essay

The chief and his council: unity and authority from the stars

earth and sky : visions of the cosmos in native american folklore • Albuquerque • Published In 1992 • Pages: 221-235

By: Chamberlain, Von Del.

Abstract
This article, written by an astronomer and director of the Hanson planetarium in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a study of Pawnee ethnoastronomy. In this essay, the author demonstrates how a constellation -- here referred to as the 'Chief and his Council' or the 'Chief's Council' (the Corona Borealis) -- '…charters human action, giving it both proper form and substance' (p. 221). Also in connection with the above Chamberlain describes the symbolic elements of the earth lodge as well as its physical attributes which makes it functional not only as a home but as an observatory of astronomical phenomena as well.
Subjects
Mythology
Spirits and gods
Applied science
Ethnometeorology
culture
Pawnee
HRAF PubDate
1998
Region
North America
Sub Region
Plains and Plateau
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Types
Astronomer
Ethnologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 1997
Field Date
no date
Coverage Date
not specified
Coverage Place
Nebraska, United States
Notes
Von Del Chamberlain
Includes bibliographical references (p. 235)
LCCN
91043268
LCSH
Pawnee Indians