Long ago people entered the sky's mysteries with the help of Storytellers
who enchanted them with myths, legends, and folktales about the
comings and goings of the sun and moon, the stars, the on going
seasons, and more. Built into the storyteller's "explanations" of
how the world worked were values, traditions, beliefs, and tribal
wisdom. The stories invited listeners to create images, thus making
the world's secrets more personal. When early peoples turned to
the Storytellers to learn about the world and how it worked, they
learned something about themselves as well.
Today we turn to scientists to help us enter into these same mysteries,
for today it is the scientists who tell the stories of how the
world works. Their stories, theories, discoveries, and explanations
dispel confusions so that we may better be led more fully into
the mysteries of our Universe.
Often our learning
process begins with “the facts”. We are not engaged and motivated
to want to know about our Universe. We are not encouraged to be
curious. Instead, we are given answers to questions we have not
asked. In the process of being bombarded with seemingly unrelated
facts, we often are led away from the real wonders of our universe
and left with an impoverished view of it.
SkyTellers addresses this issue, and seeks to reveal that science
is not a static, dull body of knowledge to be mastered, but, instead,
is a continuing voyage of discovery motivated by wonder and a playful
curiosity. The old and the new stories work together to excite
the listener about subjects explored in science and the place of
humankind in science endeavors.
SkyTellers has been designed to allow audiences to open their
imaginations. No images accompany the Native American legends specifically
for this purpose. We recommend that program facilitators use only
a simple night sky backdrop or horizon panorama, and not populate
the dome with line drawings or images or animations. Instead, allow
the audience to immerse themselves in the magic of the story, to
listen and develop their own mental images.
January 3, 2007