‘Native American Star Knowledge’ Topic Of CU Planetarium Show Oct. 19
Oct. 15, 2007

Traditional star knowledge of the Lakota, Pueblo and Navajo tribes will be discussed Oct. 19 at the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Fiske Planetarium.

“Native American Star Knowledge” will be presented by CU-Boulder Professor John Stocke of the astrophysical and planetary sciences department.

Stocke will examine the Lakota and Pueblo traditions, including the methods used by ancestral members of the tribes to keep accurate calendars, which were used to time their religious ceremonies correctly.

He also will talk about constellation myths, including the Navajo story explaining the creation of the stars. Much of this section of the show comes from a research project Stocke conducted several years ago with two Navajo “singers,” or medicine men, on the Navajo Reservation in Tsaile, Ariz.

An introduction to the traditional lives and art of the Navajo people also will be presented, including examples of their exquisite weavings and ceremonial sand paintings, Stocke said.

Admission for the show is $6 for adults, $5 for students and $3.50 for children and seniors. The Sommers-Bausch Observatory is open to the public following Friday evening shows, weather permitting. Admission to the observatory is free.

For more information about Fiske Planetarium and other shows and programs it offers call (303) 492-5001 or visit the Web site at fiske.colorado.edu.

Contact: John Stocke, (303) 492-1521
Greg Swenson, (303) 492-3113

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