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Hi, go for it. It's an interesting topic. See Anthony Aveni's and E. C. Krupp's books 
on ancient astronomy. Both have written well on these subjects. I like Aveni's 
put-you-in-their-shoes view of how it was. Imagine a world without the modern 
sophistication of our instruements and knowledge. He does a good job of it.

Last summer I took what is now becoming my annual trip to Yellowstone/Tetons, and a 
fellow who has presented astronomy programs there for nearly 30 years spoke. He had a 
number of references to ancient native american astronomy in his talk. Quite 
fascinating. His last name is Boyd and he lives and teaches astronomy in N. Carolina, 
I belive, during the winter months. You might try to reach him via YS park. He gave 
me lots of good ideas on the subject, including the Aveni reference above. I just 
bought Aveni's latest edition of Empire of Time through the U. of Colo. web site. 
It's quite a good book, and recently was updated. Maybe next summer I'll come up your 
way to look at your medicine sites. I didn't have time to see the large one in 
Wyoming, but will definitely want to return to it this summer. It's interesting to 
contemplate how the human mind contemplated the sky without any modern equipment.

We have a small indian population near here (60 mi NE of Sacramento), and have had a 
larger historic population of indians in California. Our museum did a 300 sq ft 
exhibit on local indians this fall. I put together a four page 'exhibit' on astronomy 
in CA. We've had seveal indians visit, and I've heard no complaints.

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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-- 
              Wayne T. Watson (Watson Adventures, Prop., Nevada City, CA)
                  (121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N) GMT-8 hr std. time)
                   Obz Site:  39° 15' 7" N, 121° 2' 32" W, 2700 feet

                         Web Page: <home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews>

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