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 The Stars We Know Crow Indian Astronomy and Lifeways
Timothy P. McCleary
This fascinating ethnography explores how the Crow Indians have blended scientific observation with religious symbolism to develop traditions that are a cornerstone of their culture. For centuries, the Crow people have kept a careful watch on the heavens above them—particularly the cycles and movements of the stars, the sun, the moon, and certain planets. Their interpretations of these cosmic phenomena have shaped the principles by which the Crow live. In this illustrated volume, McCleary provides description and background but lets the Crow star knowledge unfold through the words of contemporary tribal elders, whose narratives describe the origins and organization of the universe and the history of constellations that have special religious interpretation and history.
 $14.95 list, 127 pages 10-digit ISBN: 0-88133-924-5 13-digit ISBN: 978-0-88133-924-6 © 1997 Self-contained study guide
“This book on our traditions related to the heavens expresses a part of the native theology of the Crow in a careful, thoughtful, and detailed manner.” — Dale Old Horn, Little Big Horn College
“McCleary shows us how Crow people close the distance, so to speak, between their own lives and the precisely observed behavioral patterns of constellations, comets, the moon, and the sun. We have here a brilliant piece of modern Native American ethnography.” — Peter Nabokov, University of California, Los Angeles
Table of Contents
1. Our Side 2. The Crow People and the Stars 3. The Bright Star 4. Planets: The Unpredictable Stars 5. The Twins and the Hand Star 6. The Seven Stars 7. The Sweatlodge and the Stars 8. Moving Lights of the Night 9. The Sun, the Moon, and the Milky Way 10. In the Company of Stars Appendix: Crow Star Names of Unidentified Constellations |
