Milky Way and Fallen Star

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Among the Lakota, there are many interesting myths and legends which are used to explicate their ideas about the cosmos, as is the case among many cultures. According to mythographer James LaPointe, "the ancient Lakota wise men said that all heavenly bodies exert influences upon life on Earth, and the destinies of individual life are at all times under the spell of the sun, moon, and stars." LaPointe also suggests, "... they imparted their knowledge to posterity through oral narratives and object lessons. One star cluster was called Pa yamini pa, 'a monster with three heads.'"

The Lakota have one fascinating myth which tells a great deal about their astronomical beliefs. According to this legend, Fallen Star, a supernatural hero, was the son of the North Star and a Lakota woman. (Interestingly, in Western mythography, the morning star or "Lucifer" is known as the "fallen star" or "the bright star cast out of heaven.") Fallen Star was said to be a member of the Maghpia Oyate or Cloud People and to be a special protector of the Lakota. His mother had lived with North Star in the clouds, but fell to Earth when she made the mistake of trying to dig up a plant growing in the cloud world - something she had been warned against. The North Star now broods in immobile solitude over the loss of his beloved Lakota maiden.

Tupun Shawin (the red-cheeked maid) was found by a group of boy hunters while she was lying unconscious after she had fallen from the cloud world. Her child was nursing from her "vigorously." The boys did not know if she was a cloud or spirit woman and so left her alone. But they did not want to abandon the helpless infant, so they brought it back to the village. The mysterious baby was named Fallen Star and given to a lonely, barren woman in the village. He matured very quickly, and became aware of a special destiny. He told others in the village that he was the child of a bright star in the heavens, and then told his adopted mother that he had to return to his father's place in the sky. He is said to be there now, watching over the Lakotas, his adoptive people.

Lakota people call the Milky Way Wanaghi Tachanku or "trail of the spirits." It was "the trail all Lakota people must take when fate overtakes them." (This is another interesting cross-cultural 'coincidence,' because among the Indians of South America, the Milky Way was also thought to be a "road of the dead" or "way of souls.") They claimed that at the point where the Milky Way splits, a divine Arbiter stood ... people who lived an immoral life were forced to head down the part of the Milky Way that ends in a nebula, tumbling through space forever. Those who lived a proper life took the other road to Wanaghiyata, the promised home of departed souls.

What is fascinating about this myth is that it ends this way, at least according to the translator: "Today, somewhere near the Trail of Spirits, known to others as the Milky Way, Fallen Star sends rays of hope for his earth people." (LaPointe, 1976.) This suggests Fallen Star might be one of the stars found near the Milky Way. Which one can't be determined from the story, but it could be the one of the ones in the Big Dipper. Based on the legend, it would have some special relationship to the Pole Star. This would be an interesting topic for further investigations.
-- Steven Mizrach

www2.fiu.edu/~mizrachs/lakota.htm

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All tribes have sky watchers. They are the keepers of the count. They are the cultural astronomers who know of the great legends of the past. The stories that they tell are shrouded in mystery and only recently have there been insight into explaining these stories of the mythic past. These are the people who hold the deeper secrets of their tribes creation myths. Consider, for example, the Lakota and their discussions of celestial imagery, spirit and sky. Mark Hollabaugh (1997) discusses the concept of Wakan among the Lakota. He begins by discussing the work of James Walker (1991: 114-115) on Lakota rituals: "One star never moves and it is wakan. Others move in a circle about it." He is talking about Polaris, Wicahpi Owanjila, the polar star. In 14000 AD, the pole star will be Vega; in 3000 BC, it was Thuban. This shifting of the pole star occurs over large periods of time and repeats itself in a new cycle every 26000 years.

There are expressions relating to this: Shkan means sky and taku shkanshkan moves what moves others. It is what gives motion to everything that moves. It was this force that gave Inyan, the rock, his first existence as the grandfather of all things. It was this force that made Maka, the earth, the next in existence and the grandmother of all things. This force also gave existence to Wi, the sun. In this creation story, we find that there are eight associates of Wakan Tanka, four of them are superior and four of them are inferior. The Sky (shkan) and the Wind (Tate) are one; The Rock (Inyan) and the Winged (Wakinyan) are one; the Earth (Maka) and the Wohpe (a figure associated with White Buffalo Calf Woman ) are one; and finally, the Sun (Wi) and the Moon (Wi Han) are one. These eight entities are part of the Great Mystery and are only known to the wisest shamans. The Sun and the Sky were the most powerful of the Gods in this mythical past and they are believed to be one and the same personalities.

The Sun (Wi) was visible in the sky only half the time, while Nagi Tanka (the Great Spirit) was everywhere at all times and invisible except for its color, the blue of the sky. One other thing should be noted about this legend. It tells of the Lakota live suspended in time. They live in eternity in a time when the Sun was a persistent feature in the sky. This power is honored in the Sun Dance (Wi Wanyag Wachippi - Dance looking at the Sun). In this tale, we also learn of Heyoka, a contrary who used his spiritual powers to satisfy the thunder beings, Wakinyan. Upon completing his discussion of Lakota celestial imagery, Holbaugh (1997) concludes that Wakan Tanka is best translated as the Great Spirit or Great Mystery.

What is interesting about this creation myth is that it shares many features with other creation myths. Perhaps, this creation story should be reinterpreted. The pole star (Wicahpi Owanjila - the star that always stands in one place), for example, could be any of the collinear stars mentioned in the Saturn Thesis. Mars, Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter did not move in the primordial sky. Neither did the sun. Heyoka, the contrary star could be Mars; and Nagi Tanka could be Saturn. Wolpe could be Venus. I raise these questions because they have such intriguing possibilities of re-interpretation. I ask that we all seriously look at our creation myths in the light of the work of Velikovsky and his colleagues.
-- Robert N. St. Clair

firstnationspedagogy.com/St.Clair_AncientScience.pdf

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I posted this information earlier as "a case in comparative linguistics" but I think it is worth repeating it here.

In his book “Worlds In Collision,” Immanuel Velikovsky writes of “manna” (referred to in the seventy-eighth chapter of Psalms, “had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.”) that, he claims, fell to earth following the close passage of a comet in time of Moses. Velikovsky writes that, “The manna fell from the clouds.” Velikovsky also writes that, “The Greeks called the heavenly bread ambrosia.” In comparison the Lakota word for “comet” contains three elements, Wičháȟpi (star), Siŋté (tail), and Tȟúŋ (sacred suppuration), that have a literal meaning of “a star with a tail exuding sacred suppurations.” Is the resemblance of “sacred suppurations” from the tail of a comet to Velikovsky’s interpretation of “manna” and “ambrosia” from the close approach of a comet in the time of Moses more than mere coincidence? To demonstrate that the Lakota understood the difference between comets and meteors, the latter are named by the words Wakȟáŋ (sacred) and Woȟpá (something falling down). Thus, to the Lakota a meteor is “something sacred falling down” and a comet is “a star with a tail exuding sacred suppurations.” They are clearly not the same idea at all and the Lakota differentiated between the two by internalizing the separate concepts into their very descriptive language.