I was outside yesterday morning at around 3:30 (I get up early for school, and I wanted the air to wake me up) and I noticed my good friend Orion in the sky. It is the easiest constellation for me to spot, and the three stars of Orion's belt are very recognizable. This got me thinking, "If I can spot this star group so easily, the Native Americans surely did as well". So I did a little bit of research and found out that my hypothesis was correct.
Different cultures saw different symbolism's when they saw Orion. Today, we only have the more recent tribes views, such as the Navajo, the Lakota, etc. We don't fully understand or know what the ancients saw in Orion, but some traces of Mound Builder culture have been seen to signify Orion in their handiwork.
Orion, at least the story about it, comes from Ancient Greek mythology, but of course the Native Americans didn't know about Greece. Instead of a Greek hunter, the Lakota people saw the star group as a chief. However, the constellation was broken into parts, and the three stars of Orions belt are viewed as a Bison spine.
In the Far West, the Chinook tribe view Orions belt and dagger as two canoes in a race to catch a Salmon in the Big River, known to us in modern times as the Milky Way. The Salmon is represented by the star, Sirius, and the "Little Canoe" known as the dagger, is winning the race.
The Navajo people see Á tse A ts’oosí or "First Slender One" in Orion. This time, Orion is viewed as a hunter, aiming a large bow. The constellation is viewed as a protector, as it moves ahead to protect the Navajo children, portrayed as another constellation, Dilyéhé.
Native American moundbuilders, who lived in present day Portsmouth Ohio, saw the Milky Way as souls on a Journey to Orions Nebula. They made the famous Portsmouth Earthworks to line up with certain stars, and Orion was one of the very key constellations in their beliefs.
I think it is cool to look at Orion, think of the ancient people who lived where I live today, and welcome back, "My old Winter friend".
Different cultures saw different symbolism's when they saw Orion. Today, we only have the more recent tribes views, such as the Navajo, the Lakota, etc. We don't fully understand or know what the ancients saw in Orion, but some traces of Mound Builder culture have been seen to signify Orion in their handiwork.
Orion, at least the story about it, comes from Ancient Greek mythology, but of course the Native Americans didn't know about Greece. Instead of a Greek hunter, the Lakota people saw the star group as a chief. However, the constellation was broken into parts, and the three stars of Orions belt are viewed as a Bison spine.
In the Far West, the Chinook tribe view Orions belt and dagger as two canoes in a race to catch a Salmon in the Big River, known to us in modern times as the Milky Way. The Salmon is represented by the star, Sirius, and the "Little Canoe" known as the dagger, is winning the race.
The Navajo people see Á tse A ts’oosí or "First Slender One" in Orion. This time, Orion is viewed as a hunter, aiming a large bow. The constellation is viewed as a protector, as it moves ahead to protect the Navajo children, portrayed as another constellation, Dilyéhé.
Native American moundbuilders, who lived in present day Portsmouth Ohio, saw the Milky Way as souls on a Journey to Orions Nebula. They made the famous Portsmouth Earthworks to line up with certain stars, and Orion was one of the very key constellations in their beliefs.
I think it is cool to look at Orion, think of the ancient people who lived where I live today, and welcome back, "My old Winter friend".
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