Ronald Goodman (1932–2001)

This is a fascinating introduction to the world of Lakota astronomy and spirituality.

A Facebook comment prompted me to read this book. The commenter mentioned that astronomical evidence indicated the Lakota had lived in the Black Hills of South Dakota for thousands of years. A search for confirmation led me to this book, and I am glad it did!

Every culture has its own constellations and interpretations of the night sky; most of us in the West have learned the Greek and Roman constellations. This book lays out the findings of researchers at Sinte Gleska University about the star knowledge of another culture: the Lakota. Their "stellar theology," as presented here, is gleaned from interviews with dozens of elders listed at the end of the book.

It seems to be a collection of papers that were not necessarily written as a single book, but this is never explained.

I get the impression that this is only a sliver of the true knowledge and theology the native inhabitants of this land had. It leaves me wanting to know more.… (mere)