13 Sep 2014 - Pleiades: The Seven Sisters Surround The Moon -- 13 September 2014

Pleiades: The Seven Sisters Surround the Moon

13/09/2014 or 13 September 2014 or 13 SEP 2014



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Tonight’s the night for the Seven Sisters to gather around the moon.
Unless you call them the Dancers, Holy Men, Caribou, Sharing Foxes, Brothers in a Boat, Crying Children, Coyote’s Daughters, People in a Boat, Raccoon’s Children, Hearts of the First People, Wise Men, Seeds, Puppies or Lost Children—depending on your American Indian heritage.
Though many cultures brand them as sisters, the seven stars that stand out in the cluster
known today by its ancient Greek name the Pleiades have long been noticed, categorized, named
and gossiped about. The Iroquois, Delaware, Carrier, Inuit, Haida, Salish, Paiute, Wiyot, Shasta, Luiseño, Chumash, Zuni, Cheyenne and Blackfoot have all labeled the shining collection, respectively,
according to Western Washington University’sAmerican Indian Starlore page.

On Saturday September 13, late at night—or just before bedtime, as Earthsky.org points out
—those without cloud cover will be able to see the waning moon drift near the ethereal constellation
that has inspired so many varied stories across the millennia.

Perhaps their allure lies in their very elusivity: To see them properly, one has to look away.
This is because, as Earthsky.org explains, the light-sensitive rods in the retina are located at its outer edge, while those that register color are in the center.

“So when we look directly at something (as we do most of the time), we’re using the part of our eye
that is most sensitive to color,” Earthsky.org says. “But when we look at something indirectly,
looking to one side of it rather than directly at it, we’re using the part of our eye that’s most sensitive
to faint light.”

The Pleiades are actually comprised of several hundred stars, according to Earthsky.org, and are literal siblings seeing as they all emerged from the same cloud of dust and gas about 100 million years ago.

“This gravitationally bound cluster of several hundred stars looms some 430 light-years distant,
and these stars drift through space together at about 25 miles per second,” saysEarthsky.org.
“Many of these Pleiades stars shine hundreds of times more brightly than our sun.”

The Pleiades have nuzzled favorite sky sights before. A couple of years ago they visited with Venus.

RELATED: Venus Gets With the Seven Sisters (02 April 2012 - 03 April 2012)
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/04/03/venus-gets-seven-sisters-106431

There are almost as many stories about the cluster as stars contained therein.
The sister theme comes into play among the Sierra and Paiute tribes of California,
according to American Indian Starlore. The Aries Grizzly Sisters, so that legend goes,
used to play with Deer Sisters, the Pleiades.

“One day Grizzly mother ate Deer mother,” Starlore says.
“Deer sisters retaliated by trapping Grizzly sisters in the cave.”

Most of the stories are sad, involving lost and/or crying children, abandoned wives or the fallen.
The Inuit tell of Nanuk the Bear, attacked by a pack of dogs. His bid to escape took him
and his pursuers to the edge of the world, but so busy were they in the chase that they did not notice.

“Suddenly they all fell off the edge into the sky, where they all turned into stars (Pleiades),”
Starlore recounts.

The Onondaga legend is one of several involving children
—children who danced their way up into the sky, lightheaded from hunger.

The adults who had told them they had enough to eat ran out as they were dancing
and rising little by little skyward, but it was too little, too late, according to the website Firstpeople.us.

“One looked back and became a falling star,”Firstpeople.ussays.

"The others reached the sky and are now what we call the Pleiades, and the Onondagas Oot-kwa-tah.

Every falling or shooting star recalls the story, but the seven stars shine on continuously,
a pretty band of dancing children.”

Read more athttp://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/09/13/pleiades-seven-sisters-surround-moon-156881


Read more at
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/09/13/pleiades-seven-sisters-surround-moon-156881

 

"Biboonkeonini, Wintermaker - The Ojibwe Constellation" 2017-08-20 · by Annette S. Lee
video

View: https://vimeo.com/230354553

 

Make Way for the Wintermaker - Sky & Telescope - Sky & Telescope (skyandtelescope.org)
https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-blogs/make-way-wintermaker11122014bk/

There’s more than one way to see the constellations. Here’s a look through Native American eyes.

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There’s more than one way to see the constellations. Here’s a look through Native American eyes.


The grand figure of Orion the Hunter brightens November skies, rising around 9 p.m. local time in late November.
Johannes Hevelius, 1690
Orion the Hunter is arguably one of the most recognizable constellations in the sky. Striding the celestial equator, he charges up from this eastern horizon around 9 o'clock in late November, club in one hand and shield in the other.
Weaponized and ready, this dude's got hunting on his mind.
But there's another Orion. In the eyes of the Ojibwe people, one of the largest groups of Native Americans on the North American continent, Orion was and still is Biboonkeonini, the Wintermaker. Want to blame someone for frozen fingers and all that snow you'll soon be shoveling? Wintermaker's your guy.

The Ojibwe constellation of the Wintermaker includes the familiar stars of our Orion, but his outstretched arms reach to include Procyon in Canis Minor and Aldebaran in Taurus. The painting depicts the Ojibwe way of seeing star figures — both their inner spirit and outer form.
Annette Lee
The Wintermaker, a skilled canoeist, ushers in the cold and winds that characterize the season. Northern hemisphere skywatchers associate these same qualities with hunterly Orion, but the western character and myth have no direct seasonal connection like the Ojibwe constellation. Still, it's fascinating that both figures are formed of nearly identical stars, testimony to the striking pattern and strong impression Orion–Wintermaker made on two very different cultures.

The Fisher (bottom) and Loon take the place of our Big and Little Dippers in native Ojibwe constellation mythology.
Annette Lee
Wintermaker is joined this month by Ojiig the Great Fisher (Big Dipper), a weasel or marten-like animal considered a great hero by the Ojibwe people. Legend has it he freed the birds and season of spring by tricking their captor.
On a dark night, we can trace the stars forming the bucket of the nearby Little Dipper (Ursa Minor). Maang the Loon resides here. He's a transcendent symbol, standing at the tenuous border between the material and spirit world in Ojibwe mythology. If you've ever heard a loon at night on a camping trip, you'd be inclined to agree. Is there any sound that better embodies the feel of wilderness? Here it is (click left end of bar to play):
The basis for our modern list of 88 constellations goes back at least 6,000 years to the peoples who lived in Babylonia, now modern-day Iraq. They did one thing we still do best: connect random, unrelated objects into patterns. What better place to play this game than the star-sprinkled sky? Some of their patterns we still recognize — a lion (Leo), a scorpion (Scorpius), and a bull (Taurus), among others.

Recognize these two? Mooz, or Moose, is formed of stars we know as Pegasus the Winged Horse. Cygnus the Swan (upper right) is the Ojibwe Ajiijaak, or Crane. The Moose provides food, clothing, and shelter; the Crane inspires strength and determination.
Annette Lee
The ancient Greeks and Romans added their own patterns to the mix, bequeathing us the 48 classical constellations. In the first half of the 15th century, Europeans created new patterns from hitherto unfamiliar southern hemisphere stars seen for the first time during the oceanic voyages of discovery. Still later, mapmakers and astronomers filled in little gaps between constellations with small additional figures. Some tried to sneak in the likes of a typewriter (Officina Typographica), a stargazing fish (Uranoscopus), and toad (Bufo), but sadly, these and others didn't make the final cut. The newest constellations, created in the mid-18th century when astronomers broke up the unwieldy Argo Navis, the Ship Argo, are Carina the Keel, Puppis the Poop Deck, and Vela the Sails.

The curved tail of Mishi Bizhiw, the Mountain Lion or Great Panther, re-purposes Leo's Sickle and includes stars of Cancer. When the Panther was overhead in early spring, it was a reminder to not tempt fate and cross the dangerously thin ice of melting lakes.
Annette Lee
Constellations were standardized and their borders clearly defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in the late 1920s under the leadership of Belgian astronomer Eugene Delporte of the Royal Observatory of Brussels. Since then, no one's messed with boundaries or, for that matter, made up new constellations. Standards were needed so that astronomers around the planet could agree on what stars, particularly newly discovered variable stars and novae, belonged to what constellation.

Dakota artist and assistant professor of physics and astronomy at St. Cloud State University created the paintings of traditional Ojibwe constellations used in this article.
St. Cloud State University
We know and love the traditional constellations. Many of us have formed lifelong associations with their seasonal arrivals and departures. But sometimes it's nice to switch lenses and see how others see the sky. It's not only fun to connect the dots to make new patterns; at the same time, we broaden our understanding of another culture. No matter Greek, Polynesian, Chinese, or Ojibwe, each civilization imbues the starry heavens with their own unique vision of life. Instructive stories, moral guidance, and lessons in human fallibility have been heaped upon the stars for you and I to ponder on the next clear night.
All the beautiful paintings used in this article were created by Annette Lee, assistant professor of astronomy and physics at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota and member of the Dakota-Sioux tribe. Lee also directs the planetarium at the university and researches Ojibwe and Lakota star lore and mythology. She's currently involved with the Native Skywatchers Project, an initiative to revive and celebrate indigenous peoples' connection to the stars. See her complete Ojibwe star map and Lakota map.

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Curious about the origin of star names? Check out the Dictionary of Modern Star Names!

 

COMMENTS



Alan
November 14, 2014 at 2:23 pm

Is there a way to get a high quality print of the Ojibwe and Lakota maps?



Annette-Lee
November 14, 2014 at 5:15 pm

Hi there! Thanks Bob for the article and getting our work out there….
Here is the link to purchase the maps!
http://web.stcloudstate.edu/aslee/
Scroll down until you see the maps.
or email: jkolodzne@stcloudstate.edu
at the SCSU American Indian Center
Miigwech, Pidamaya.



Annette-Lee
November 14, 2014 at 5:18 pm

Also one clarification,
The Ojibwe Giizhig Anung Masinaagan - Ojibwe Sky Star Map
was painted by:
myself and William Wilson
and created by: myself, William Wilson and Carl Gawboy!



Anthony Barreiro
November 14, 2014 at 7:55 pm

Thanks Bob and Annette, and all your colleagues.
Now that I know the IAU constellations visible from mid-northern latitudes,
I'm getting interested to learn the constellations
and sky lore of other cultures.
Could you recommend any books?



Bob-Patrick
March 13, 2017 at 3:41 pm

Thank you for this article about Native American sky atlases.
I forwarded the link to our Kentucky Heritage Native American consultant.
I received a note of appreciation.
Bob Patrick
Kentucky
USA

 

When does the Sun join Aldebaran?
The Sun joins Aldebaran on May 30.
Fixed star Aldebaran, Alpha Tauri, is a 0.9 magnitude giant orange star
in the Left Eye of the Bull, Taurus Constellation.

The traditional name Aldebaran is from the Arabic word الدبران (al-dabarān) which means the follower (of the Pleiades).

 

The Ojibwe are one of the largest native nations in North America. The live presominantly in southern Canada and the northern Midwestern United States. Most of the star lore presented in this section is the result of the dedicated work of a group of professional astronomers, artists, language and cultural experts, educators, community members and Native American elders called Native Skywatchers. The group is dedicated to the preservation of star lore and astronomical knowledge of Native American nations. Their findings have been published by the St. Cloud State University and by UC Santa Barbara. In 2012, the group published an Ojibwe Star Map. Click on the picture to the right for a larger image.​

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http://judy-volker.com/StarLore/Myths/Ojibwe.html

 

Ajiijaak In Ojibwe astronomy, the stars of Cygnus form the constellation Ajiijaak, the crane. The crane is one of the leaders in the Ojibwe clan system. Crane and loon lead the people to stay strong. This constellation is overhead a few hours after sunset in the summertime. Another word for the constellation is Ineshi Okanin, the skeleton bird. Source: Ojibwe Constellation Guide​

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Ajiijaak © Native Skywatchers​

http://judy-volker.com/StarLore/Myths/Ojibwe.html

 

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Star Lore Art Native Skywatchers 2012 - 2016 ​

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In 2009, a dedicated group of professional astronomers, professional artists, language and cultural experts, educators, community members and Native American elders formed Native Skywatchers, a group dedicated to the preservation of star lore and astronomical knowledge of Native American nations. Their findings have been published by the St. Cloud State University and by UC Santa Barbara. Between 2012 and 2016, the group presented three comprehensive maps of the northern skies: Ojibwe Giizhig Anung Masinaaigan - Ojibwe Sky Star Map D(L)akota Makoċe Wiċaŋḣpi Wowapior - D(L)akota Star Map Ininew Achakos Masinikan - Cree Star Map The maps for the Ojibwe and Dakota were accompanied by extensive constellation guides. Descriptions for the Cree map can be found in the writings of Wilfred Buck. Using the material mentioned above, I have put together short constellation guides for the Cree, Dakota & Lakota and Ojibwe. (Click the links). The images below are cutouts of the large copies of the complete maps, which are shown at the end of this presentation. There are no larger versions of the cutouts, but clicking on the complete maps at the end of the presentation leads to large versions of the complete maps. Copyright information: Ojibwe Constellation Guide and Ojibwe Sky Star Map: Written by Annette Lee, William Wilson, Jeff Tibbets and Carl Gawboy © 2012 Dakota Constellation Guide and Dakota Star Map: Written by Annette Lee and Jim Rock © 2012 Cree Star Map: Created by Wilfred Buck, Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre, Inc. © 2016​

Dakota Star Map​

Nape - Chief's Hand Orion, Eridanus​

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Maţo Tipi/Maţo Tipila - Bear's Lodge Gemini​

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Tayamni - three parts of the Buffalo Orion, Canis Major, Pleiades*​

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The image also shows a red circle, representing the "Sacred Hoop", an asterism similar to the Winter Hexagon.​

Zuzeca - Snake Columba, Puppis, Canis Major​

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To Win - Blue Woman*; Wiçaƞlipi Waziyata - stands in one place Ursa Major, Polaris​

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Wakiƞyaƞ - Thunderbird Orion, Draco, Ursa Minor​

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The Big Dipper has a number of different meanings in Dakota Astronomy. For details see the star lore of Ursa Major.​

Keya - Turtle Pegasus​

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Agleśka -Salamander Cygnus​

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Oçeti/Peta -Fireplace/Fire Leo​

Ojibwe Sky Star Map​

Mishi bizhiw - Great Panther with Curly Tail Leo, Cancer​

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Madoodiswan - Sweat Lodge; Noondeshin Bemaadizid - Sweating Person Corona Borealis, Hercules​

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Maang - Loon Ursa Minor​

Ojiig - Fisher Ursa Major​

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Mooz - Moose Pegasus, Lacerta​

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Ajiijaak - Crane Cygnus​

Biboonkeonini - Wintermaker Orion, Procyon, Aldebaran​

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Nanaboujou - Hero Scorpius​

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Cree Star Map​

Nipin Pinisew Thunderbird Scorpius, Serpens​

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Kokominakasis Grandmother Spider Andromeda​

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Wisakaychak & Atchakos Ahkoop Teacher & Star Blanket Orion & Pleiades​

Ocik Atchakosuk, Sisikwun & Makinak - Fisher, Rattle & Turtle Ursa Minor, Cepheus​

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Niska - Goose Cygnus​

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Mista Muskwa - Bear Ursa Major​

Complete Maps​

Dakota Star Map​

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Ojibwe Star Map​

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Cree Star Map​

The Cree Star Map was created in 2016 by Wilfred Buck. Ojibwe and (D)Lakota maps have been created in 2012 by astronomer and artist Annette Lee. Source of the large versions of the maps: Science Friday on Twitter.​