Stars of the first people Native American star myths and constellations

In an excellent and unique book, Miller provides information that is simply not available in such concise form elsewhere. Although many titles on the market describe how ancient Mediterraneans saw the stars and the myths they told of the firmament, Americans don't live under Mediterranean skies. So Miller gathers, from hundreds of often obscure or esoteric sources, the constellation maps and related myths of Native Americans. Stargazers will learn such things, hitherto probably unknown to most of them, as that the Ojibway saw the Pleiades as a hole in the sky and the Milky Way as the path of both migrating birds and souls departing the earth, and that the same constellations were seen as running women and ashes, respectively, by the Pima. A real feat of methodical scholarship, the book is clearly organized by geographical region, well written, and extremely comprehensive. --Patricia Monaghan

Wouldn't it be nice to have a book that located the stars in the night sky and also explained what other cultures thought their origin might be? Miller, an Outward Bound instructor and writer, has collected oral histories from various tribes throughout North America. This collection surveys celestial myths relating to creation, coming of age, hunting, and tricksters, and it conveys the values, rituals, and everyday life of Native American culture. A brief introduction to the constellations from the Ancient Greek perspective is included, along with star maps showing major features. North American Native American culture areas are broken down into major tribes, with entries varying in length. The book should complement earlier works on the stars or on North American Indians. Recommended for public and academic collections.‘L. Kriz, West Des Moines Lib., Ia. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.