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The Big Dipper, the Milky Way and a New Way to See the Night Sky
A free Hamptons Observatory talk explores how Indigenous cultures in Alaska and Canada have understood the stars for centuries.
The Big Dipper and Milky Way may be familiar sights in the night sky. But to the Northern Dene, Indigenous peoples whose communities span parts of Alaska and Canada, they are part of a much larger story written in the stars.
Hamptons Observatory, with Suffolk County Community College, will explore that story in a free virtual lecture, “The Astronomy of the Northern Dene,” on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m.
Chris Cannon, an assistant professor and chair of the Center for Cross-Cultural Studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, will share what he has learned during 17 years working with Northern Dene elders and communities across Alaska and Canada.
The Traveller in the Stars
At the center of Northern Dene astronomical tradition is the Traveller, a figure said to have journeyed around the world in ancient times before taking his place among the stars as a vast constellation.
The constellation incorporates stars that many people recognize as part of the Big Dipper. The Milky Way is the Traveller’s trail.
The Traveller is described as a gamekeeper, teacher and guardian. Along with stories about the northern lights, thunder and other phenomena, the tradition connects what happens in the sky with lessons about the natural world and how people live with one another and their environment.
Cannon’s work on Northern Dene astronomy has been featured in The New York Times and in the PBS/NOVA documentary “Knowledge Keepers,” which examines Dene star navigation. He is also the author of In the Footsteps of the Traveller: The Astronomy of Northern Dene.
If You Go
The Astronomy of the Northern Dene
Wednesday, Oct. 21, 7 p.m.
Free virtual lecture
Presented by Hamptons Observatory and Suffolk County Community College
Registration required
HamptonsObservatory.org
According to Northern Dene tradition, a constellation incorporating the Big Dipper represents the Traveller, who lives among the stars. The Milky Way is the Traveller’s trail.