Star Stories & Sky Teachings: Indigenous Constellations Over Turtle Island

On Thursday, March 27th, I headed to the Lockhart Planetarium at the University of Manitoba. The event, ‘Storytelling of the Stars’, led by Rockford McKay and Dr. Phil Ferguson, immediately brought to mind Wilfred Buck’s ‘Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories’, which I read last year.

​The evening was filled with connection and recognition—some stories familiar, some new, and many deepened by hearing them aloud beneath a simulated night sky. Just as I’ve gradually learned the names and positions of many IAU-standardized constellations, I’m now doing the same with Indigenous constellations. Repetition, each retelling, roots the stories deeper within.

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Turtle Island & Makinak: A Living Calendar

In many Indigenous traditions, North America is Turtle Island, where the turtle is more than symbolic. The constellation Cepheus represents Makinak—the turtle whose shell is a living calendar: thirteen plates for thirteen full moons, twenty-eight edge divisions for twenty-eight days between moons. Long before our modern calendar, the sky and turtle shell tracked time together. Many will recognize Cepheus as a house due to its brightest stars, but to Indigenous storytellers, Makinak’s shell tells a deeper tale of cosmic rhythm.

‘Edwin Bighetty. Makinak: Cepheus’ from ‘Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories’

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Atima Atchakosuk: The Dog Stars & Mista Muskwa: The Great Bear

​‘Edwin Bighetty. Ahtimah Atchakosuk: Polaris & Little Dipper’ from ‘Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories’

The Big and Little Dippers share a corner of the sky and intertwined stories. At the event, we explored Atima Atchakosuk—the Dog Stars. Long ago, humans had no protectors, vulnerable to nightly dangers. Mikun (Wolf) sent two pups to guard us, and later Mischachakanis (Coyote) and Makisew (Fox) followed, sending more dogs. These dogs became our early warning system. The Little Dipper represents their leash, with Polaris as the tether—forever circling the celestial camp, alert and guarding. 

Images from ‘Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories’

But danger also lurked above. Mista Muskwa—the Great Bear (Big Dipper)—embodies greed and imbalance. The bear demanded constant gifts, becoming violent if refused. Eventually, seven birds--Tepakoop Pinesisuk—were sent to restore harmony. They chased the bear until he fled to the sky, where the chase continues each autumn, the constellation “running" along the horizon. It’s a story of imbalance, of consequences, and of community coming together to restore harmony.

​‘Edwin Bighetty. Mista Muskwa: Big Dipper’ from ‘Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories’

These stories weave together, offering layered perspectives. The dogs are our guardians, while the bear reminds us of the dangers of greed—and the power of collective action. The event summarized these narratives; the book deepened them with details.

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​Achakos Ininewuk: The Star People

One of the most memorable teachings I heard that night and one that I recall often when looking up at the night sky is that we are Star People. Carl Sagan’s words, “we are made of star-stuff”, echoed in Indigenous wisdom. At creation, Misewa (everything that is) received a spark--Achak—from the Creator, animating all things. Thus, stones (Assiniuk) are alive, animate with spirit. Death becomes transformation, not termination.

Our ancestors arrived via Achakos Iskwew (Star Woman), who descended through a hole in the sky marked by the Pleiades--Pakone Kisik—and chose to come to Aski (Earth). I look up at them now not just as a glittering cluster, but as a portal. A reminder of the indigenous arrival story.

​‘Edwin Bighetty. Atchakos Ahkoop: Pleiades’ from ‘Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories’

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Kiwtin: The Going Home Star

Polaris—the North Star—is called Kiwtin, the Going Home Star. Fixed in the sky, it guides those lost or returning home. The two bowl stars in the Big Dipper (Great Bear’s hind legs) consistently point toward it, an ancient navigational aid. Kiwtin is a  foundational reference point for navigating the night sky.

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Orion & The Sweat Lodge: Matootisan

Orion, known to many as the Hunter, carries another powerful Indigenous story. Orion is Mistapew, a giant spirit-being resembling a Sasquatch or Sa’be, embodying strength and honesty—one of the Seven Sacred Teachings. In ‘Tipiskawi Kisik’, the tale unfolds through Tikoom, whose seven uncles disappeared during a hunting trip, captured by a giant trading in spirits. Their spirits were placed in seven stones, foundational to the first sweat lodge--Matootisan. Each stone holds a sacred teaching, a fragment of spirit, and a tale passed down generations.

​‘Edwin Bighetty. Mistapew: Orion’ from ‘Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories’

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Guided by the Seven Teachings

Throughout the evening the Seven Sacred Teachings emerged repeatedly:

• Respect
• Truth
• Wisdom
• Honesty
• Courage
• Love
• Humility

These teachings are reflected in the stories—whether it’s the loyalty of the dogs, the danger of unchecked ego in the bear, or the wisdom of using the stars as a compass.

I had first encountered these teachings while walking the Bimose Kinoomagewnan (Walk of Teachings) trail in Pukaskwa National Park. Seeing them mirrored in the sky makes them feel even more eternal. As above, so below.

Seven Sacred Teachings: Respect, Truth, Wisdom, Honesty, Courage, Love & Humility
​Photos taken by me in July 2022

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Final Reflections

​From ‘Storytelling of the Stars’ and revisiting ‘Tipiskawi Kisik’, I’m reminded that astronomy transcends charts and data. It is ancestral, emotional, and spiritual.

​Constellations are not mere configurations of light. They are maps of memory. Guardians of wisdom. Bridges between worlds. 

​And as we lift our eyes to the sky, we are reminded:

​We are not separate from the stars.

​We are made of them.

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Sources:

• Wilfred Buck, ‘Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories’
• Rockford McKay & Dr. Phil Ferguson, ‘Storytelling of the Stars’ presentation, Lockhart Planetarium, March 27, 2025.

Note: These stories are shared as I heard, read, and remembered them. Your understanding or stories might differ, or my interpretations might not fully match your own. I welcome corrections, perspectives, or stories via email or comments below.