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The Anasazi's drawing not only records the event, but includes the crescent moon in its proper proximity.

When did you last look up at the night sky? Can you still see the Big Dipper? There was a time when, no matter where you were, you could look up into the night sky and see the friendly constellations and the dazzling Milky Way, which the Indians romantically called The Trail of the Wolf. Regretfully, mans' artificial light has taken all this away for most of us, and along with it, the reality of the heaven constancy. A word that is obsolete today.

Since the beginning of time, Mother Earth has suffered on-going change, much of it at the hands of modern man. Now, there is no longer an assurance that she will be here for us tomorrow. Only the stars are constant, and today's world has curtained most of them from our sight.

Legends and studies in archaeology prove that the Indians of long ago had ties to the celestial world. In their lives it was a way of guidance and time keeping. In their legends, stories of creation and earth-sky encounters.

In 1054, a learned Anasazi "astronomer" made a remarkable rock painting of what is known today as the Crab Supernova (exploding star). Five thousand light years away, its light is still reaching earth. The Anasazi's drawing not only records the event, but includes the crescent moon in its proper proximity. Carbon 14 dating concludes the proof of his work.

In Saskatchewan, Canada, there still exists the oldest observatory in the Americas. Laid out by Indians in 600 BC, one of the Cairns in this Medicine Wheel still catches the sunrise of the Summer Solstice.

There is a similar Medicine Wheel in Wyoming that the U.S. Forest Service may have already turned into a tourist attraction.

The Tinglet People of the northwest have an ancient legend that tells of contact with an alien ship that came from the sky and of its little people, who traded with them and then flew away like a big bird.

The Pawnee, of the Morning Star Ritual, believed that the Milky Way was a path walked by the dead to reach heaven. They also believed that each of their villages was founded by a particular star. The Chief of the village kept a "star bundle" hanging by a buffalo cord on the sacred (west) side of his lodge.

The Chippawa have a legend of Algon, the hunter who won the daughter of a star for his bride, after seeing her come down to earth with some companions, in a floating car.

The Powhattan Renape People divided their Nation into two halves. Called Moieties, there are the Red People and the Sky People. Each have their own colors. The Red People (MUSKWAKIWOK) have red (earth) green (trees and plants) and brown (animals). The Sky People (KESUKOH) have blue (sky and water) and white (clouds and stars).

The eastern woodland Indians have a story that reminds me of the Pleiades, a star group frequently mentioned in Indian legend and lore. This one is about a wampum belt that featured seven stars. The first is the star of creation, the second, is Woman Who Fell from the Sky (mentioned earlier), the third, star represents the animals, and the fourth represents the coming of a prophet. The fifth star tells of a bad time among the people with much confusion and dissatisfaction. The sixth star is the prophet who will speak and understand every language on the earth. His coming is a sign that the seventh star will soon appear.

While everyone is waiting for the seventh star, a great war rages between the great serpent and all the races. Finally, the seventh star appears. He comes from Turtle Island. He brings peace to the good, and those on the dark side will be destroyed by their own greed.

Have you searched the night sky lately? Despite all the havoc man has brought to Mother Earth, her children are still shining down on us, still constant. They are trying to tell us something, and we better listen. Grandmother Two Bears.

This story and many mores stories are now available in the new book The Story Teller by Grandmother Two Bears. To order the Grandmother Two Bears book, use the following button.

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