Norris says the book was the reason he looked up Bill and has been working with him on what Aboriginal stories about the sky can tell modern science about the history of the universe. He says Aboriginal people were most likely the first astronomers.