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Seasons in Aboriginal Culture

Plants respond to the annual cycle of different environmental factors at similar times from year to year and have long been considered important seasonal indicators.

The western calendar is based on four seasons reflecting changes seen throughout the year in Europe in the weather, plants and animals. These photos represent those European seasons. Do you think the Australian seasons match these four categories well?

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Hands holding berries
Summer
Berries ripen in summer
Colourful autumn leaves on the ground
Autumn
Leaves fall from the trees
An Artic Fox hibernating in the snow
Winter
Animals hibernate in the snow during winter
A young deer amongst the grass
Spring
Young animals are born in spring

Indigenous Australians base their seasons on changes in weather, plants and animals around them, and in celestial patterns. This can mean more or sometimes less than four seasons in a year. We call these observations ‘seasonal indicators’. These seasonal indicators dictated the timing of movements of Aboriginal people from place to place, influenced their activities, the foods they ate and their cultural use of plants and other resources. 

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An artwork of Wattle and a whale
Coastal Wattle
Along the east coast, the flowering of the Coastal Wattle (Gadigal name- Wadanguli, Scientific name Acacia longifolia subsp. sophorae) signifies a change of season. It marks the northwards movement of whales to waters where the females will soon give birth to their young.
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Aboriginal art of a Tea Tree
Tea Trees

In the south, the flowering of Tea trees (Leptospermum sp.) is an indication that soon there will be plenty of fish to catch. 

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Art work of Bush turkey amongst Black bean trees
Black Bean
In the north, the fruiting of the Black Bean (Castanospermum australe) is a signal that it is a good time for hunting particular rainforest birds. 
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Water lilies painting
Water lilies
In the north, the flowering of beautiful water lilies (Nymphaea sp.) signifies a time for gathering bird eggs. This time is also the start of the rainy season. 
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Bark of a Stringybark tree
Stringybark
During the dry season in North East Arnhem land, Yolngu people know that when the Stringybark Eucalyptus is in full flower the local waterholes begin to shrink, snakes lay their eggs and honey is plentiful. The shrinking waterholes makes for easier spearfishing or netting of fish whilst the snake eggs and honey are collected. 
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Image of Hickory Wattle
Hickory wattle

Hickory Wattle (D’harawal name - Weetjeelan) flowering indicates there is good fishing at Kyeemah (Botany Bay, NSW). Leaves can be crushed and placed in slow running or still water to stun fish.  

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Close up or Paperbark
Paperbark
In Kakadu, scattered showers and afternoon thunderstorms see the Paperbark trees (Kakadu name - Mungguy, scientifific name - Melaleuca spp.) in bud and a general greening of the landscape. New vegetation growth in waterholes causes waterfowl to disperse and barramundi to leave their waterhole and run downstream into estuaries. 
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Below are Herbarium specimen sheets of Australian plants collected by scientists from the Royal Botanic Garden. 

Activities - Seasons in Aboriginal Culture

1. Read about plants

 The image gallery highlights plants used as seasonal indicators. Read about them and choose your favourite.

2. Create some art

Draw a story of your favourite showing the plant and what Aboriginal season it indicates.  Show your drawing to someone else and explain what the plant is, and what it means.

3. Examine the specimens

Look at the herbarium specimen sheets in the gallery above. Record whether they are flowering or not, as well as the time of year they were collected. What other information have the scientists recorded on the sheet?

4. Create a Herbarium

Collect some plant cuttings with both flowers and leaves. Take note of where and when the cuttings were taken, and try to accurately identify the names of the plants. Press and dry your plant cuttings between newspaper sheets, weighted with heavy books. You can now start your own Herbarium collection. Watch the video below for help.

5. A plant life cycle

Research, draw and label the life cycle of one of the plants you’ve collected which is indigenous to your area.