Urmas Sisask. Chamaeleon - Swarming Octans - Stagnation. Aboriginal Ideas Concerning the Starry Skies

Transcription

1 There are consideraly less consicuous constellations in the southern skies than in the northern, which makes it more diicult to memorise them. Astronomers have divided the more consicuous star ormations (such as the magniicent celestial string under Canis Major) into dierent lists, and thereore dierent arts o the cycle contain similar musical images, while each one o them may contain many dierent moods. Telescoic oservations (oen clusters in Centaurus and Tucana, the 'ewel Case' in Crux) as well as visual ones (the 'Coalsack' in Crux, the Magellanic Clouds) have served as the asis or comosing the cycle. It reresents arts o the sky as laid down y the astronomers, and not the illusory constellations. Urmas Sisask Chamaeleon - Swarming Octans - Stagnation Aoriginal Ideas Concerning the Starry Skies Everything seems to e uside down in the southern skies: Sun, Moon and stars seem to move ackwards, the ace o the Moon is mirrored, new moon looks like our old moon, and vice versa; the constellations o the northern skies stand on their tos, and while the north ole-star shines right in our skies, there is no south ole-star... For the Aorigines o Australia, living under stars, the starry sky is very imortant and has given rise to numerous myths. In the clear skies o inland and troical regions o North Australia the stars shine esecially rightly, and some o the Aorigines, esecially in the desert regions, know most o the stars in the skies aove them, and there is a legend aout the origin o nearly every star. There is a elie in Australia that once uon a time the stars and lanets were men, women and animals who lew into the sky as a result o a catastrohe during the creation o the world, inding there a reuge as stars. Usually the sun is seen as a woman and the eclise means that the Sun-woman coules with the Moon-man. Many accounts o the origin o death are connected with the Moon. He dies ut resurrects again every month. Heaven is thought to e the aode o sirits and souls. In Arnhem Land it is elieved that a meteor is a soul's canoe - a oat carrying the soul o a dead man to the other world. Around Adelaide and in the southern arts o Australia it is elieved that heaven is very much like earth and that the Milky Way is a river lowing through the sky. Dark atches in the Milky Way are lagoons on the anks o the river. In the rovince o Victoria it is elieved that the sky is a solid dome over the earth-disk. Behind this solid and thick dome there is a eautiul realm with lenty o ood and water where the souls o the dead are living. Prehistoric creatures and mythical heroes also living in this real are seen on the earth as stars. The irmament is suorted on the edges o the earth. Some myths state that the sky is suorted y the tall tree Warda that has to e rotected at all times, otherwise the sky would all down. Another myth says that once uon a time earth and sky were linked y a huge Totem illar. A grou o women who were travelling to heaven on a cold autumn night lighted a ire to get some warmth, and the illar was urned into two halves, thus searating heavendwellers rom earthly eole. The constellations in the southern skies are much smaller than those in the northern skies. So we can ind near the celestial South Pole the small and very narrow oat-shaed Chamaeleon ('Chameleon') that is constantly revolving around the ole and striving towards it. Neary, there is the only constellation that does not change its osition - the three almost invisile stars o the triangular Octans ('Octant'), in which the celestial South Pole is situated. Thereore Octans is very mysterious in comarison with other constellations. 00 y edition 9 Karlsruhe, Germany. e

2 Mensa - Bush Fire - Clearing Volans - Transormations The Aoriginal Myth o Little Mother Uldanami The constellations o Mensa ('Tale [Mountain]') and Volans ('Flying Fish') can e ound side y side etween the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Milky Way. In this art o the sky, the Large Magellanic Cloud that is the igger neighour o our Galaxy, looks like a ire surrounded on one side y the ush-like constellation o Mensa. The ancient myth o the Aorigines goes as ollows: It was a sad day or Little Mother Uldanami as she heard that ire in the ush had driven his two sons into heaven. Her other relatives had died years ago and her sons had een the only ones with whom she could share her aection and care. Uldanami longed or the comany o other eole and would not elieve that her sons were no longer on earth; she looked or them everywhere. Her mournul cries echoed in rocky hills and reciices. The sirits turned Little Mother into a curlew; she still wanders aout at night and calls the names o her eloved ones. When the Aorigines o Australia hear her characteristic wailing cry when sitting y the ire, they rememer Mother Uldanami's mourning. Then arents oint out two right stars to their children: Canous in Carina and Achernar in Eridanus - according to the legend, those once were Uldanami's sons. Now the situation is clearing u, ecause at the side o the Large Magellanic Cloud we can see the constellation o Mensa as an image o ush ire. There is another small yet eautiul constellation called Volans ('Flying Fish') etween the Large Magellanic Cloud and the Milky Way. Little Mother Uldanami decided to ind her sons in heaven, and as Volans she is constantly changing her osition due to the roximity o the South Pole. And, i she calls loud and long enough etween the rilliant elt o the Milky Way and ush ire, her sons will answer and come to her. 00 y edition 9 Karlsruhe, Germany. e

3 1. (.) Chameleon - Drive Kameeleon - tunglemine R = 11 legato # (ad liitum) # 7 # g Urmas Sisask (199-9) g # 00 y edition 9 Karlsruhe, Germany. e

4 10 n # # # > 1 # g # # > g > # n # # # # # g # n # # 00 y edition 9 Karlsruhe, Germany. e

5 F 1 10 U. U. 8 8 P 1 U. U U. U U. U UW. W U. 00 y edition 9 Karlsruhe, Germany. e

6 1. (.) Octans - Stagnation Oktant - Seiskumine Allegro j.. j.. * j.. * U n U U n U U n U Largo (simile) U. A U. 7. U. Urmas Sisask (199-9) A A U. A U U. 00 y edition 9 Karlsruhe, Germany. e

7 16. (.) Mensa - Bush Fire - Clearing Lavamägi - Selginemine q = # # # ad liitum # # # () 9 # # () 1 # # () # # # # # # F # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # P # # # # # # # # # Urmas Sisask (199-9) # # # # 00 y edition 9 Karlsruhe, Germany. e

8 17 # # () 1 # # # # () 9 # # () # # # # # # # # # # # # n.. # 9 # # # # # # # # # F #. n. # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # P # # # # P # # # U # # ƒ # # * n. U * j * ad li. # #. dim. 00 y edition 9 Karlsruhe, Germany. e

9 cover current string with inger 67 ## 1 ## ## * * ƒ 70 n rit. U 1 # # 7 R = 100 Ï > n n 7 > n n 7 > > * * 76 accel. > n n > n > 79 rit. U * () * 8 meno mosso R = 60. ^( ^ ) ƒ v v v v. ^ ^ ^ ^ v v. n ^ ^ ^ v v v v ** U () * Press keys down with let arm without sound, in the same time take edal o. ** Hold ermata till total silene 00 y edition 9 Karlsruhe, Germany. e