Indigenous knowledge is still widely used by communities around the world to overcome social-ecological challenges. Borana Oromo pastoralists of Southern Ethiopia have been searching for future weather phenomena using their indigenous knowledge. This study examines indigenous knowledge-based seasonal weather forecasts through using observable physical and temporal patterns of astronomic objects. Data were generated through using focus group discussion, experimental knowledgeable groups and direct observation in the year 2021. The finding reveals that Borana Oromo pastoralists commonly define physical and temporal outlooks of the Moon that are changed and/ or displayed periodically within a range of varying contexts. The observation of the Moon features have been offering sufficient lapse time in a more than/within ahead of a season/ and is relatively more accurate than the other traditional forecasting objects. The study showed that both temporal and spatial dimensions of the forecasting were actually happened in Ganna (March to May rainfall), Adolessa dry season (June to September) and Hgayya rainfall (October to November) seasons of 2021. This indigenous weather forecasting practices are still regularly used in every livelihood decision making process. However, this indigenous weather knowledge of Borana Oromo pastoralists of Southern Ethiopia is not yet mainstreamed in the formal institutional structures. Curtailments of mobility, severity of drought, weakening of traditional institution, leaving of traditional life style and death of the knowledgeable elders are the major factors that are challenging the potential effects of the indigenous weather forecasting indicators of the features of moon in the study area.

Background: Indigenous Knowledge-based (IK) prediction of weather is an activity as old as humanity. The objective of this study is to examine indigenous knowledge-based seasonal weather indicating features of astronomic stars. Methods: This study is based on primary data that were generated through using focus group discussion, key informant interviews, experimental groups, and direct observation. Results: The findings revealed that, in the study area, one of the widely used practices of indigenous-based weather indicating astronomic objects that exhibit change naturally within a continuum of varying temporal and spatial contexts are observable external features of stars. In the study area weather indicating outlooks of stars are: temporal patterns of star-moon alignment/defect of star-moon alignment; position/direction of the stars and physical/colors of stars. The indicators were displayed in a more than three months lead time ahead of the actual occurrence of weather events. The occurrence of the forecasting of the weather event actually happened in 2021. The severe drought of 2021/2022 was mainly caused by naturally driven defects of star-moon alignment. These practices are still regularly used in decision making. However, these practices are not yet mainstreamed in to formal structures. Conclusion: Curtailments of mobility, severity of drought, weakening of traditional institution, leaving of traditional life-style and death of the knowledgeable elders are the major challenging factors to these practices.