Jun 142020
Read Jim Poulter's article entitled the Kulin seasons (pdf).
Melbourne is famed for its variable weather of 'four seasons in one day'. However the Kulin people of the Port Phillip region defined eight seasons, but not just by the weather patterns. What had to be done at each particular time of the year also helped define each season. These annual seasons were also related to the Aboriginal use of a 28 day lunar month within a 13 month annual calendar. This was however not rigidly fixed as each coming season was preceded by a sequence of environmental signals in insect, animal and plant behaviour.
The sections in the article are:
- The eight Aboriginal seasons in Melbourne.
- Hot north wind and fix the fish-traps season.
- Eel harvest and inter-clan business season.
- Thunderstorm and rug making season.
- Burning-off season.
- Cold west wind and artifact making season.
- The special month of August.
- Women's business season.
- Men's business season.