Barnumbirr

The tradition & historical record

Barnumbirr, also spelt Bunumbirr or Banumbirr and also known as the Morning Star, is a creator-spirit in the Yolngu culture of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia, who is identified as the planet Venus. In Yolngu Dreaming mythology, she is believed to have guided the first humans, the Djanggawul sisters, to Australia. After the Djanggawul sisters arrived safely near Yirrkala (at Yalangbara) in North East Arnhem Land, Barnumbirr flew across the land from east to west, creating a songline which named and created the animals, plants, and geographical features. Songlines were an important navigational tool for Aboriginal people. The route that Barnumbirr flew above northern Australia became a songline that spans multiple language groups and was therefore useful for travelling Yolngu and their neighbours. Research suggests that this songline through the Northern Territory and Western Australia, and others tracing paths in New South Wales and Queensland, have formed part of Australia’s network of motorways. Barnumbirr has a strong association with death in Yolngu culture. The "Morning Star Ceremony" corresponds with the rising of Barnumbirr and is a time when living Yolngu, with the help of Barnumbirr and the "Morning Star Pole", can communicate with their ancestors on Bralgu (var. Baralku), their final resting place. ¹

Barnumbirr as a Morning Star is a creator spirit in Yolngu culture. Her story is part of the Dhuwa moiety. Yolngu songlines depict Barnumbirr guiding the Djanggawul sisters as they row a canoe from the mythical island of Bralgu (the home of Wangarr, the Great Creator Spirit) to discover Australia and bring Madayin Law to the Dhuwa people. Once the sisters found land near Yirrkala in North East Arnhem Land, Barnumbirr is believed to have continued flying eastward creating a song-line which includes descriptions of flora, fauna, geographical features and clan borders. Barnumbirr’s songline therefore formed the basis of Madayin Law and the Yolngu understanding of the land. ¹

Barnumbirr has strong associations with death for Yolngu people. The rising of Barnumbirr in the sky before sunrise is a time when the Yolngu conduct the "Morning Star Ceremony". As Venus becomes visible in the early hours before dawn, the Yolngu say that she draws behind her a rope that is connected to the island of Bralgu. Along this rope, with the aid of a richly decorated "Morning Star Pole", Yolngu people are able to release the spirits of their dead and communicate with their ancestors. Research suggests that this light is likely zodiacal light, caused by extraterrestrial dust reflecting light from the Solar System. This ‘rope’ is important in Yolngu mythology because it prevents Barnumbirr from straying too far from Bralgu and facilitates communication between dead and living people. ¹

The Morning Star Ceremony is a mortuary ceremony of the Dhuwa moiety. In Dhuwa mythology, the Wangarr (Yolngu ancestors) perform the Morning Star ceremony every night of Venus’ synodic period. In the real world, the Morning Star Ceremony is an important part of the funeral process for a small number of Yolngu clans. The ceremony begins at dusk and continues through the night, reaching a climax when Barnumbirr rises trailing a rope of light to connect with Bralgu. When Barnumbirr rises, the spirits of those who have recently died are released with the help of the Ceremony to Wangarr, the spirit-world. ¹

Due to its scale and importance, the "Morning Star Ceremony" requires a significant level of planning. It occurs over the course of the night prior the first rising of Venus after a synodic period of approximately 584 days. Venus can then be seen as a Morning Star for approximately 263 days. The Yolngu people count the days of Venus’ synodic period to track the motion of Venus and plan the Morning Star Ceremony ¹

The Morning Star Pole is a decorated ceremonial piece used in the Morning Star Ceremony. It is used to communicate with ancestors on Bralgu and is designed to depict Barnumbirr, its tail of zodiacal light and neighbouring celestial bodies. Each Morning Star Pole is unique to individual craftsmen and clans and therefore unique in appearance (Gurriwiwi, 2009). Attached to the top of the pole are feathers from a variety of birds which represent the Morning Star itself (Norris, 2016; Gurriwiwi, 2009). The pole is coloured with traditional patterns in ochre paint and together are a representation of the artist and their surrounding environment. Pandanus strings attach more feathers to the pole. These strings represent the string of light that attaches Barnumbirr to Bralgu as well as neighbouring stars and planets. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Barnumbirr”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

Barnumbirr is creator-spirit in the Yolngu culture of Arnhem Land in Australia, who is identified as the planet Venus, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation. ²