Niagwai Hadeshe - Seneca
Constellation: UMa
Source: https://www.snpolytechnic.com/sites/default/files/docs/resource/starknowledge.pdf
Finder Chart:
Date: 4/8/21 9:18 PM Local Time
Location: Comanche Springs Astronomy Campus near Crowell, TX
Seeing: OK
Transparency: OK
Instrument Used: None
Notes/Description: None
Sketch
Questions
1. Does the selected and sketched pattern resemble any known asterism or official constellation that we use today? If so, which one(s)?
It matches UMa.
2. Did the culture in this section have a similar mythology (e.g. dogs, hunter, boat, etc.)?
It seems that many Native American tribes used this constellation as a Bear.
3. If yes, describe any material differences in either the figure's star pattern as imagined by the culture, and / or the difference in the mythology.
No difference in the stars.
4. Is it likely that this star group, for this culture, may have been influenced by older or adjacent cultures? If so, whom?
Yes. Many Native American cultures had UMa as a bear. I don't think this is a coincidence.
5. If, for this culture, this group was significant for calendar, crop, or social events, describe what was involved, and how the timing or the appearance of the group was important or useful.
This is a circumpolar constellation. In the winter, UMa is low along the horizon, maybe indicating the bear cannot be hunted. In the spring thru fall, it is high overhead indicating that the bear is awake and can be hunted.
