A Pawnee brave named Petalesharow in classic headdress. He was painted by Charles B. King.
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Corel Photography

The Skidi Band of the Pawnee Tribe

The sky and the stars mattered a lot to the Skidi Band of the Pawnee tribe. They thought the stars were gods who acted in the lives of humans. The gods had a certain ranking:
  • 1st - The Red Morning Star Warrior (probably Mars) and the Evening Star (probably Venus)
  • 2nd - The four gods who supported the heavens - they were at NW, NE, SW, SE
  • 3rd - The Sun, the Moon, and then the gods of the four cardinal directions (N, E, S, W)

The Skidi Band decided when to hold certain events by looking at where the stars were in the sky. In fact, the Pawnee drew star charts a long time ago.

The Pawnee people watched the sky and the stars a lot because their mythology and their social and religious practices depended on it.

Last modified September 9, 2000 by Jennifer Bergman.

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