Aacimotaatiiyankwi

This year, a total solar eclipse will be making its way across North America on April 8th. This particular event is getting a lot of attention because the path of totality covers a large number of high population areas. If you are able to observe this eclipse, please do so safely!

While they are not always visible if you stay in the same place, several solar eclipses occur every year across the world. It is likely that our ancestors observed multiple solar eclipses throughout their lives.

The vast record of our language across hundreds of years helps us understand the ways our ancestors talked about and thought about eclipses. One key phrase that shows up commonly when looking for eclipse related vocabulary is waahsee-kiilhswa neepiki ‘the sun is dead.’ This phrase parallels the ways Myaamiaki talk about the phase of the Moon. At the end of a lunar month, one says tipehki kiilhswa neepiki ‘the moon is dead.’ However, with both the lunar cycle and eclipses, Myaamiaki understand that the waahsee-kiilhswa and tipehki kiilhswa will be “reborn.” Neither of these celestial events were viewed as cataclysmic endings, but rather powerful moments of transition. Historically, Myaamiaki would mark the powerful moment of waahsee-kiilhswa neepiki by going outside, shooting into the sky – with their bows and guns –  all the while letting loose with loud exclamations and cries. The response to an eclipse has a parallel with one way that the community responded to the birth of human children. During a difficult birth, male relatives would quietly gather a short distance away from the birthing lodge and then rush towards the lodge making loud cries and then shake the lodge with their hands. This was done in order to encourage the woman giving birth to successfully bring their child into the world.

We look forward to learning more about waahsee-kiilhswa neepiki and kiišikwi ‘the sky’ more broadly with Dr. Tim McCoy at our April Aatotantaawi event. We encourage Myaamia community members to join our Aatotantaawi mailing list for information on our upcoming events.