Indigenous Skies

The Rothney Astrophysical Observatory is located under the starry skies of the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, which include the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprised of the Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai First Nations), the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations). The City of Calgary is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta (Districts 5 and 6).

For thousands of years, humans have looked to the skies to understand our place in the universe. To make sense of the stars, different cultures looked up and identified shapes of stars patterns. Over time, these patterns were given meaning in the form of cultural stories or symbols. These culturally important star patterns are called constellations.

Canada's Indigenous people looked to the sky for guidance in practical endeavours but also spiritual identity. They look to the sky as a map, clock and calendar for thousands of years. The movement of celestial objects were observed and followed using the stars as a compass, for orientation and direction. Circumpolar stars are visible throughout the year in Canada and the star Polaris points the way north. The shifting positions of the constellations in the southern skies changed with the seasons. These constellations were carefully studied and woven into mythologies and stories that passed from generation to generation. Their memorable tales had pragmatic purposes too, such as knowing when to move from one camp to another.

Photo taken at the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory.

Sky stories from the Siksika of the Blackfoot and the Ininewuk of the Cree reflect a distinct philosophy about our place in the universe. These stories help guide relationships between individuals and the natural world. Memorable oral stories have been an important tool for sharing and teaching knowledge and helped to retain information between generations. Traditional Ways of Knowing and astronomy knowledge are blended into stories that bind water, land, humans and animals into the regular rhythms of celestial movement.

Blackfoot and Cree perspectives regarding our place in the universe are reflected and symbolized in their languages. Siksikáí’powahsin (Blackfoot) is also highly descriptive. The languages evolved within the influence of the land and the perspective of the sky. Ininewuk (Cree) is a descriptive language - nouns do not exist without adjectives to describe and surround it. Siksikáí’powahsin and Ininewuk words are included in the traditional stories, recognizing that meaning, tone and cultural layers are missed by the translation to English. As with Siksikáí’powahsin and Ininewuk, the language of the Stoney-Nakota people also identifies objects as animate and inanimate and describes the night sky in symbols linked to the earth.

A distinct culture, the Métis peoples formed communities during the fur trade era in Canada. The children of European traders and Indigenous women, the Métis travelled across Rupert's Land by waterways and overland. Well travelled trails were followed by Métis who served the fur trade as interpreters, traders, transporters and hunters. Survival knowledge of land and sky was fundamental to their ability to move across the vast landscape. Connecting landforms with the positions of stars, or constellations in the night sky, or the positions of the sun and the moon, made this extensive travel possible. Knowledge of the relationships between celestial motion and geographic features was a big part of Indigenous Ways of Knowing passed down through generations of people who inhabited Canada since time immemorial. Click on sash to learn more about how Métis wayfinding skills utilized the day and night-time skies.