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Panel 21. Indigenous Knowledge/Saberes Indígenas
OP 055. Cosmology of indigenous peoples

Convenor: Mare Kõiva (Estonian Literature Museum) - Estonia, Andres Kuperjanov (SAA Tartu Old Observatory/Estonian Literary Museum) Languages accepted for paper presentations: English Comissão/Comission: No.

Cosmology of indigenous people The aim of the panel is to get researchers in the field of cultural astronomy, anthropology, ethnology, folklore, and mythology together in order to exchange ideas and experience concerning the perspectives of humanity on the essence of the universe in different eras as well as, whenever required, to verify the reference points underlying research in the field of astral beliefs and myths. Fashion trends and the approaches based on them, which have exerted a significant effect on the humanities in recent decades, have brought forward unique concepts of cosmology, relations between humans and non-humans, and other phenomena intrinsic to the indigenous people of South America. At the same time, it is also well-known that among the peoples of Northern and Southern Eurasia as well as among the indigenous people of Australia some extraordinary myths, beliefs, and information about ethnocosmology were also recorded. The unprecedented accumulation of digital data allows the similarities and differences of the course of development on the basis of a much larger amount of material than ever before to be brought forward. Transnational data corpora, such as Juri Berezkin’s database of global astral myths and the cartography/archaeology of myths of all ages, are just a few examples. At the same time, there is little information about many ethnic cultures, which the panel could help to add up by answering the following questions: Which methods of sky observation are used? Are they used for determining the time or the way, or while planning important festivities? Which fragments of the skyscape are still in use? What are the ethnic myths about the origins of the sky, the sun, and constellations? Possible name origins? Sky narratives? What is the position of popular/ethnic astronomy in the era of urbanisation? What is the knowledge of cultures with a small number of language users that has still not been reflected?