by Larry Stringer

Created on: February 21, 2010   Last Updated: February 26, 2010

The History of Astronomy: The American Indians

No exact time frame, in the creation of the Big Bang has the universe in all it’s splendor, ever shown brighter to no other man, than that night sky which was first perceived by a thinking man. The history of man, is written in the song, and not in the stone, for I feel that stone only represents a fleeting moment out of time, a snapshot if you will, of a frozen physical expression of a coherent mind. These images carved into the rocks surface, are only a pebble in the path of understanding the vast knowledge the American Indians possessed concerning the night sky and in some cases the sky in general.

From time unmemorable man has gazed up at the night sky in quiet reverence. And from these ancient star gazers, came a primordial desire to learn more. In pursuing this desire; man became aware of the world around him, and began to have rational thought. Out of this rational thinking sprang a strong desire to understand that which man perceived with his eyes. For in these eyes, man not only saw death in this world, but he also bore witness to the nature of birth itself. All of these visions that assaulted man’s senses, only inspired him to ponder the same questions that plague us today. The questions that I speak of, are who am I? Where did I come from? And where do I go when I die?

These are perplexing questions indeed, and in the eyes of ancient man they were questions that desperately needed answers. So in search of these answers man looked to the world around him and found that in some cases the answers only brought more questions. So in desperation man learned to mimic the world around him. He studied the land, and the sky above him. And in his discoveries man saw that the world was in perfect balance with itself . A world where everything was ordered, and in a simplistic state of existence. He saw that the birds could fly, but he did not know why. He saw the seasons come and go, but he did not know why. He saw his loved ones and friends cease to exist, never to join the smoke again. But yet still, he did not know why. He witnessed the birth of a human child, and he saw this birth in all the creatures around him. But still, with his thirst for understanding driving him on, he still did not know why.

During these antediluvian times the world was believed to be full of magic. This was a place where the trees whispered to each other, as they sensually conspired with the wind, as they gently sway to and

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