The Legend of Ursa Major and the Runnaway Slaves: Among all the stars of the heavens, there is none so well known as this seven-starred figure. This constellation is probably the most easily recognizable star pattern in the entire sky. Almost every culture around the world throughout the ages had stories about the seven stars that we call the ‘Big Dipper’. Today, in North America, it is universally known as the ‘Big Dipper’ because the major stars can be seen to follow the rough outline of a large ladle or dipper. This figure actually comes from Africa, where it was sometimes seen as a drinking gourd. In the 19th century, (pre-Civil War era) runaway slaves used the celestial ‘Drinking Gourd’ to point the way to the north and freedom. The conductors of the Underground Railroad would teach a folk song called “Follow the Drinkin Gourd” as a guide for the fugitive slaves to follow in the spring when they would attempt escape. Several Native American legends exist concerning the stars of Ursa Major as a bear. One of my favorites is from the Iroquois. The Bear is represented by the four stars of the bowl in the Big Dipper. Bear is being hunted by three warriors named after birds, Robin, Chickadee, and Cowbird, as represented by the stars of the handle of the Big Dipper. Chickadee (star Mizor) carries a Pan, (the tiny star Alcor), in which he is planning to cook the meat of Bear. These three stars are sometimes referred to as ‘the hunters who are always hunting’. As Bear awakens from hibernation in the early spring, she leaves her Den in search of food. The Den is represented by the circle of stars in Corona Borealis. The Hunters spot her fresh tracks in the snow and begin the pursuit. Bear is stalked by the Hunters throughout the spring and summer, slowly following her up thru the sky country and back down the other side. In late autumn, the Hunters finally catch up to Bear near the bottom of the sky country, close to the Earth. Bear rises up on her hind legs to fight the Hunters, but Robin takes careful aim and shoots her with an arrow and Bear falls over dead on her back. Blood from Bear’s wound sprinkles down on the forests of the land below and stains the leaves red. This is why tree’s leaves change color in the fall. Some of the blood stains Robin’s chest, and this is why these birds have red breast today. Bear is cut up and cooked during the winter to feed the tribe, with Bear’s skeleton remaining in the sky low on the horizon, lying on its back. But, her spirit has already entered another Bear hibernating in her Den in Corona Borealis. In the spring, she re-awakens and leaves her den. Once again the hunt begins anew, repeating each year for all eternity.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 17:30:01 +0000
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