• Login
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • University of Alaska Fairbanks
    • UAF Graduate School
    • Arctic and Northern Studies
    • View Item
    •   Home
    • University of Alaska Fairbanks
    • UAF Graduate School
    • Arctic and Northern Studies
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    All of Scholarworks@UACommunitiesPublication DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsTypeThis CollectionPublication DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsType

    My Account

    Login

    First Time Submitters, Register Here

    Register

    Statistics

    Display statistics

    Alaska Athabascan stellar astronomy

    • CSV
    • RefMan
    • EndNote
    • BibTex
    • RefWorks
    Thumbnail
    Name:
    Cannon_uaf_0006N_10276.pdf
    Size:
    2.958Mb
    Format:
    PDF
    Download
    Author
    Cannon, Christopher M.
    Chair
    Holton, Gary
    Committee
    Kaplan, Lawrence
    Cole, Terrence
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/11122/4817
    Abstract
    Stellar astronomy is a fundamental component of Alaska Athabascan cultures that facilitates time-reckoning, navigation, weather forecasting, and cosmology. Evidence from the linguistic record suggests that a group of stars corresponding to the Big Dipper is the only widely attested constellation across the Northern Athabascan languages. However, instruction from expert Athabascan consultants shows that the correlation of these names with the Big Dipper is only partial. In Alaska Gwich'in, Ahtna, and Upper Tanana languages the Big Dipper is identified as one part of a much larger circumpolar humanoid constellation that spans more than 133 degrees across the sky. The Big Dipper is identified as a tail, while the other remaining asterisms within the humanoid constellation are named using other body part terms. The concept of a whole-sky humanoid constellation provides a single unifying system for mapping the night sky, and the reliance on body-part metaphors renders the system highly mnemonic. By recognizing one part of the constellation the stargazer is immediately able to identify the remaining parts based on an existing mental map of the human body. The circumpolar position of a whole-sky constellation yields a highly functional system that facilitates both navigation and time-reckoning in the subarctic. Northern Athabascan astronomy is not only much richer than previously described; it also provides evidence for a completely novel and previously undocumented way of conceptualizing the sky--one that is unique to the subarctic and uniquely adapted to northern cultures. The concept of a large humanoid constellation may be widespread across the entire subarctic and have great antiquity. In addition, the use of cognate body part terms describing asterisms within humanoid constellations is similarly found in Navajo, suggesting a common ancestor from which Northern and Southern Athabascan stellar naming strategies derived.
    Description
    Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2014
    Table of Contents
    Chapter 1: Introductory materials -- 1.1. Introduction -- 1.2. Literature review -- 1.2.1 Southern Athabascan sources -- 1.2.2 Alaska Athabascan sources -- 1.2.3 Canadian Athabascan sources -- 1.2.4 Alaska Athabascan dictionaries -- 1.2.5 Unpublished materials -- 1.3 Methodology -- 1.4 The Athabascan language family -- Chapter 2: The Athabascan starscape: Whole-sky constellations -- 2.1 Gwich'in Yahdii -- 2.2 Upper Tanana Yihdaa and Neek'e'eltiin -- 2.3 Ahtna Nek'e Neghaltaexi and Nek'eltaeni -- 2.4 Dena'ina Naq'eltani and Yuq'eltaeni -- 2.5 Koyukon Naagheltaale -- 2.6 Tanacross Neek'e'elteen -- 2.7 Fragmentary evidence from the other Alaska Athabascan languages -- 2.8 Chapter two conclusion -- Chapter 3: Linguistic evidence for a pan-Athabascan strategy for mapping the sky -- 3.1 Two widely attested Athabascan forms for the Big Dipper -- 3.1.1 Category A: Yahdii and cognates thereof -- 3.1.2 Category B: Big Dipper terms that share common verb stems and prefix morphenes -- 3.1.3 Category C: Other Big Dipper terms -- 3.3 Body part asterisms -- 3.4 Chapter three conclusion -- Chapter 4: The function and utility of Alaska Athabascan stellar astronomy -- 4.1 Stellar time-reckoning -- 4.1.1 A Tripartite stellar time-reckoning system -- 4.1.2 The Big Dipper and whole-sky constellations in time-reckoning -- 4.1.3 The morning stars in time-reckoning -- 4.1.4 The Sun in time-reckoning -- 4.2 Stellar orientation -- 4.2.1 Stellar orientation: A basic strategy -- 4.2.3 Stellar orientation: A complex strategy -- 4.3 Weather signs Interpreted from the stars -- 4.4 Stars in cosmology and religion -- 4.4.1 The creation or placement of the stars -- 4.4.2 Taboos, protocols, and other stellar beliefs -- 4.4.3 Humanoid constellations in Athabascan belief systems -- 4.5 Chapter four conclusion -- Conclusion -- References -- Appendices.
    Date
    2014-12
    Type
    Thesis
    Collections
    Arctic and Northern Studies

    entitlement

     
    ABOUT US|HELP|BROWSE|ADVANCED SEARCH

    The University of Alaska Fairbanks is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and educational institution and is a part of the University of Alaska system.

    ©UAF 2013 - 2023 | Questions? ua-scholarworks@alaska.edu | Last modified: September 25, 2019

    Open Repository is a service operated by 
    Atmire NV
     

    Export search results

    The export option will allow you to export the current search results of the entered query to a file. Different formats are available for download. To export the items, click on the button corresponding with the preferred download format.

    By default, clicking on the export buttons will result in a download of the allowed maximum amount of items.

    To select a subset of the search results, click "Selective Export" button and make a selection of the items you want to export. The amount of items that can be exported at once is similarly restricted as the full export.

    After making a selection, click one of the export format buttons. The amount of items that will be exported is indicated in the bubble next to export format.