For most Australians the constellation that stands out in the night sky is the Southern Cross, a set of five bright stars with its main axis pointing south. But indigenous people see something else -- in the dark clouds surrounding the Milky Way, they discern the elongated image of a flightless bird.
This "emu in the sky," or "dark emu," is part of the creation story of Aboriginal Australia, and a touchstone of a new debate about the past and future role of the continent's first inhabitants. It is a story that resonates around the world, part of a growing international awareness of indigenous rights, including land rights, across regions from the Americas to Eurasia.
