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Engraving depicting the
Leonids meteor shower, which was associated with the comet
Tempel-Tuttle, as seen over Niagara Falls in 1833. Dated 19th
century. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty
Images)
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Ancient people have watched the sky since the beginning of time
and many cultures established myths and legends associated with
the celestial bodies they observe in the night sky. Still, our understanding
of meteors was rather primitive when the 1833 Leonid Meteor Storm
occurred in North America. This unusually bright and plentiful meteor
shower left most of the people in the United States -- from white
European settlers to African slaves, to Native Americans
quaking in fear, certain that they were experiencing the end of
time. Only one Native American tribe, the Pawnees, not only predicted
the meteor shower, but they celebrated it.The Pawnee Legend Foretold
of the 1833 Leonid Storm
One Pawnee folktale tells of a warrior named Pahokatawa, who was
killed by his enemies who then fed his remains to wild animals.
The gods took him into the sky and restored his life. Pahokatawa
fell back to Earth in a meteorite. He told his village that whenever
they saw meteors, it was a happy omen that meant the gods were pleased
with them.
So accomplished were the Pawnee star watchers, that they tribe
knew when annual meteor showers would occur, and even planned special
ceremonies to coincide with them. They may have even known that
the 1833 Leonid Meteor Storm would be a spectacular one. The Pawnee
chief told their people remember the words of Pahokatawa.
While the world around them was panicking about the 1833 Leonid
Storm, the Pawnees remained calm. They observed the event and recorded
in it their star observations as the Year the Stars Fell.
The Leonid Meteor Shower happens annually, in
mid-November.
The shower of falling stars is created by space debris
from the Tempel-Tuttle comet that strikes the Earths atmosphere.
But every 33 years, the Leonids storm
the comets orbit
takes it closer to Earth and, therefore, spawns many more meteors.
1833 fell on that 33-year cycle when the meteor shower stormed.
While many cultures observed the annual meteor shower and could
predict its arrival from year to year, the Pawnee Indians of the
American Plains were one of the only groups of people that knew
about the 33-year cycle of the comet. Using their Star Charts, the
Pawnee, dubbed the Star Watchers, knew the 1833 Leonids would be
special and they awaited their arrival.
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Ruling His Son - Patriarchal
chief of the Pawnees and former U. S. Army Indian scout
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The 1833 Leonid Storm was Legendary
The 1833 Leonid Meteor Storm was awesome and frightening. Clear
skies across much of the country on November 11 meant that most
people had a great view of the light display in the night sky. Hundreds
of thousands of meteors could be seen every hour! As amazing as
this must have been, it also struck fear into the hearts of the
people. There was panic in the streets. People crowded into the
churches to pray. Mothers clung to their children. Most truly thought
the sky was falling and that the end of days was upon them.
Newspaper reports of the time, accompanied by drawings or woodcarvings,
all reported on the apocalyptic event. Most people assumed that
the fireballs in the sky were reaching the Earth, probably nearby,
and incinerating everything in its path. In reality, the meteors
burned up in the atmosphere.
The Pawnees Were the Star Watchers of the Plains
Native to Oklahoma and surrounding areas, the Pawnee people had
plenty of wide open space from which to observe the sky. They believed
that their ancestors were born in the stars and nearly all of their
gods and myths centered around the stars, including their creationist
myth. Tirawa, the principal god of the Pawnee mythology, controlled
the movement of the stars and created the Path of the Departed Spirits,
which we call the Milky Way. The Red Morning Star and the Evening
Star were especially important.
They created star charts, often on buckskin, that documented the
placement of the stars and even arranged the structures in their
villages to align with the stars. The stars were vital to the Pawnee
way of life and served at their way of marking the passing of time.
They looked to the stars to tell them when to plant and harvest
their crops and when to host significant ceremonies and rituals.
Their detailed observations of the stars helped them create a star
calendar that was surprisingly sophisticated and accurate. Their
star charts recorded not only the movement of stars but showed that
the Pawnee astronomers were knowledgeable about comets, meteorites,
and five of the planets in the solar system.
Oddly missing from the Pawnee star charts are observations about
the moon and the sun. While most cultures place some importance
on the phases of the moon and the movement of the sun, the Pawnees
were more focused on the stars.
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Old woodcuts depicting
the 1833 Leonid meteor storm.
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The Pawnee Legend Foretold of
the 1833 Leonid Storm
One Pawnee folktale tells of a warrior named Pahokatawa, who was
killed by his enemies who then fed his remains to wild animals.
The gods took him into the sky and restored his life. Pahokatawa
fell back to Earth in a meteorite. He told his village that whenever
they saw meteors, it was a happy omen that meant the gods were pleased
with them.
So accomplished were the Pawnee star watchers, that they tribe
knew when annual meteor showers would occur, and even planned special
ceremonies to coincide with them. They may have even known that
the 1833 Leonid Meteor Storm would be a spectacular one. The Pawnee
chief told their people remember the words of Pahokatawa.
While the world around them was panicking about the 1833 Leonid
Storm, the Pawnees remained calm. They observed the event and recorded
in it their star observations as the Year the Stars Fell.
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