News and Articles on
Astronomy of the Americas
- 1 March 2007. Solar
Observatory in Americas Found in Peru. By Richard
Harris, for NPR. Excerpt: All things
considered, archeologists may have uncovered what they
say is by far the oldest astronomical observatory in
the Americas: a series of towers near a temple in coastal
Peru, built in the fourth century B.C. The towers at
Chankillo mark the sun's progress across the sky, according
to a new study in Science. ...A few years ago, Ivan Ghezzi
at long last drummed up enough funding to excavate the
Chankillo site, and uncover its secrets. ...He quickly
realized the towers had nothing to do with the moon,
but everything to do with the sun. The key was viewing
the sky from either of two structures that stood nearby. "You
could actually watch the sunrise align with the northernmost
tower during the June solstice," he says. "And
with the opposite tower... you could see the sunrise
at the December solstice. So we realized that here we
had an astronomical device that was designed to keep
track of the movement of the sun and therefore keep track
of time." Built 2,300 years ago, the towers are
by far the earliest example of an observatory in the
Americas....
- September 2006. Links from "Ancient Native American
Astronomy" article in Reflector, newsmagazine of the
Astronomical League.
- Spiro Mounds - Oklahoma
- 12 mounds which contain evidence
of an Indian culture that occupied
the site from 850 A.D. to 1450 A.D.
...ceremonies included the celebration
of planting, harvesting, and the
changing of the seasons. Winter Solstice
Walks on Thursday, December 21, 2006,
Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center
by Dennis Peterson, about the mounds,
the history, excavations, stories,
ceremonies and why some of the mounds
line up with the Solstice and Equinox
sunsets. http://www.myspiro.com/spiroMounds.asp
- Rock Art sites in northwest Arkansas http://www.cast.uark.edu/rockart/
- Petroglyphs in Washington State Park,
Missouri. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_State_Park
- 1 February 2006. Native
American stories of the stars. RON SEELY - Wisconsin
State Journal. Excerpt: Native Americans
...had their eyesight and a rich history of astronomical
observation passed on by ancestors ... those tools were
enough to allow them to develop an impressive and practical
understanding of the movements of constellations, stars
and planets. In fact, stories about celestial objects,
including explanations for their origin and instructions
for their practical use as guides to navigation and time,
are woven deeply through all native cultures, including
those of Wisconsin's Native Americans. Now, a new UW-Madison
project is helping students from the state's tribal reservations
understand that their ancestors also had a sophisticated
and accurate understanding of the stars and the planets.
Called "One Sky, Two Views: Expanding Our Cultural
Universe," the program is the brainchild of Sanjay
Limaye, an astronomer, and Patty Loew, an associate professor
in the Department of Life Sciences Communication and
a scholar of Native American history and issues. Loew,
who is also a tribal member of the Bad River Ojibwe near
Ashland, and Limaye, have already worked with students
from Bad River and plan other programs in the coming
weeks, including visits to several other reservations...
Making the connections between the ancient stories and
modern science is an ideal way to get young tribal members
interested in a field such as astronomy, Pertzborn said. "Their
ancestors watched the heavens," Pertzborn said. "They
collected data. And they made predictions. And that's
science!"
- 15 November 2004. Science@NASA Story. The
Rise and Fall of the Mayan Empire. Scientists
are using space satellites to unravel one of the great
mysteries of the ancient world. Where the rain forests
of Guatemala now stand, a great civilization once flourished.
The people of Mayan society built vast cities, ornate
temples, and towering pyramids. At its peak around 900
A.D., the population numbered 500 people per square mile
in rural areas, and more than 2,000 people per square
mile in the cities -- comparable to modern Los Angeles
County. This vibrant "Classic Period" of Mayan
civilization thrived for six centuries. Then, for some
reason, it collapsed. The fall of the Maya has long been
one of the great mysteries of the ancient world. But
it's more than a historical curiosity. Within sight of
the Mayan ruins, in the Petén region of Guatemala
near the border with Mexico, the population is growing
again, and rain forest is being cut to make farmland.
"By learning what the Maya did right and what they
did wrong, maybe we can help local people find sustainable
ways to farm the land while stopping short of the excesses
that doomed the Maya," says Tom Sever at the Marshall
Space Flight Center (MSFC).
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2004/15nov_maya.htm?list617264
- Slide show of South American astroarcheology
images -- http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/archeo/01.html
- Jan 2002. Medicine Wheel Update (below)
- 20 December 2000 Decision
Turns Off the Trinity River Tap Article in
Berkeley Daily Planet
from Association on American Indian Affairs
Issue 150, Winter/Spring 2002
http://www.indian-affairs.org
As reported in previous editions of Indian Affairs, AAIA
is providing legal representation to the Medicine Wheel Coalition
in a lawsuit filed by a local logging company to overturn the
landmark Historic Preservation Plan (HPP) designed to protect
the sacred Bighorn Medicine Wheel and Medicine Wheel Mountain
in Wyoming. The HPP was signed in 1996 by the Coalition, the
Medicine Wheel Alliance and a number of federal, state and
local governments, including the Forest Service. AAIA provided
legal and organizational assistance to the Coalition during
the seven year process that culminated in the HPP. The logging
company is represented in this case by Mountain States Legal
Foundation, a rightwing legal organization that has consistently
opposed government efforts to voluntarily protect Native American
sacred sites.
On December 6, 2001, the Federal District Court in Wyoming
rendered a decision in this case (Wyoming Sawmills v. United
States Forest Service) in favor of the Forest Service and the
Medicine Wheel Coalition. It ruled that Wyoming Sawmills had
no right to challenge the HPP based upon either the First Amendment
or applicable environmental law. It also ruled that a claim
could be filed based upon two narrower federal statute, but
found that both the HPP and the process in which it was developed
did not violate either statute.
This is a resounding victory not only for the Medicine Wheel
Coalition and AAIA, but also and more importantly, a significant
step toward permanent protection of the Medicine Wheel and
Medicine Mountain and other sacred sites. Should Wyoming Sawmills
appeal, AAIA will continue to provide legal representation
to the Medicine Wheel Coalition.
Hard Copy Articles
- Oct 2002. An Astronomer Reads Archaeology's
Message, by Patricia A. Kurtz. Article
about archaeoastronomer Anthony Aveni.
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