The Long Backbone of the Sky

Abstract

The band of light that crosses the sky, commonly called the Milky Way, has stunned humans since the dawn of time and has many cultural associations. To the Pacific peoples it is home to gods and creator beings, and some regard it as the land of the dead. Furthermore, the streaks of dark nebulosity that criss-cross it are not black empty parts of the sky but are, in fact, full of meaning. In this chapter we explore some of these notions and find that, in many of the narratives about this great band of stars, there is a water motif. For some Australians it is a river of stars but for many others it is a water creature. Similarly, out in the islands of Polynesia, the watery, starry sky is reflected in the names given to the Milky Way, which refer to fish and sharks.