Outreach Without A Telescope

[Skylook123]

 I am a member of two astronomy clubs in Southern Arizona, the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association, and the Sonora Astronomical Society. Among the tasks taken on by these organizations is the sharing of the night sky with the community when opportunities arise. Such an opportunity came up last weekend at the Tumacacori National Historical Park.

First, a little background. The territory in this part of the world was occupied primarily by a culture called the O'odham ("The People"), comprised of several subcultures including the Tohono O'odham, or Desert People. The early Spanish conquistadors called them the Papago, loosly translated as Bean Eaters after a white bean that was a staple of their diet. The tribe itself took this as an insult, and always called themselves the Tohono, and this name was officially adopted by the US Department of Indian Affairs in the late 1960s.

In the late 1600s, Jesuit priest and astronomer Father Eusebio Kino traveled the Southwest and established over 20 missions among the O'odham Indians that he encountered. Meeting the O'odham in Tumacacori, he established one of his missions that is now part of the Tumacacori National Historical Park.

One activity that is practiced by TNHP is periodic weekend camping events inside the mission grounds, where cultural awareness is exchanged with the invitees. Several weeks ago, John Dwyer, the President of the Sonora Astronomical Society, was asked to help at one of these events to roll the clock back to the late 1800s and what use would be made of the sky in that era. John contacted me, since he knew of my interest in cultural astronomy, and we decided to split up the task between the perspective of the migrating cowboy populations and the other travelers and permanent residents of the area at that time. Unfortunately, John became quite ill for a time, so I was happy to cover the topic.

There were several interpretive activities for the camping session; an art lesson for the attendees in sketching the mission grounds and converting the sketches to charcoal drawings for permanent saving, the exposure to the use of the night sky in the late 19th century, a session of story telling around a campfire, western song singing, and other cultural exchanges before the night ended with camping inside the mission or on the grounds.

There were supposed to be 30 guests of the Park, but a group of 15 Girl Scouts dropped out because of concerns for the ongoing monsoon rain potential. So, the remaining fifteen hearty souls got their introductory history lesson, then came the art instruction that was extremely well presented. Then it was my turn.

I introduced my talk the way I've been taught by my Interpretive Ranger guide, Marker Marshall at the Grand Canyon National Park. I told them I wanted them to take home a piece of the Park - the serenity of the night sky and it's celebration of the night, and to recall the night sky when their own use of light was considered. Not for the astronomical benefit of reducing light intrusion, but from the cultural point of view, as well as the environmental impact on the night life, the reduction of the greenhouse gasses to produce the light, and the excess cost for un-needed capacity that costs us all. Then the sky talk.

It was a bit difficult to, as Hawaiians would call it, "talk story" about the sky when there was cloud and lightning around, so I steered the discussion to WHY do cultures feel called to the sky? I compared the European way of life as shown in the henges, especially Stonehenge but over 1000 other similar constructions that have mostly disappeared over the ages because they were made of wood, but the geological evidence remains, contrasted with the Native American seeking of balance with nature. Then I went into the O'odham creation story, and how the Sun was to give light in the day, Moon to give light at night, and stars to give direction to find one's way. For the cowboy travelers, I used the Big Dipper clock and how the hours at night could be marked, but locals could also use Kochab and seasonal variations with the rising and setting of Alkaid, Arcturus, and Spica in the west and Capella and the stars of Casseopeia in the east, with Corona Borealis thrown in. Kochab combined with the bright star positions gave year round travelling and time passage guides to the local residents.

The time era in discussion was also a time of Apache incursion into the area, so I noted how July is a special month for both O'odham and Apache cultures. For the O'odham, July is the beginning of their year, while for the Apache, it is extremely important as the month of the Puberty Ceremonial, a four day/night ceremony celebrating the passing of young girls into womanhood, and their role as life givers to the Apache. And the passage of the stars is extremely important to both cultures at this time, because for the Apache the singer of the ceremonial had to hit certain songs at key locations in the sky such that, on the fourth morning, the end song could be sung by the entire tribe in the moments before sunrise to bring the sun alive to bless the young women with productive, long and healthy lives. Miss the key times by a minute or so, and it was a bad ceremony and could mean less than ideal lives for the future of the young girls. Missing the orientation of the sky for the O'odham could mean misdirection in the desert and not finding the key vegetation and water for survival.

I left them with the challenge to be a little introspective and ponder why the night sky called to them? They had watches, and calendars, and still they looked up through the holes in the rain clouds with wonder. Why? It was each of their own motivations to consider, with no right answer.

A nice little article about the weekend was written in the latest Nogales International. Please take a look if you have a chance, and if you live in, or visit, Arizona please look in on this wonderful little museum and mission, about forty miles south of Tucson and 20 miles north of Nogales on Interstate 19, for a look back at a different time, that is really timeless.

http://www.nogalesinternational.com/community/visitors-camp-out-at-historic-tumac-cori-mission/article_a9f3f8e4-0e90-11e4-8f90-001a4bcf887a.html

[Skylook123]

 I must add that the great experiences had by all the participants is due to the enthusiasm and efforts of Melanie Rawlins, the NPS Ranger in charge of the event.  It was a joy to work with her to bring the history alive for the visitors.  The NPS Rangers are truly special people, committed to their calling, and quite an inspiration to be around.
 

[baggywrinkle]

Thanks for sharing....very nice report.

[Skylook123]

Thank you for reading!