Have you ever looked south on a dark night and noticed a faint glow of light arching across the horizon? For those in the far south of Tasmania, you might have even seen red and green waves dancing across the sky. These are the Southern Lights, also known as the Aurora Australis. The swirling lights of the aurora are a rare sight to behold from Australia, but appear in numerous Aboriginal astronomical traditions across the southern half of the continent.
Although more commonly seen from southern areas of Victoria, Tasmania and the southern coast of Western Australia, these lights can be seen from more northerly locations, too. Aboriginal knowledge holders in south-west Queensland describe the aurora as feast fires of the Oola Pikka. These are spiritual beings that speak to elders through the aurora.
In Pitjantjatjara traditions near Uluru in the Northern Territory, the aurora is known as , referring to a glowing (a sacred emu), breaking a cultural taboo. Upon committing this act, the hunters saw smoke start to rise in the south, towards the lands of the Tjura. The Tjura are considered poisonous flames that were sent as punishment to these hunters for their disregard of cultural Law.
