An Aboriginal tribe's knowledge of the stars, and its culture, stories and music will be explored at the University of Colorado at Boulder's Fiske Planetarium Sept. 22-23.
John Stocke, a CU-Boulder professor of astrophysical and planetary sciences, will be joined by Aboriginal elder Bill Yidumduma Harney and Australian storyteller and educator Paul Taylor to present "Aboriginal Skies" at 7:30 p.m. on both days. Harney, an elder of the Wardaman tribe of the Northern Territory in Australia, will share his traditional knowledge of Aboriginal life, land and sky.
The events are sponsored by CU-Boulder's Center for Humanities and the Arts yearlong program "Powers of Wonder."
During the show, Harney, Taylor and Stocke will explore the creation story and assorted rock art and sky constellations of the Wardaman people. Through Harney's personal stories, live music and rock art they will describe the tribe's beliefs about the heavens.
The planetarium's projector will be used to show how the Wardamans view the sky, based on research done with Harney in the Australian outback, according to Stocke. The show also will include a live didgeridoo performance by Taylor.
This is the third Fiske Planetarium show presented by Stocke exploring indigenous people's knowledge of the stars. In years past he also has presented "Navajo Skies" and "Native American Skies," which were live performances that identified the constellations of ancient and indigenous cultures. Both shows were researched and produced at the planetarium.
Taylor lives in the United States and travels the country sharing the music and stories of the Aboriginal people. He also visits Australia every year to learn more about the Wardaman culture by studying with Harney.
Admission to Thursday's show is free for students with a valid ID, $6 for adults and $3.50 for children and seniors. Admission to Friday's show is $6 for adults, $5 for students and $3.50 for children and seniors. Sommers-Bausch Observatory, adjacent to the planetarium, is open to the public following Friday shows, weather permitting. Admission to the observatory is free.
For more information about Fiske Planetarium and the other shows and programs it offers, call (303) 492-5002 or visit the Web site at .