Stories are powerful parts of . They help people understand themselves and others. For years, stories have helped explain events like solar eclipses. With an eclipse in North America on April 8, learn stories from people.
Perry Ground is a storyteller from the Onondaga tribe in New York. “Native Americans, like all other human beings, have witnessed eclipses,” he said. “Native American peoples would make up stories to explain the world around them,” he added. Ground performs a show to tell these stories. It’s called “The Raven Steals the Sun.”
The story of the raven is told across the Americas. The details differ between tribes. The Salish people live in the Pacific Northwest. They tell about a raven disguised like an owl. It steals the Sun, Moon, and stars under water. Then it gives them as a gift for humans. The Tlingit tribe tells this tale too.
Other Indigenous groups tell about an animal eating the Sun. For the Pomo people of California, that’s a bear. In their stories, a bear walks among the stars. He bumps into the Sun. The Sun and the bear argue about who will move. They begin to fight. That causes an eclipse as the bear chomps on the Sun.
Another story comes from the Cherokee people. In this tale, a giant frog hops through the sky. It tries to eat the Sun. So, everyone must scare the frog away. They bang drums, blow whistles, and shout!
The Kwakiutl people in Canada have a similar story. They say a sky creature eating the Sun causes an eclipse. To help the Sun return, the people light a fire. They dance around it. The smoke makes the sky creature sneeze. This brings the Sun back.
The Choctaw people have a squirrel. It’s called “Fvni Lusa.” He is hungry. Fvni Lusa spots the Sun in the sky. He climbs a tree and has a snack. This causes a solar eclipse. The Choctaw people scared him away by making noise. They banged on pots. Some shouted. Soon, the Sun shined again. The tribe cheered. Some Choctaw people use noisemakers to scare Fvni Lusa away!
“Stories are a great way to learn about Native Americans,” explained Ground. “They teach us how Native American people think about the world around them.” And he hopes his stories can teach a lesson.
“Native Americans were closely connected to the world around them,” Ground explained. “They made up the stories to explain it in human terms,” he said. “Even though an eclipse is a event, it’s a human event also.”
“We all have emotions to what’s happening,” added Ground. “Those feelings are okay. A lot of other people probably feel the same things. We can share this experience.”
“We’re not alone as we experience this Great Solar Eclipse.”
Updated April 5, 2024, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Hannah Marcum
