Indigenous Skies

Grade level: 6-12
Length: 6 minutes
NGSS Connections: Understandings about the Nature of Science

Video Synopsis 
Indigenous people have studied the skies for millennium. Learn why their knowledge is still relevant today and how it can inform modern astronomy.

Developed in 2020 between the National Park Service, Yurok Tribe, and Humboldt State University, these Traditional ecological knowledge lessons include a New to TEK: Teacher’s Guide and a series of activities, informational readings, and interviews that introduce students to different ways that people acquire knowledge, with a focus on Yurok culture and the tribe’s connection to local wildlife.

As you get more comfortable explicitly teaching about the nature of science, consider engaging in small group or whole class discussions comparing, contrasting, and reflecting on the perceived differences between Western science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge.

Select 8-10 bullet points from the grade-appropriate column on pg. 5-6 of NGSS Appendix H, Understandings about the Nature of Science.

If students were to place each on a Venn Diagram, which understandings might belong solely to Western Science? To Traditional Ecological Knowledge? Which might be common to both?

This video was produced for the One Sky Project, an international collaboration focused on increasing understanding about cultural and indigenous astronomy, its historical and modern applications, and how our One Sky connects us all.

From ideas, to scripts, to films — The One Sky Project developed seven short films through a highly collaborative process that involved an international team of astronomers, planetarium professionals, educators, and cultural experts.