October 22, 2018

On Friday, November 2 at 7pm the Delta College Planetarium will present the original program “The Native American Skywatchers” inside its Dome360 Theatre.

November is National Native American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people. Planetarium staff produced the special program to honor their sky legends and astronomical observing sites.
 
Under the night sky of the planetarium star theater, audiences can experience the oral traditions of the Native Americans by listening to authentic sky lore. Several stories will be told live while some are recorded by Native American storytellers. Planetarium staff will demonstrate how these tales helped native observers to develop an understanding of the night sky and how it reflected their culture.
 
The show will also explore how these early peoples used the night sky to know when to plant, hunt, hold ceremonies and even relocate. Audiences can observe the sky phenomena featured in the stories, including the Big Dipper, the North Star, Orion, and the Pleiades Star Cluster, in the immersive star theater.
 
One of the most famous Native archaeological astronomy sites in North America, The Big Horn Medicine Wheel, will also be featured in the program. Located in northern Wyoming, the sacred site represented a detailed structure for observing the rising of selected bright stars for a number of purposes.
 
Tickets are specially priced at $3 per seat and go on sale at the planetarium one hour before show time. All ages are welcome. For more information go to the planetarium’s website at www.delta.edu/planet or call 989-667-2260. The Delta College Planetarium and Learning Center is located in downtown Bay City at 100 Center Avenue.