Overview
California Indian Astronomy
Author: Stephanie Lumsden, PhD (Hupa)
Lesson partner: Rebecca Lowry, Humboldt County Office of Education
Grades: 9-11
Suggested Amount of Time: 55 minutes
Curriculum Themes
- Cultural Strengths
- Relationship to Place
Learning Goals
Students will be able to differentiate California Indian astronomy from contemporary U.S. settler science.
Students will be able to summarize a traditional Hupa story about Coyote and the stars.
Students will create their own constellations and stories about the stars.
Unit Overview
This lesson introduces students to the fascinating topic of California Indian astronomy. The lesson covers some of the historical, political, and social context necessary for understanding Indigenous peoples’ relationship to the stars. The lesson also touches on the significance of space exploration and “discovery” to settler states such as the U.S. and Canada and links it to the ongoing occupation and exploitation of Indigenous homelands using examples from Hawai’i. The lesson covers 3 key terms, 2 versions of a Hupa origin story, and includes a creative in-class activity where students will get the opportunity to create their own star stories and constellations.
Teacher Background
For California Indians and all Native Americans, observing and understanding the changes in the night sky has long been an essential part of knowing their homelands. Indigenous peoples have long and storied relationships with the cosmos visible from their homelands that reflect their cultural values, spiritual beliefs, and also reflect their practical needs like navigation and mapping. California Indians and all Indigenous peoples have origin stories that describe constellations and other celestial phenomena. These stories are frequently depicted in the artwork and literature of contemporary Native peoples. California Indian astronomy can be seen in petroglyphs, origin stories, navigation practices, mapping, shell mounds and other earthworks.
Interactive Slides
About the Interactive Slides
A key component of this curriculum includes interactive slides and a lesson script/facilitation support. These materials are designed to support ease of implementation and help guide lesson delivery.
The interactive slides are animated to gradually reveal content and may include links to videos and audio playback buttons for Tribal language integration, songs, or slide facilitation.
In addition to the downloadable lesson and student handouts, this lesson comprised of 55 minutes includes interactive slides and lesson script/ facilitation support.
Slides: California Indian Astronomy
Lesson Script/ Facilitation Support
*To ensure full accessibility, we recommend making a copy of the instructional material(s).
Instructions:
To use the slides effectively:
- Project the slides in "Slideshow Mode" to activate animations. Written content will appear with each click.
- Set speaker volume before beginning the lesson to ensure all students can hear audio content.
- Play audio by clicking the audio playback icons one at a time. There may be a brief pause while the audio loads.
- Hovering over an audio playback icon will reveal a playback bar that allows you to play, pause, adjust speed, or fast-forward the audio.
- Note: You do not need to use the playback bar unless you wish to adjust playback. Simply clicking the icon will play the audio.