Dine Astronomy – The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon

Astronomical photo of Orion — Orion, with Rigel at bottom right, at optical wavelengths plus the Hα (hydrogen-alpha) spectral line to emphasize gas clouds. [Attribution: Photo by Rogelio Bernal Andreo – http://deepskycolors.com/astro/JPEG/RBA_Orion_HeadToToes.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=207932%5D

Cheyenne Blue Star

The importance of the Blue Star is not unique to the Hopi. It is also a symbol the Cheyenne revere and paint on their faces for sacred rituals such as their Massaum ceremony as well as ceremonial fasts. Originally, it comprised four triangles joined at the apex, similar to a Maltese cross. [Learn more about the Massaum and its significance as the Earth Giving Ceremony in “The Revenge of Dead Horse Canyon: Sweet Medicine Spirits – Novavose.”]

The Blue Star is currently represented by a blue diamond shape that comprises four lines, two from the hairline above the bridge of the nose to the base of each ear, then lines drawn to the base of the chin.

Rigel, a star in the constellation Orion, is what the Cheyenne consider the blue star, its rising when the Massaum ceremony public performance began.

Attribution: IAU and Sky & Telescope magazine (Roger Sinnott & Rick Fienberg) – [1], CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15407823

Navajo (Dine)

The Navajo (Dine) call Orion Atse Ets’Ozi, the First Slender One, a young, strong warrior responsible to provide protection to his family and people. Whether they attribute special meaning to Rigel is known only to their medicine men and elders because most of their star lore is considered sacred. They only talk about their constellations as part of their winter stories or to a limited extent during the summer solstice.

The Cheyenne also view the Pleiades as significant and paint it on their lodges. The Cherokee believe that is where they originally came from. This well-known grouping of seven stars is also revered by the Mayan, who return to it figuratively via sacred ritual.

Attribution: By NASA, ESA and AURA/Caltech – Hubble Refines Distance to Pleiades Star Cluster (STScI-2004-20), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17899258

Mayan Tradition

Paul Werner Duarte, a German/Mayan descendant of the Olmec culture from Vera Cruz, Mexico, has a lengthy and informative section in Nancy Red Star’s book, “Star Ancestors.” In it he states, “The Red man has had a covenant with the beings from space since the beginning. The Red man is the Atlantean. Edgar Cayce once said, ‘Take an Aztec, take a Maya, take a Hopi, take a Cherokee, take a Cheyenne, and you’re looking at an Atlantean.’ Earth is not the original home for any human…. The Red man descended to Earth from the Pleiades; indienous people have a long history of space exploration and extraterrestrial contact.”

The Navajo (Dine) call the Pleiades Dilyehe, which translates “seed-like sparkles. Its rising and setting have been used for centuries and probably millennia to time when to begin as well as when to cease planting crops to assure they don’t freeze when planted too early or too late.

Dakota Blue Star

In the following video by Wanbdi Wakita, a Dakota elder, he explains how they came from the Blue Star . Their women had dreams about it and made it into their star quilts. He does not specify which star in the sky it might be. You cannot listen to this man without feeling his strong spirit.

Hopi Prophecy

The Hopi Blue Star prophecy is currently receiving a lot of attention with the appearance of 3I/Atlas. As far back as 1972 their holy man, Thomas Manyacya, attempted to warn the world. The video’s description on YouTube states:

The Blue Star – Thomas Banyacya: Thomas Banyacya: The Hopi Prophecy was first produced as a video letter to the United Nations Environmental Programme, at the request of the Hopi elders of Hotevilla. Thomas Banyacya, a Hopi leader and spokesman for the Hopi high religious leaders was in his 80s in 1989 when this important meeting took place and was recorded on film. In a traditional circle, Banyacya and the elders meet with visiting Lummi, Lacandone, and American and Mexican environmentalists.

They discuss the Hopi Prophecy that foretold, “Koyaanisqatsi”, meaning “life in turmoil, life out of balance,” as a result of increasing materialism and environmental destruction. Thomas carries the Hopi message which calls for universal peace and spiritual unity and how the only hope for humankind to survive is to return to connectedness with Mother Earth. Humanity must use its knowledge and technology to clean up the water, the air, and the contaminated land. At the same time, we must conserve the remaining natural resources. The individual greed of both people and nations must be replaced with global concern for the balance of life on this planet.

He repeated the message again in 1995 as you can listen to in the following videos.

Conclusion

Why is the Blue Star revered across numerous Indigenous cultures? Has the Blue Star arrived at last in the form of 3I/Atlas?

Whatever that object is, it has baffled scientists as its behavior defies the laws of physics. Is it being controlled by intelligent beings? It seems beyond coincidence that the WOW signal received back in 1977 that lasted 72 seconds came from the same place in the cosmos from which 3I/Atlas originated. Coincidence? Not likely, with odds around a billion to one.

Is it a message from the star people?

Time will tell.

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The Navajo (Diné) have a rich tradition of starlore that maintains everything is connected. The stars above, the Earth below, and every plant, animal, and human. All are an integral part of nature and the Creator’s greater whole.

To Diné, the night sky is a sacred place. One does not speak of sacred things casually. Talk of the stars only takes place between October and February in Winter Stories, told when bears, insects, and plant life are resting. The only exception is limited discussion around the summer solstice

Starlore has been passed on through oral tradition and differs slightly from region to region. Such knowledge is mostly held my elders and medicine men. Certain parts of the sky relate to healing and societal messages, such as the importance of family. Many parts of the sky are too sacred for discussion among the uninitiated.

The Big Dipper, Casseopeia and Polaris are known to the Diné as one constellation known as Náhookǫs. It is perceived as a male warrior (Big Dipper) facing his female companion (Cassopeia) with the central fire (Polaris) between them. These circumpolar stars remain in the sky all year and represent the eternal nature of the family. During the course of the year, the Big Dipper portion changes orientation as it revolves around Polaris, its position indicative of the seasons.

The Pleiades are known as Dilyéhé, which translates as “seed-like sparkles.” Their appearance in early May on the western horizon indicates the time to plant crops. When they disappear later in June, it’s considering too late to plant and still harvest before the first frost. Orion is known as Átsé Ets’ózí, a young, strong warrior responsible for protecting his family and people.

His association with Átsé Etsoh (Scorpio) has an amusing story behind it. These two constellations are never seen in the night sky at the same time. Their story declares the wise admonition that a mother-in-law and son-in-law should not see one another in daily life. A traditional Navajo mother-in-law might even wear a bell to warn that she is in the area. How much easier would life be if that were the case in all cultures?

Predawn is an important time that’s considered the beginning of a new day, not midnight as it is for western cultures. The Navajo month begins with the first sliver of a crescent moon. The young moon, combined with the first star or constellation seen in the eastern predawn light in the days following, indicate the beginning of a new month.

More delightful information accompanied by beautiful illustrations can be found in “Sharing the Skies: Navajo Astronomy” by Nancy C. Maryboy, PhD and David Begay, PhD available from the Southwest Indian Foundation here as well as on their website www.sharingtheskies.com.

As a side note, astronomy plays an important role in “The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon: Cheyenne Spirits.” It was something Charlie and Bryan shared as teens and helps solve the mystery.

Tag: Dine Astronomy

Blue Star Symbolism in Indigenous Cultures