Title: Dark Cloud Constellations, Celestial Rivers and Cosmic Serpents: Andean and Amazonian Views of the Cosmos
Speaker: Michelle Wibbelsman (OSU)
Abstract:
In this talk, Dr. Wibbelsman explores Andean and Amazonian views of the cosmos as expressed in Indigenous art, myths, ritual, performance, cosmologies and day-to-day practices. Unlike traditional Western observations of bright star-to-star constellations, since pre-Columbian times, Inka and other Andean and Amazonian cultures set their sights on patches of interstellar dust known as “dark cloud” constellations. Ethnoastronomists have long studied the remarkable connections between dark cloud animal constellations and Andean and Amazonian ritual and agricultural calendars, corroborating the deeply entwined relation between earthly and celestial realities that Indigenous communities insist on. The talk leads us through analyses of contemporary Indigenous meaning making practices, aesthetics and performance traditions that provide insights into enduring notions of these microcosm-macrocosm interactions and inform a deeper understanding of Andean and Amazonian world views, epistemologies and ontologies in connection to the night sky.