Un-Stupiding Myself - a Memory Training Journal

Memory Training Journals
400

I have spent the last two days at the University of Melbourne with Duane Hamacher, author of The First Astronomers, which was published this week.

https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/academic-professional/cultural-studies/The-First-Astronomers-Duane-Hamacher-with-Elders-and-Knowledge-Holders-9781760877200

What you are talking about has been done by Indigenous cultures for millennia. But it is a moving memory palace.

I am using this book to start working on analysing learning astronomy and using memory methods. I’ll be structuring it the way he does in the book, and then branching out from there. He starts with what is visible, so that suits me.

  1. Star Knowledge
  2. The Nearest Star [sun]
  3. The Moon
  4. The Wandering Stars [planets]
  5. The Twinkling Stars
  6. The Seasonal Stars
  7. The Variable Stars
  8. The Cataclysmic Stars
  9. The Navigational Stars
  10. The Falling Stars

Duane is an astronomer, but specialises in working with Indigenous astronomical knowledge. He’s helping me look at it from the perspective of learning astronomy as a Western person, but using these techniques.

In workshops with Duane’s students over the last few days, each made a lukasa [African memory board] representing the 88 Western constellations as a starting point. This is the second year that we’ve done that and it was really successful.

I’ll be using Duane’s book - it has the Western science as well - and working on this theme. But it will take time. I have so many projects going on!

I am very keen to hear how you go with it.

Lynne

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