Article: Mask of Black God: the Pleiades in Navajo cosmology.

One Navajo legend attributes the creation of the primary stars and constellations to Black God. Today, a famous star cluster--the Pleiades--often appears on the traditional mask worn by chanters impersonating Black God during special ceremonies. In this case study, students learn about the Pleiades in Navajo cosmology while honing their observational and star map skills.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The case

The Pleiades star cluster is easy to recognize. It is composed of several hundred young stars that are over 400 light years away. Only the brightest stars are easily visible to the unaided eye, appearing as a compact set of six jewels in the ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!