Kumeyaay astronomy
 | |
| Geographical range | El Vallecito |
|---|---|
| Period | 7000 BCE - c. 1875 |
Kumeyaay astronomy or cosmology (Kumeyaay: My Uuyow, "sky knowledge") comprises the astronomical knowledge of the Kumeyaay people, a Native American group whose traditional homeland occupies what is now Southern California in the United States and adjacent parts of northern Baja California in Mexico.[1] A deeply rooted cosmological belief system was developed and followed by the Kumeyaay civilization based on this knowledge including the computing of time (Kumeyaay Mat’taam).[2]
The first evidence of astronomical observations and visual registration was discovered in the El Vallecito archeological zone. The "Men in a square" rupestric painting located at El Diablito area of El Vallecito depicted a square that aligns with sunlight on the Fall equinox. These paintings were made by the Kumeyaay people, possibly during nomadic travels.[3][4] Kumeyaay sand paintings and rock art modeled the passage of the sun, moon, and constellations.[5]
Observation areas were made by the Kumeyaay to watch and register astronomical events. However many were destroyed by vandals before protection measures were instituted.[6]
Astronomical objects
[edit]- Hatotkeur (Spine of the Sky) - Milky Way
Constellations:[7]
| Name | Meaning | Western equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Kwechnyay | Hunter | part of Orion |
| Hachaa | Six laughing girls | Pleiades |
| Hawitai | Garter snake | Lyra |
| Akewli | Chaser | part of Orion |
| Hechkullk | Wolf | Auriga, Taurus |
| Shallymat | Arm | Big Dipper |
| Shally | Hand | Leo |
| Pehkay | Seven | Cygnus |
| Llykuushirra | Racer snake | Cassiopaeia |
| Menniih | Tarantula | Canis Major/Minor |
| Namuuly | Bear | Gemini |
| 'Ehwii | Rattlesnake | Draco |
| Shuluk | Lightning | Scorpius |
| Hetepaa | Coyote | Bootes |
| Shaaii | Buzzard | Virgo |
| 'Ahaak | Raven | Aquila |
| Emuu | Mountain sheep | Orion's Belt |
| Awi yuk | Gopher snake | Corvus/Hydra |
| Nyemii | Bobcat | Piscis Austrinus |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Hedges, K. (1981-01-01). "Winter solstice observatory sites in Kumeyaay Territory, San Diego County, California". Archaeoastronomy in the Americas: 151–156. Bibcode:1981aram.conf..151H.
- ^ "Kumeyaay: Native Californians - San Diego Museum of Man". San Diego Museum of Man. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
- ^ "El INAH identifica evento arqueoastronómico en pintura rupestre de El Vallecito (INAH identified archeoastronomic event in cave paintings at El Vallecito)". www.inah.gob.mx. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
- ^ Ray A. Williamson (1987). Living the Sky: The Cosmos of the American Indian. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 272–3. ISBN 978-0-8061-2034-8.
- ^ Richard L. Carrico, (ed) Strangers in a Stolen Land: Indians of San Diego County from Prehistory to the New Deal, Sunbelt Publications, 2008, ISBN 9780932653826
- ^ As it can be read in the information card about Kumeyaay astronomy at the San Diego Museum of Man. 2016.
- ^ Connolly, Michael (2016). Maay Uuyow: Kumeyaay Cosmology. Alpine, California: Shuluk. p. 43. ISBN 9780692707661.