Birray

Gamilaroi man

Birray Birray, a group of boys, is an Australian name for an asterism in Orion from the Kamilaroi/ Euahlayi people.

Etymology and History

Variants

• Birray
• Birray Birray
• Berai-Berai
• Beraiberai

The Birray Birray are a group of uninitiated boys who are in love with the seven young women (sisters), Miyay Miyay, who make up the Pleiades star cluster. They chased the Miyay Miyay, who ended up in the sky, and for this they were placed in Orion, as the three stars that make up the belt of Orion. Rigel is their fire, and the sword of Orion is their fire poker. They are kept from the Miyay Miyay by the Wiringin, Old Dthillar, who is Aldebaran. Gamilarray has Birray Birray as the entire constellation of Orion ("First Knowledges Astronomy: Sky Country" By Karlie Noon, Krystal De Napoli). Parker & Lane (1905) had "Berai-Berai".

Fuller+ 2013: "Greenway (1878: 243) said the Pleiades or Miyay Miyay lived on Earth, and were exceptional beauties. He also said that Orion, or beraiberai (birray means “boy”, birray birray “several boys”); being uninitiated boys or young men, pursued them, and the Miyay Miyay prayed for deliverance. Bhaiami and Turramulan granted their request, and they were lifted into the sky. One is not as beautiful as the rest, and hides behind (most people only see six stars [Kyselka 1993: 174]).

Beraiberai, as leader, also went into the sky, and is Orion, with his burran (boomerang) and ghutur (belt).

Greenway (1901, p. 190) later has a Kamilaroi version of this story, with Werrinah (G/Y Wurruna), a clever man, stealing some of the sisters.

Mathews (1904: 280, 283) added a Ngemba story that when the Pleiades rise around 3 or 4 AM, old men take glowing coals from the fire, and cast them towards the Pleiades to prevent spirit women from making it too cold. He also said that the Pleiades were a group of young women searching for yams and a whirlwind put them in the sky.

Parker also collected Pleiades stories; the first (Parker, 1898: 22-5) was about Wurrunnah (a clever man) and the two of the seven sisters he tried to keep. In the second (Parker and Lang, 1905: 72), Orion’s Belt is the Berai-Berai, boys who love the Meamai (Pleiades) but were rejected. They died of love, and the spirits put them in Orion where they hunt by day and dance to a cooroboree at night (music from the Pleiades).

IAU Working Group on Star Names

The name was discussed and approved by the IAU WGSN in 2023.

As this star is already named ..., the WGSN chose ... (not to apply/ to apply the name to a neighbouring star/ to ...) in the IAU-CSN.

Reference

• References (general)