A Multi-Site Ethnoastronomical Investigation of African Stellar Navigators and Their Communities

Holbrook, Charmian, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

NSF has extended its support of the research project "African Stellar Navigators and Their Communities" for a third year of study. It is a study of one of Africa's astronomy traditions - the tradition of using the stars for navigation. Africa today and in antiquity has been the site of several forms of astronomy including artistic representations, stone circle calendars, and astrology. Stellar navigation was chosen as the focus of study after Dr. Holbrook completed a preliminary field site investigation of Tunisia, North Africa. That investigation revealed that the fishermen living on the Kerkennah Islands use stellar navigation to reach their fisheries at night. The goals of the project include videotaping the fishermen using stellar navigation. The resulting video footage will be included in a planetarium show featuring stellar navigators and the physics, mathematics, and astronomy behind their techniques. Other goals include continuing to study the various aspects of the interaction between stellar navigation and introduced technologies, to learn more about the navigators and their communities, to film stellar navigation in action, and continue to publish articles of the findings in Tunisia and at the other two fieldsites in Fiji and the United States. The extra year of funding is important for making a return trip to Tunisia and completing research in the Annapolis archives.