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Hi Peter,

I once wrote a planetarium show using Native mythology and found it  
difficult to both remain faithful to the cultural context of the myths  
and to build a somewhat artificial bridge between science and  
mythology.   From the perspective of a script writer it would have been  
ideal if I could have developed a set of objectives for the show and  
then found myths to illustrate those objectives.  I quickly found out   
that myths have a very powerful message when in a social context,  that  
myths are rarely told to illustrate scientific principles, and that in  
order to illustrate my planetarium points I needed to highlight  
portions of the myth that were not necessarily central to the original  
intent.  I also found out that it is very easy to trivialize the  
message, and therefore the myth and the tellers of the myth, when  
stripped of that social context.  (Imagine trying to convey how tricky  
it is to play a Tommy James and the Shondells 45 rpm record (which has  
a large hole in the center of it) on a record player that only has a  
think spindle and no adapter to someone that hasn't experienced the  
wonderful world of vinyl records).

My task then became to take as much of the social context of the myth  
into the program as possible, yet maintain the science learning I had  
hoped to achieve.  It's a very tight rope to walk, and for me yielded a  
program that gave the short end of the stick to the social context of  
the myth.  I think it's valuable to learn from and become collaborators  
with any Native communities you wish to portray in your program,  
something I didn't do enough of at the time.  I also think it's a great  
and worthy challenge!

Thanks,

  - Len


**********************************
Len Adams
Origins Project Supervisor
Pacific Science Center
Seattle, WA

206/443-3652
**********************************



On Dec 27, 2004, at 7:51 PM, Peter Davis wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology  
> Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related  
> institutions.
> *********************************************************************** 
> ******
>
> Hello,
>
> I am currently thinking about how to bring a Native perspective to  
> Night Sky interpretation. One possibility might be to feature Medicine  
> Wheels. There are several in the area where I live: Southern Alberta.  
> However, I am not so sure whether this is a good idea after all. After  
> some research on (Stonehenge and) Medicine Wheels it appears to me  
> that the claims on archaeo-astronomy are very controversial within the  
> archaological community. I am not sure I want to brush over these  
> controversies and present Medicine Wheels as of sophisticated,  
> astronomical significance.  I'd be much more comfortable if there were  
> an approach to Medicine Wheels through members of local Native tribes.  
> However, at least in Southern Alberta, Medicine Wheels seem to come  
> from an era when different Native tribes were roaming this area and so  
> knowledge on the why's and how's of Medicine Wheels can not be tapped  
> through the local Native community.  The final word on this is not yet  
> spoken as I yet have to talk to more people in the Native community to  
> find out what their take on the Medicine Wheels is.
>
> I am wondering whether anybody has featured medicine wheels as part of  
> astronomy interpretation. What was your experience? What are your  
> thoughts on my above concerns? Have you managed to link the rock  
> formations to the current traditional knowledge of Native tribes?
>
> Any thoughts and comments would be greatly appreciated,
> Peter Davis
>
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