Book

When stars came down to earth: cosmology of the Skidi Pawnee Indians of North America

Ballena Press ; Center for Archaeoastronomy, University of Maryland (26) • Published In 1982 • Pages: 270

By: Chamberlain, Von Del.

Abstract
This is a study of Pawnee ethnoastronomy. The work attempts to describe the objects and phenomena of the sky as they were perceived by the Skidi (Skiri) Pawnee, and the effect that they had on religious beliefs and practices. In general the book attempts to consolidate materials written about Pawnee ethnoastronomy scattered through various sources , many of which were written around the beginning of the twentieth century. Other ethnographic topics deal with native concepts relating to sky phenomena, an annotated list of sky objects referred to in the records, the Skidi earth lodge as a model of Pawnee cosmology, the Skidi observational system, and the unique star chart inscribed on buckskin used by the Pawnee over the ages in their study of the heavens.
Subjects
Dwellings
Mythology
Sacred objects and places
Prayers and sacrifices
Organized ceremonial
Ethnometeorology
culture
Pawnee
HRAF PubDate
1998
Region
North America
Sub Region
Plains and Plateau
Document Type
Book
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
ca. 1800-1915
Coverage Place
Skidi (Skiri), Chawi (Chaui), Kitkahahki, and Pitahawirata bands; northern Kansas and Nebraska, United States
Notes
by Von Del Chamberlain
Includes bibliographical references (p. 257-261) and index
LCCN
82016390
LCSH
Pawnee Indians