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Home , Lepus (constellation), Milky Way (mythology), Scorpius

A Guide to the Bryan Bates Grand Canyon Field Institute Coconino Community College

Grand Canyon Guides Training Feb 7, 2015 With gratitude for assistance from Dr. David Begay and Dr. Nancy Maryboy, Authors of Sharing The Skies: Navajo

When on the Tonto, have clients create their own constellations • Dreamy Night Sky, The sky from Nankoweap • Nightscape photos.com As the orbits the Sun , and at night we look AWAY from the Sun, then we will see different patterns. The patterns which lie along the (pathway of Earth about the Sky) are know as the or “Zoo” –animal, as seen by the “dia” or day. Thus life forms which occurred in their environment are then transposed onto the sky. Different cultures have different patterns.. WHY NAVAJO?

• Sedentary cultures tend to mark sun and moon migration as they have a constant horizon. • Migratory cultures (hunter- gatherers) tend to create constellations as reference points

Navajo

Navajo astronomy always begins with Na’hookos ; “Home Fire”, “1st Man” and “1st Woman”. To traditional Navajo , everything is related to home. Huerfano Mesa, just north of Chaco, is the mythical location of the Navajo ancestry. Polaris: North Star

Pointer star of Little Dipper Na’hookos Biko’ Greek hero of north Arcas (Artic) son Central Fire, cosmic center Navajo Callisto, raped by , then beaten , universe, central fire of Hogan. turned sideways & turned to bear by Provides stability, security, well- Juno, Zeus’s wife. Polaris in North for being. All ceremonial songs of about 3,000 years, will move out of Navajo start with Na’hookos Biko North in about 2,000 more years. : Big Dipper: The hind part of Na’hookos Bika’: Male the “Great Bear” from tiaga. warrior, leader, father, Myth, after solar eclipse, Zeus provider for family, protector examines world, loves Callisto. of home and country. Stability Wife Juno turns Callisto to sleeping bear. Her son Arcos, hunting readies bow, Zeus grabs Callisto and puts into sky. Cassiopeia Na’hookos Bi aa’d, Female Recognized many civilizations, Arabs “Fatima” daughter Mohammed. Revolving One. Grand/mother, Persian “Earth Mother, Hecate”. Strength, regeneration. Peace Greek rescues Andromeda, but of home, combats hunger w/ Cassiopeia (mom) betrays Perseus who kills Cassiopeia with Medusa’s head. grinding stone and stir stick. Poseidon , places Cassiopeia in sky Pleiades Dilyehe’

Most common in Agro-astronomical: indicates beginning humankind, - many stories. Used by (May disappear) and end (June re- appear) planting season. Corn avoids many cultures as agricultural or frost. navigational tool. Lakota used to test 7 warrior boys perform healings or boys eyesight. Greek girls travelling and woman with fawn skin (spots) leave attacked by , Zeus changes girls to care for deer. Then can hunt deer to doves, fly into sky, pursued by when fawns older, Dilyehe’ returns. Orion but after 7 years Orion becomes a constellation Orion Atse’ Ets’ozi’

Greek: hunter ready to kill with Strong warrior who protects and foot on (hare). Sumerian: Uru- provides for family and people. ann = “light of sky”. Warrior, pride, Navajo constellations often paired vain, arrogant, violent. Gods , so when one is up, the other is Neptune, Mercury visit Irieus, Irieus wants son, Gods urinate on ox skin, down. On Earth, Mother-in-law and buried in earth, later Urion Son-in-law never see one another “born” from urine. after wedding. Atse’ Etsoh Navajo elder with cane and Navajo: body = Atse’Etsoh, tail = basket seeds. Wisdom that Gah Hahat’ee (rabbit tracks). comes with age, stability. Greek: Gaia (mother earth) sends Scorpius to kill arrogant Orion, but Basket = entire cosmos, seeds never in sky at same time. Further, = regeneration. When lie drove Sun across sky in onside, hunt deer, winter chariot. Son, , tried by approaches self, saw , lost control & died (in Eridamus), Sun scorched Earth (drought) and wanders during year (ecliptic). Yika’i’sda’ha’

Jan, Milky Way lies on horizon & ”Awaits the Dawn” to watch heliacal rise. Milky Way changes angle as Earth moves about the ecliptic. Galaxias Kuklos = milky circle Zeus married , loves girls. Babies immortal if suckle Hera. Hera jealous so Hermes (winged) carries to Hera breast when Hera sleeping. Drops milk =Milky Way. Shawnee: path departed spirits Ii’ni (Thunderbird)

Horse with great square, upside Square & 6 bright heliacal down, only front ½ . Sumerian ships (differ constellations) begin fall horse-head frontages, Son of equinox Denebola (), add bright Poseidon, related to springs. st Perseus chops Medusa’s head, out star ea. between 1 crescent comes Pegasus. Lived at Mt. & full, end spring with Thunder & Helicon, carried bolts of lightning lightning that awake Shash (bear). from Cyclops. Greek & Navajo Ii’ni really essence of energy correlation with lighting portrayed by constellation coincidental & seasonal. Shash

Greek: Centurion with bow aimed at Scorpius, enemy. Shash & Ii’ni feather heliacally rise together and mark coming of Guardian of doors to Spring, 1st thunder heard, waking reincarnation. Dead pass to bears and other life. Thunder, Milky Way before fall equinox, lightning and rain bring plants then to Sagittarius and in that feed hibernating wildlife. order to return to Earth. Canopus Ma’ii Bizo’ • When the Navajo Gods meet at First Hogan on Huerfano Mesa, they laid quartz crystal stars on a pure sheepskin rug to mark the placement of the stars. Black God, 1st Man & 1st Woman placed the stars to create beauty, order and safety in the Navajo lifeway. Coyote, a God, had not been invited but came anyway and insisted on placing stars. He placed his own star in the south sky during the summer when coyotes talk. He asked to place more and the other Gods said no. The Gods were deliberate & Coyote impatient. So he grabbed the sheepskin and flung it into the air, and that is how the Milk way was created. Recorded by Berard Haile, 1933. Additional Material

• Copies of SHARING THE SKIES: Navajo Astronomy, A Cross-Cultural View by Nancy Maryboy and David Begay. • I suggest you get a copy of “The Night Sky”, pocket naturalist series and carry with you for last minute study before trying to pick out stars. • Get an astronomical laser light from any science supply store ($10- $150). Do NOT point at airplanes.