Thanks to Solomon Ratt for his original image, and collection of names of planets (below), that includes additional heavenly bodies.
Here’s a bit of planet imagery to go along with them, in a stanza from Roberta Hill Whiteman’s poem, “The Powwow Crowd,” in Cicadas: New & Selected Poems:
Planets also powwow. Earth and Moon,
one in blue fringe, the other, yellow, kick-step
with a clever wobble. Jupiter struts
among his moons while Venus
jingles round in solar wind
| English name | Cree Name | Syllabics | (translation) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | tâstapîwatâhk | ᑖᐢᑕᐲᐘᑖᕽ | fast star |
| Venus | wâpanatâhk | ᐚᐸᓇᑖᕽ | morning star |
| Earth | askiy | ᐊᐢᑭᐩ | |
| Mars | mihkwatâhk | ᒥᐦᑿᑖᕽ | red star |
| Jupiter | masinâsowatâhk | ᒪᓯᓈᓱᐘᑖᕽ | marked/coloured star |
| Saturn | wâwiyêyêkinatâhk | ᐚᐏᔦᔦᑭᓇᑖᕽ | wrap around star |
| Uranus | sîpîwatâhk | ᓰᐲᐘᑖᕽ | river star |
| Neptune | yîkwaskwanatâhk | ᔩᑿᐢᑿᓇᑖᕽ | cloudy star |
| Gemini | amisk-acâhk | ᐊᒥᐢᑲᒑᕽ | beaver star |
| North Star | acâhkos êkâ kâ-âhcît | ᐊᒑᐦᑯᐢ ᐁᑳ ᑳ ᐋᐦᒌᐟ | star that does not move |
| Big Dipper | ocêk-atâhk | ᐅᒉᑲᑖᕽ | fisher star |
| Comet | acâhkos kâ-osôsit | ᐊᒑᐦᑯᐢ ᑳ ᐅᓲᓯᐟ | star with a tail |
| Evening Star | otâkwanacâhkos | ᐅᑖᑿᓇᒑᐦᑯᐢ | |
| Moon | tipiskâw-pîsim | ᑎᐱᐢᑳᐤ ᐲᓯᒼ | |
| Sun | pîsim | ᐲᓯᒼ |
We’re still looking for the best term for “universe.” Solomon Ratt suggests misiwêskamik – all over, all over the world; misiwêkîsikohk.
Find additional astronomy terms under the subject heading “Indigenous Knowledge (Science)“
