The sun, low in the sky, cast a cool shadow over the class while its last few rays lit the rustling, yellow-green leaves of the trees on the perimeter of the courtyard. Our class listened intently as Hopi man and self proclaimed edu-tainer Ed Kabotie wove one story into the next, his passion for the topic visible in his eyebrows. His speech crescendoed, hands telling the story, while the guitar hung from his neck swung gently from side to side.
Ed quickly became one of my favorite speakers on the trip. He was a fantastic story teller, songwriter, and visual artist. His passion for art and education was inspirational. He put strong emotion into his stories that encouraged us, as listeners, to feel the words he spoke and internalize the ideas. Telling stories from the past as well as from his own experience, Ed was very knowledgeable about the land, its history, and how important the four corners area is to the indigenous people that live there.
The next morning, we woke up and got ready in a hotel, packed up the vans, and drove up through the desert onto the Colorado Plateau. The sun was low in the sky when we arrived at camp, dropped our trailer and camping gear, and headed off to the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ. The observatory is perfectly placed in the high desert of Flagstaff. The arid conditions make it ideal for stargazing and clear views through the telescope. Percival Lowell dedicated his life to the study of Mars, and would document it in great detail, sketching everything he could see. Lowell’s dedication kept him up all night doing research, making observations, and taking notes and pictures of what he found. He would track the rotation of the Earth and Uranus. His observations eventually aided in the discovery of Pluto at the Lowell Observatory in 1930.
I’ve been a lover of astronomy ever since a 6th grade science unit taught me some constellations. I love the vastness and mystery of space. At the observatory I was struck by the amount of time people dedicated to tracking and documenting the cycles of the moon, stars, and planets. Why are people so drawn to observe and record these patterns in such detail?
The night grew darker as we were shown the many different telescopes in the observatory, each with their own story and importance. We saw the telescope Percival Lowell used and the chair he sat in all of those nights. We were informed the only other people who have been allowed to sit in that chair are Carl Sagan and Neil Degrasse Tyson. Then it was our turn. Looking through telescopes, our class was shown Jupiter, Saturn, and the Andromeda galaxy, along with pictures taken in real time of galactic cannibalism. (Yes, galactic cannibalism is a real astronomy term and quickly became one of the group’s favorite band name ideas.) These gorgeous images were captivating and awe inspiring. Humbling.
To look up to, and revere, the heavens is a very human trait. But why? What do we get out of this other than an aesthetically pleasing experience? There must be another driving force that is fulfilled by the awareness of the Earth’s place in the universe. Pondering this the next day back at the campsite, I looked back through my journal of the few days prior. I ran across some notes that spurred a momentary flashback from our meeting with Ed Kabotie.
Ed played a final song and let the last chord reverberate to a natural stop. He took the guitar from around his neck and set it on the table before he suddenly grew still, face muscles relaxed as a thought developed behind his eyes. Looking down for a moment, he paused before returning his gaze to the eyes of us in the crowd and, speaking some of the wisest words I can remember, said: “Be conscious about the cycle of the sun and the moon. Make it part of your awareness in this world.” As many generations of Colorado Plateau residents have known for centuries, “We need that, our spirit needs that.”
Wisdom is held in the sky as we look up into the night. Our ancestors understood the positive impact these celestial bodies had on our lives, loves, and our place in the world. Now, with overwhelming information about the, as Carl Sagan would say, “billions and billions” of stars within billions and billions of galaxies, we still feel that impact as we gaze into the night.
To learn more about Ed Kabotie:
https://www.facebook.com/edkabotie
https://theflagstaffartistsgallery.com/ed-kabotie/2vm2967crjfyb28564yg4x0w91ewm2
Lowell Observatory:
https://lowell.edu