An Aboriginal interpretation of the dark skies near Plevna

May 15, 2014

A small but enthusiastic group of star gazers gathered at the North Frontenac Star Gazing Pad near Plevna on May 10 to learn about how Aboriginal Canadians interpret the dark skies. Avid astronomer Frank Dempsey made a special trip from Pickering to inform star gazers on the subject. Dempsey, who is a professional meteorologist and has a master’s degree in astronomy, focused his talk on constellation mythology and sky lore as seen by different First Nations across Canada.

Dempsey is Ojibway and a member of the Dokis First Nation, which is located near the French River. He has been researching a First Nations perspective on astronomy and has written numerous articles on the subject. Main line astronomy is normally based on Greek origins with many constellations named for Greek gods and goddesses, but Dempsey said that the Greek mythological sky lore often involves myths based around emotional violence and jealousy. “Native mythology tends to be more oriented towards geographical and climatological perspectives with many different regional variations depending on if you are looking at native people living on the west coast, the great plains, the great lakes or the south western desert of the United States. Each group will have slight variations on similar constellation mythology based on their local climate, the animals they rely on for sustenance and their specific agricultural practices,” he said.

Citing for example the different Aboriginal interpretations of the constellation known as the Great Bear or the Big Dipper, Dempsey explained four different variations on the legends relating to it. The first tells of the spring bear hunt; a second is the legend of the fisher in the Ojibway culture and tells of the birds of summer being locked up as a result. A third interpretation is the Navajo legend that tells of the male and female figures that revolve around the fixed fire star represented by the star Polaris. Similarly in Alabama and other areas of the Southern US, the Big Dipper or Great Bear constellation is thought of as the great canoe and by others as a caribou or elk being pursued by three hunters.

Dempsey cited the constellation Corona Borealis, “a very interesting little ring of stars” that he said is “well named by the Greeks since its formation resembles a corona, which in Greek means crown.” Dempsey explained that in certain North American Aboriginal mythologies the constellation represents a sweat lodge; in others a hole in the sky; and in still others it is the spider man or spider woman’s lodge since the grouping can be likened to a web. He cited the constellation Scorpius in the southern sky, also well named by the Greeks but for the Navajo it represents the first big man and how the scorpion’s tail is interpreted as the tracks of a rabbit. Similarly the constellation Sagittarius, named in Greek for the archer, is named a bear in the Navajo and Pawnee mythologies.

Dempsey explained that some native cultures have well-documented sky mythologies due to the fact that either priests or archeologists from as long as 200 years ago recorded these mythologies. Dempsey said that for him personally an Aboriginal interpretation of the skies offers a more natural way to see the sky. “It can be much more relevant to the people that live here as compared to a Greek interpretation.”

At the star pad Dempsey set up his Schmidt-Cassegraine telescope, a compact and light weight telescope that is powerful but easy to transport. As the night sky began to darken he first focused his lens on Jupiter, one of the first lights to appear in the north-western sky and guests had a chance to get a close up look at the huge planet, its two dark bands and its four moons. Dempsey said the weather for the event was ideal. “We're in the east side now of a high pressure ridge, which means the clouds are disappearing and though there is a bit of a wind, which is not ideal, it helps keep dew from forming on the lenses.”

Dempsey was invited to the star pad to speak by Guy Nason, a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and an avid astronomer who was consulted on the building of the pad and who owns his own observatory on Kashwakamak Lake. Dempsey is an old friend of Nason's and when the latter was asked by Betty Hunter to suggest someone to give an Aboriginal interpretation of the skies above Plevna, Dempsey came to mind first.

For those who missed the event and who would like to learn more, Dempsey has written a number of articles on topics of Aboriginal sky lore including the Big Dipper sky group, the constellation Orion and more. Some articles can be found online and in the Journal of the Royal Astrological Society. Dempsey said he plans to write more about the Milky Way and other constellations. He said that the easiest way to find out information about Aboriginal sky lore is to Google Aboriginal astronomy.

The North Frontenac Star Gazing Pad opened in August, 2013 and came about through efforts of the North Frontenac Economic Development Task Force under the direction of Chair Betty Hunter. It was developed with federal gas tax money from the County of Frontenac, who stipulated it be used for Eco-tourism projects. Chair Betty Hunter was in attendance at the event and said she is pleased with the turn out at a number of events that have taken place so far.

The Star Gazing Pad is located at 5816 Road 506. Upcoming events are:

June 21 - Summer Solstice; July 5th - Asteroids; Ceres and Vesta close together (10 arc minutes - Interesting lunar feature the Straight Wall is visible).

August 3 - Saturn/Mars/ Moon in straight line. Lunar Straight Wall visible; September 13 - Watch moon rise at 10pm; October 18 - Uranus challenge: Seventh planet theoretically visible with the unaided eye.

For more information, check the North and Central Frontenac Recreation Guide or the Township of North Frontenac's website.