Aboriginal interpretations of the constellations Orion and Pleiades are very similar to the stories about them in Greek mythology. The stars of Orion are widely associated with young men – usually fishermen or hunters – while the seven stars of Pleiades are usually seen as young women. The two constellations often appear in legend together, and are part of the Dreamings of several language groups.
In the central desert region, the Pleiades are said to be seven sisters running away from the unwelcome attentions of a man represented by some of the stars in Orion. In Pitjantjatjara legend, the Pleiades represent the Kungkarungkara, a group of seven ancestral sisters. They are guarded by a pack of dingos from Njiru, the hunter, who is the stars in Orion's Belt. Njiru is said to have raped one of the sisters, who then died and became the darkest of the Pleiades stars. The sisters transformed into birds and fled to safety in the sky, but Njiru still chases after them. Other legends are less harsh: the Adnyamathanha, for example, believe the Pleiades are the wives of the stars in Orion. Tiwi people see them as a group of kangaroos being chased by a pack of dingos.
The similarity between these legends and the Orion and Pleiades of Greek mythology is believed to be a coincidence (by chance) – there is no proof of any cultural connection.
Yolngu people see the constellation of Orion as a canoe. They tell the story of three brothers who went fishing, and one of them ate a fish that was forbidden under their law. Seeing this, the Sun blew the three brothers and their canoe up into the sky. The three stars in the constellation's centre, which form Orion's Belt in Western mythology, are the three brothers. The Orion Nebula above them is the forbidden fish, and the bright stars Betelgeuse and Rigel are the front and back of the canoe. In this example, the astronomical legend has a clear message about a moral that people would follow on Earth. Aboriginal myths such as these are often focused around moral lessons, such as reminders of whether it is alright to eat certain types of food.
Tagai is a large constellation made up of Scorpius, Lupus, Centaurus, Crux, Corvus, with part of Hydra and one of the stars of Ara. In the culture of the Torres Strait Islanders, Tagai is a legendary sea hero. He is depicted as a fisherman standing in a canoe. His crew is represented by the six stars of the Pleiades and six stars of Orion. In the legend, Tagai's crew eats all the food and water that had been prepared for their journey. Tagai punishes them by tying them together and throwing them into the ocean. The stars in the sky are said to be their reflection.
The islanders used this constellation to tell the seasons. This calendar organised their cycle of fishing and farming, as well as their rituals and social activities. The appearance of the Pleiades told them that it was turtle-mating season, time for travelling and to prepare for planting before the rainy season.
Unexpected new arrivals in the sky, such as comets and meteors, were widely associated as omens of death or bad spirits. Ngarrindjeri people of the central desert say that a meteor is an omen of deathly disease. Tiwi-speaking people in New South Wales and the Kuninjku in Arnhem Land both interpreted meteors as the eyes of evil spirit creatures running across the sky hunting for the souls of the sick and dying. The idea of comets and meteors bringing misfortune and death was also shared by many other cultures around the world.
Impact events are also described in Aboriginal legends, including in creation stories about particular landforms. An example is the Arrernte story about the creation of Gosse's Bluff, an impact crater said to be nearly 150 million years old. According to the Arrernte legend, this was created by a baby's cradle that fell from the sky world. The baby's mother and father are the evening and morning stars (Venus), still searching for their baby. Several other legends from across Australia tell about falling stars that bring fire to the earth.
Aborigines traditionally used the stars to navigate to where they wanted to go. This is still the case in the remote outback, where there might not be any other signs or landmarks. They also use the Sun, the Moon and the stars to tell the time. Aboriginal calendars are usually more complex than those from Western culture. Many groups in northern Australia use a calendar with six seasons, and know what season it is by what stars can be seen during that period. In 1857, an Englishman named William Edward Stanbridge published the first written account of Aboriginal astronomy. He wrote about the Boorong people of northern Victoria, and how they used astronomy to better understand seasons. They thought of the constellation Lyra as a malleefowl (which they called "Neilloan"). It disappears from the southern sky in October, and this event told the Boorong that the bird's egg-laying season had begun.
Other groups know that when Orion first appears in the sky, dingo puppies are about to be born. When Scorpius appears, the Yolngu know that the Macassan fisherman would soon arrive to fish for sea cucumber and bring goods to trade. For the Pitjantjatjara, the rising of the Pleiades at dawn (in May) marks the start of the cool season, when some animals in the desert go into hibernation.
Elizabeth McGovern
Elizabeth McGovern (born July 18 1961 in Evanston, Illinois) is an American movie, television and stage actress. Her movies include "Johnny Handsome" (1989) and "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984). Most of her acting has been on stage or in television.
Ms. McGovern was also a member of the "Brat Pack", and unofficial group of young Hollywood actors who gained fame mainly in the 1980s.
Flag of Belize
The flag of Belize comes from the earlier flag of British Honduras. British Honduras is the name of Belize during the time the British ruled.
The flag is royal blue. It has a white disc at the centre with the national coat of arms held by a white and a black man. They are surrounded by fifty mahogany leaves. The flag is bordered at top and bottom by two red stripes.
The colours on the flag are for the country's national parties. The People's United Party (PUP) uses the color blue. The United Democratic Party (Belize) (UDP) uses red.
Coat of arms of Belize
The Coat of Arms of Belize began to be used when Belize became independent. The current coat of arms is only slightly different from that used when Belize was a British colony.
The border is a circle of twenty-five leaves. Inside the circle is a mahogany tree. There are the tools of a woodcutter and a ship. These show the importance of mahogany in the 18th and 19th century Belizean economy.
The shield is supported by two wood-cutters of different races. The one on the left is holding an axe. The one on the right is holding an oar. Again this shows the importance of the mahogany and its importance to boat building.
At the bottom is the national motto: . This means "Under the Shade I Flourish".
The Flag of Belize has the coat of arms in its centre.
Land of the Free
Land of the Free is the national anthem of Belize. Samuel Alfred Haynes wrote the words. Selwyn Walford Young wrote the music. They did this in 1963. It became official in 1981.
Hondo River (Belize)
The Rio Hondo is a river of Central America. It is about 150 km (93.2 mi) in length. It flows in a northeasterly direction and ends in the Chetumal Bay on the Caribbean Sea. Most of border of Mexico and Belize runs along its length.
Many archaeological sites of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization are near the river's course.
The river is mentioned in a stanza of Belize's national anthem, "Land of the Free":
Rio Hondo
Río Hondo (Spanish for "deep river") or Hondo River may be:
Mopan people
Mopan are one of the Maya peoples in Belize and Guatemala. Their language is also called Mopan. It is one of the Yucatec Maya languages.