We Are In Birak Season

Aiden Dallas
2 min readJan 16, 2023

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The Noongar seasonal calendar includes six different seasons (Bonar) in a yearly cycle. These are Birak, Bunuru, Djeran, Makuru, Djilba and Kambarang. Each represents the seasonal changes. The seasons can be long or short and are indicated by what is happening around us rather than by dates on a calendar.

BIRAK — Season of the Young
BIRAK — Around December — January
BIRAK — A dry and hot; mosaic burning time
BIRAK — Sees the rains ease up and the warm weather really start to take hold. The afternoons are cooled by the sea breezes that abound from the southwest.

This was the fire season, a time to burn the country in mosaic patterns. An almost clockwork style of easterly winds in the morning and sea breezes in the afternoon, meant that traditionally this was the burning time of year for Noongar people. They would burn the country in mosaic patterns for several reasons including fuel reduction, increasing the grazing pastures for some animals, to aid in seed germination for some plants and for ease of mobility across the country.

As for the animals, there are many fledglings now venturing out of nests, though some are still staying close to their parents. Reptiles are looking to shed their old skin for a new one.
With the rising temperatures and the decreasing rainfall, it’s also time for the baby frogs to complete their transformation into adulthood.

Reference: http://www.bom.gov.au/iwk/calendars/nyoongar.shtml
Photo of Poster: Sercul
#SixSeasonsConnect
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Article Source: We Are In Birak Season

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Aiden Dallas

As a freelance copywriter I love the flexibility of working anywhere across the globe and all the opportunities that come with it.