Exploring Indigenous Perspectives in Astronomy Resources
Written on
In an effort to assist astronomers and educators in incorporating Indigenous astronomy into their teaching, I have compiled this resource list. This compilation emphasizes Indigenous viewpoints, particularly those from communities whose ancestral lands have been affected by colonization in Canada, reflecting the political discussions surrounding these experiences. I am personally invested in this topic as an Indigenous individual in Canada, and academically engaged as I create course materials focused on Indigenous astronomy for a Canadian audience. This initiative aligns with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's recommendations to integrate Indigenous knowledge into educational frameworks.
This document is part of a broader effort to establish a body of Indigenist astronomy content that honors Indigenous cultures and knowledge systems while fostering equity for Indigenous people within academic settings. It will continue to evolve as I incorporate new materials and references into my learning journey. Feedback and suggestions from others are welcomed.
Updates to this list will occur periodically.
- Decolonizing Astronomy Reading List by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein [Link](https://readmedium.com/decolonising-science-reading-list-339fb773d51f)
- Tuck, E. & Yang, K.W. (2012). “Decolonization is not a metaphor” in Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, Vol 1, No 1, pp 1–40 [Link](https://decolonization.org/index.php/des/article/view/18630)
- Decolonizing Education: Nourishing the Learning Spirit by Marie Battiste
- Research is Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods by Shawn Willson
- The Structure of Scientific Revolutions: 50th Anniversary Edition by Thomas S. Kuhn
- The Tyranny of Science by Paul K. Feyerabend
- Teaching Each Other: Nehinuw Concepts and Indigenous Pedagogies by Linda M. Goulet & Keith N. Goulet
- Native Science: Natural Laws of Interdependence by Gregory Cajete
- Protecting Indigenous Knowledge and Heritage: A Global Challenge by Marie Battiste & James (Sa’Ke’j) Youngblood Henderson
- Indigenous Methodologies: Characteristics, Conversations, & Contexts by Margaret Kovach
- The Sleepwalkers: A History of Man’s Changing Vision of the Universe by Arthur Koestler
- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples by Linda Tuhiwai Smith
- Savage Anxieties: The Invention of Western Civilization by Robert A. Williams Jr.
- The Truth About Stories by Thomas King
- Science, Colonialism and Indigenous Peoples: The Cultural Politics of Law and Knowledge by Laurelyn Whitt
- Never Pure: Historical Studies of Science as if It was Produced by People with Bodies, Situated in Time, Space, Culture by Steven Shapin
- Indigenous Storywork: Education the Heart, Mind, Body, and Spirit by Jo-Ann Archibald
- Place in Research: Theory, Methodology, and Methods by Eve Tuck & Marcia McKenzie
- Against Method by Paul Feyerabend
- Centering Anishinaabeg Studies: Understanding the World Through Stories by Jill Doerfler & Heidi Kiiwetinepinesiik Stark
- The Dream of the Earth by Thomas Berry
- The White Possessive: Property, Power and Indigenous Sovereignty by Aileen Moreton-Robinson
- Critical Indigenous Studies: Engagements in First World Locations by Aileen Moreton-Robinson
- Who Owns Native Culture? by Michael F. Brown
- Aboriginal Education: Fulfilling the Promise edited by Marlene Bran Castellano, Lynne Davis & Louise Lahache
- Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen by Liliuokalani
- Red Pedagogy: Native American Social and Political Thought by Sandy Grande
- The Equity Myth: Racialization and Indigeneity in Canadian Universities by Frances Henry and Enakshi Dua
- Bridging Cultures: Indigenous and Scientific Ways of Knowing Nature by Glen Aikenhead and Herman Michell
- Enhancing School Science with Indigenous Knowledge: What We Know from Teachers and Research by Glen Aikenhead
For articles on the principle of Two-Eyed Seeing, visit: [Integrative Science Articles](http://www.integrativescience.ca/Articles/)
- Atchakosuk: Ininewuk Stories of the Stars by Wilfred Buck (Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre) [PDF Link](http://www.mfnerc.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/008_Buck.pdf)
- Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters [Watch Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IYpP_pTF08)
- D(L)akota Star Map Constellation Guide: An Introduction to D(L)akota Star Knowledge by Annette S. Lee, Jim Rock & Charlene O’Rourke
- Ojibwe Sky Star Map — Constellation Guide: An Introduction to Ojibwe Star Knowledge by Annette S. Lee, William Wilson, Jeffrey Tibbetts & Carl Gawboy
- Sharing the Skies: Navajo Astronomy by Nancy C. Maryboy & David Gegay
- Talking Sky: Ojibwe Constellations as a Reflection of Life on the Land by Carl Gawboy
- Glooscap Legends by Stanley Spicer
- Old Father, Story Teller by Pablita Velarde
- Muin aqq Luikned Tesijik Mtuksunuk / Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters by Lillian Marshall, Murdena Marshall, Prune Harris and Cheryl Bartlett
- The Great Canoes in the Sky: Starlore and Astronomy of the South Pacific by Stephen Robert Chadwick & Martin Paviour-Smith
- Lakota Star Knowledge: Studies in Lakota Stellar Theology by Ronald Goodman & Alan Seeger
- Astronavigation: A Method for Determining Exact Position by the Stars by K.A. Zischka in Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy edited by C.L.N. Ruggles [Link](https://www.springer.com/us/book/9781461461401)
- Napi: The Trickster by Hugh Dempsey and Pauline Dempsey