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Native American Traditions of Meteor Crater, Arizona: Fact, Fiction, Or Appropriation?

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Native American Traditions of Meteor Crater, Arizona: Fact, Fiction, Or Appropriation? Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 23(2), 375 ‒ 389 (2020). NATIVE AMERICAN TRADITIONS OF METEOR CRATER, ARIZONA: FACT, FICTION, OR APPROPRIATION? Duane W. Hamacher ARC Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics in Three-Dimensions (ASTRO-3D) School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract: Hopi and Navajo oral traditions describing the formation of Meteor ‘Barringer’ Crater in Arizona are reported in early twentieth century news media, but some scholars claim these traditions are deliberate fabrications or misidentified stories about more recent volcanic events. This paper critically analyses these accounts and examines explanations for the apparent traditions and the history of associated research at the crater. We show that Navajo communities do maintain oral traditions about the crater, and the evidence suggests an unknown person(s) appropriated and/or altered them to generate interest in the structure’s impact hypothesis. A motivation may have been to use these traditions to boost interest by investors to mine meteoritic iron believed (at the time) to be buried under the crater floor. Keywords: Meteor Crater, oral tradition, Native American, Navajo, Hopi, Indigenous Knowledge, meteorites, and history of science 1 INTRODUCTION of the Wolfe Creek crater (Gandimalal) des- cribe it as a spot where a ‘star fell’. Some Indigenous oral traditions around the world local Jaru elders say that this was influenced describe geo-hazards, such as volcanic erup- by conversations with geologists, stating that tions, tsunamis, earthquakes, and meteorite the “… falling star story is whitefella’s story.” impacts. In 1968, Indiana University Professor (Hamacher and Goldsmith, 2013: 306). Initi- Dorothy Vitaliano examined oral traditions for ally estimated to be 300,000 years-old (Shoe- descriptions of geological events and features, maker et al., 1990) recent research shows it is such as volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and much younger at 120,000 ± 9,000 years old, fossils (Vitaliano, 1968). Her work, and that of with various dating techniques ranging from scholars over the last several decades, shows 86,000 to 137,000 years (Barrows et al., that oral histories do include descriptions of 2019). Although this date lies just outside the known geological and geo-hazard events (e.g. currently known habitation of Australia, recent Masse et al., 2007). archaeological evidence at the Moyjil site in Meteorite craters around the world have Australia’s south-west Victoria shows humans associated oral traditions that describe their may have been in Australia when the impact origin, including the Henbury, Gosse’s Bluff, occurred (see the entire issue of Proceedings and Wolfe Creek craters in Australia (Ham- of the Royal Society of Victoria, Volume 130, acher and Goldsmith, 2013) and the Rio Issue 2, 2018). Cuarto and Campo de Cielo craters in Argen- Indigenous traditions will describe origins tina (Barrientos and Masse, 2014; Giménez- and natural processes in relation to their lan- Benítez et al., 2000). Some of these traditions guage, worldviews, and perceptions. This may describe the structure forming from the impact or may not have alignments with Western of a celestial body, suggesting either a witnes- science. The assumption that Indigenous trad- sed event or knowledge the structure was itions explaining the formation of geological formed from a similar event. It is plausible that features that coincide with the Western scien- accounts of witnessed events can remain in tific version must have been the result of In- oral tradition for thousands of years (Henige, digenous people’s contact with Western cult- 2009; Mayor, 2005). Some traditions attribute ure is problematic as it degrades the know- impact origins to structures that are too old for ledge systems of Indigenous people and is in- humans to have witnessed (according to scien- consistent with current evidence. tific evidence). This raises questions regard- ing the nature of these oral traditions: were For example, Luritja Aboriginal descript- they influenced by Western science? Are the tions of the formation of the ~4,700 year-old impact-formation traditions simply coincidental Henbury craters (known as Tatyeye Kepm- to the formation of the crater, or did Indigenous were in the Arrernte language, Figure 1A) peoples deliberately develop traditions that ex- indicate a living memory of the event (Hama- plain that the craters were formed from an cher and Goldsmith, 2013). Western Arrernte impact? traditions of the 142.5 million-year-old Gosse’s Bluff crater (Tnorala in the Arrernte language, Some Australian Aboriginal oral traditions Figure 1B) attribute its formation to the impact Page 375 Duane W. Hamacher Native American Traditions of ‘Meteor Crater’ Figure 1: (A) The Henbury crater field (Tatyeye Kepmwere) and (B) Gosse’s Bluff (Tnorala), both in Arrernte country in the Northern Territory. Images by the author. of a celestial baby that fell from the Milky Way cepted age of 50,000‒61,100 years (Barrows as a fiery star, striking the ground and creat- et al., 2019; Roddy and Shoemaker, 1995) as ing the (highly eroded) ring-shaped mountain compared with the contentious archaeological range we see today (ibid). There is no evi- record of human presence in America (gen- dence that Western science influenced the erally accepted to be <20,000 years). Pseu- Arrernte traditions about the formation of Tnor- doscientists have exploited these traditions to ala. Mavis Malbunka, an Arrernte custodian of promote fringe viewpoints related to Young- the site, says the story has been in Arrernte Earth Creationism (DeYoung, 1994) and ‘At- traditions for generations (Malbunka et al., lantis’ hypotheses (Joseph, 1996). The latter 2007). During filming of a National Geograph- views are based primarily on early (and since ic documentary, Warren Williams (a relative of disproven) claims that the crater is only a few Malbunka and another Traditional Custodian) thousand years old and consistent with YEC told the author that the Tnorala tradition has claims of the Earth originating only 6,000‒ been in the family for generations and that it is 10,000 years ago (Wood, 1981). not a recent fabrication. Indigenous Knowledge is developed to ex- 2 NATIVE AMERICAN METEORITE TRADITIONS plain the origins and connections between life, law, and culture with significance to the land- Meteorites are variously viewed as objects of scape and environment (see Agrawal, 1995; reverence or taboo to many Native American David and Hamacher, 2018; Elliott, 2008). In- communities (Burke, 1991: 223‒225; McBeath, digenous knowledge was developed over 2010). For example, a large meteorite near many generations through first-hand exper- Red River, Texas was believed to be a sacred ience, experimentation, and empirical observa- object with healing properties by the local tion and is passed to successive generations Pawnee and Hietan people (Nininger, 1933: through oral tradition and material culture 131). The ‘Great Navajo Meteorite’, weighing (Clunies-Ross, 1986; Vansina, 1985). Indigen- some 1,500 kg, was regarded as a revered ous Knowledge systems are dynamic and object to which offerings were made (Nininger, evolving, incorporating new information over 1933: 1). The Navajo believed the meteorite, time. Although one should not assume that which they called “pish le gin e gin” (black traditions attributing the formation of meteorite iron), was sacred and was kept hidden from craters to cosmic impacts are the result of Europeans and other tribes (Roy and Wyant, Western scientific influence, we cannot always 1949: 114). rule-out this explanation. The famous Willamette Meteorite, now on This paper examines alleged Native Amer- display in the American Museum of Natural ican traditions of Meteor ‘Barringer’ Crater in History in New York (Figure 2), is venerated as Arizona that were reported in news media. a sacred religious object, sent by the Sky Some of these reported traditions describe the People to the Clackamas people of oregon, crater forming from a ‘falling star’. Some who called it Tomanowos (AMNH, n.d.). Met- scientists have dismissed these traditions as eorites were also collected by Hopewell people fabrications (e.g. Blackwelder, 1932: 559; Ley, and found within their burial mounds (Prufer, 1966: 244), but the reasons cited are based 1961). The Camp Verde meteorite was repu- primarily on the antiquity of the crater’s ac- tedly ‘found’ (pillaged) by George Dawson, Page 376 Duane W. Hamacher Native American Traditions of ‘Meteor Crater’ who was searching for artefacts to sell for prof- According to the literature, the crater was it on a mesa above West Clear Creek in Ari- long known the Hopi and Navajo. The Navajo zona (Ayers, 2009). call it ‘Adah Hosh {ání, meaning “many cacti Native American traditions from New Mex- descending from a height,” possibly referring ico were recorded by conquistadors in 1598. to desert plants on its slopes and floor (Zeigler One of those stories (Lekson, 2008: 214) told et al., 2013). Hopi refer to it as Yuvugbu (var. yuvukpu), meaning ‘cave-in’ or ‘sink’ (Hunter et of a large mass of people marching south from 1 Pueblo country, led by two brothers. On the al. 1999). Hopi would regularly search for journey, they encountered a large “… mass of golden eagle nests on the rim (Page, 2003) solid ore … so smooth and polished and free and ruined dwellings have been found and ex- from rust as though it were the finest Capella cavated along the rim and walls of the crater silver.” According to the story, a terrible old (LaPaz, 1950). flint tools were found around woman carried this huge rock and hurled it the crater (Barringer, 1905: 882) and the Hopi through the air “… with the speed of a lightning and Navajo gather finely ground white silica bolt …” before vanishing. When the object from the crater for use in ceremonies (Ley, struck the ground, the Earth trembled. One of 1966: 244). The term yuvukna is descriptive the brothers took this as a sign to found a city.
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