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Summer 2010 • Volume 3, Issue 1 www.cosmicserpent.org

Welcome from the co-pi

The Cosmic SerpentThe Cosmic Serpent

Ya’at’eeh! Greeting and welcome to the third issue of the Cosmic Serpent Newsletter! As we enter our third year of our Cosmic Serpent NSF grant, we are proud to report our successes and our on-going plans, and activities.

We have just completed our 2nd southwest workshop on April 26-29, 2010 in Taos, New Mexico and with amazing interaction and positive feedback from participants and Cosmic Serpent fellows. We provided more time with emphasis on networking and thus provided more time on interaction of participants and fellows. We are now working on the 2nd Northwest Cosmic Serpent workshop, tentatively scheduled for September 20-23, 2010 in Fairbanks, Alaska, The 2nd California Cosmic Serpent workshop will be at an ideal place somewhere in California. We are currently looking at different places and related items and options in terms of costs, accessibility, environment, facility, to name a few. We will keep our Cosmic Serpent fellows informed of all our initiatives and decisions related to the Northwest and California workshops. Our final culminating Cosmic Serpent workshop will be in the spring of 2011, tentatively envisioned around April. The location of the culminating

workshop has yet to be determined. We will be making some cost effective decisions regarding the location so all participants and fellows can hopefully participate. These preliminary decisions are due to our budget constraints and limitations. We owe an immense debt of gratitude to those who have their contributed time, support and resources, to the Cosmic Serpent mission and vision so far. We continue to get excellent and profound recommendations from our Cosmic Serpent fellows to enrich our workshop activities, some of which are future sustainable initiatives. We have considered them and incorporated most recommendations to meet the needs and wishes of our Cosmic Serpent fellows. The Cosmic Serpent project is a professional development program, focused on deepening awareness and understanding of Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science. Several fellows have gone beyond the envisioned Cosmic Serpent broad goals and they are now engaged with their peers in networking and developing collaborative plans to improve their museum and science center programs to meet a diverse audience. I personally believe Cosmic Serpent holds many promises and the project has provided the space for respectful dialogue and education.

We highly commend those who have taken the leadership to effectively network and engage in partnership opportunities on a long term basis to improve their educational deliveries, taking into account what they learned from the Cosmic Serpent workshop. It is clear that laudable efforts for diverse inclusion can be challenging and takes time. It has been our experience collaborating with integrity takes time and patience. David Begay, Ph.D.

Bridging Native Ways of Knowing and Western Science in Museum settingsBridging Native Ways of Knowing and Western Science in Museum settings

~ California Workshop~ Southwest Workshop~ Featured Participant

~ Building our Community

In This Issue

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California

Workshop

The first full California Workshop was held in Barona, CA from February 8 to 12, 2010. We had over 50 participants representing a range of institutions from major science centers such as the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, through large collection based museums such as the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, San Diego Natural History Museum, to ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai’i, California Science Center, Exploratorium, and California Academy of Sciences. We had representation from medium and smaller tribal and community museums such as the Pyramid Lake Museum, Barona Culture Center and Museum, Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, and the Museum at Warm Springs. We were graciously hosted by the Barona Culture Center and Museum and had many of our meetings at the museum. We also had meetings at the Barona Ranch Hotel and at various museums at Balboa Park in San Diego. The first day began with a lunch served outside on the Lakeside Terrace. It was a time of greeting and reunions of tribal people and science educators from around California, interspersed with new friends from Hawaii and Oregon. The workshop was opened by a greeting from Barona Tribal Vice-Chairman, Charles “Beaver” Curo. The greeting was followed by traditional Bird Songs from Paul Cuero, Jr. and Steve Banegas. It was a rare treat to hear these traditional songs sung on Barona homelands. A session on the Cosmic Serpent archetype around the world, with large slides projected of serpent icons from diverse civilizations followed. In almost every case, for millennia, people have held the cosmic serpent, rainbow serpent, dragon, plumed serpent, in awe and have sensed relationships among cosmic reptiles and huge earth movements including tsunamis, earthquakes, mudslides, rain, pure water, as well as celestial movements in the skies. There was time devoted to

introductions, largely by region, as the group was too large for a whole group introduction. We had dinner on the Lake Terrace and enjoyed the darkening skies and emerging stars. After dinner we had a presentation by Rose Von Thater-Braan, who spoke on the process of learning with a focus on Indigenous learning and western science. The second day we had an informal armchair discussion on the differences and similarities of western and native science. This was particularly informative for participants who were new to this subject. The informal discussion was led by scientists Laura Peticolas and Phil Sakimoto, and Indigenous scientists David Begay and Nancy Maryboy. A lively group discussion followed the presentation. Dennis Martinez (from the Indigenous Peoples’ Resource Network) gave a talk on “Fire, Grass, Chaparral in Prehistoric Southwestern California.” This gave specific examples of Indigenous management by fire, of Southwestern California lands. We could walk outside and see the grasses and chaparral which Dennis had described, which gave us a sense of place-based science.

After lunch we continued with the fire theme, with a panel discussion on “Fire Ecology and Land Management Affecting Communities and Museums” with local specialists including Barona Museum Director Cheryl Hinton, Mike Connley and Richard Bugbee. We had three break-out sessions: ~ Pohaku and Meteorites Hands-On by Gary Fujihara (University of Hawai’i Institute for Astronomy). Here we got to handle meteorites and learn through an interactive discussion.

Dennis Martinez

Martha Rodriguez

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~ Maya Math Hands-On by Isabel Hawkins (Exploratorium) and Maria Olivia Diaz (Maya). ~ Rabbit Stick Making, Bow-n-arrow, Basketry by Stan and Martha Rodriguez (local Indigenous culture specialists).

In the evening we had an optional gathering that brought together Hawaiian and California tribal navigators. On the third day we met at the Barona Cultural Center and Museum . We began with a panel that included Cheryl Hinton and Ka’iu Kimura (‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai’i) who discussed “Science and Native Ways of Knowing in Museums.” This panel was followed by much participant discussion. During lunch everyone was able to go on a guided tour of the museum. After lunch Shelly Valdez (Laguna Pueblo, Evaluator from Native Pathways) and Eric Jones (Evaluator from Institute for Learning Innovations) gave a talk on collaborative evaluation for museum settings.During the afternoon there were several optional activities which were very well attended. Renowned Chickasaw naturalist and Writer-in-Residence, Linda Hogan hosted a discussion with readings from her books. There was also a presentation on “Living Astronomy – A Multi-Cultural Approach: Native Hawaiian and Navajo Ways of Knowing the Sky and Astronomical Science. This presentation was led by Kalepa Baybayan (Native Hawaiian Navigator from ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai’i), David Begay, (Navajo from Indigenous Education Institute), Nancy Maryboy (Cherokee/Navajo from Indigenous Education Institute) and Phil Sakimoto (Astrophysicist from University of Notre Dame). This presentation was done twice, once at Barona and once at the Fleet Center in Balboa Park. The presentation featured a Portable Planetarium, courtesy of Sky Scan. Digitized skies from Hawai’i and Navajoland were shown and discussed. Interestingly enough, the dome had last been used at the White

House, where President Obama and his family had been intrigued by the star show. On Thursday we went by bus to Balboa Park. We listened to Paige Simpson and James Stone talk about Balboa Park Cultural Partnerships and Natural History Museum exhibits. We had lunch and visited museums on our own for several hours. Participants enjoyed visits to the Natural History Museum, The Fleet Science Center, the Imax films, the Museum of Man, and many other museums in this large complex. There was a discussion at the Fleet Science Center centered around “Thoughts on Museum Visits in the Context of Cosmic Serpent which was lively and

well attended. This was followed by a panel on Hawaiian, Navajo and Western Astronomy, led by David Begay, Nancy Maryboy, Kalepa Baybayan and Phil Sakimoto. This panel centered around the protocols of Indigenous astronomy as practiced by Indigenous astronomers, and the fruitful experiences of collaboration of the presenters, based on honoring the integrity of both western science and native ways of knowing. We had a dinner at Prado Restaurant, both inside and on the balcony. By this time the participant were well acquainted and much informal

Linda Hogan

Paul Coleman

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networking occurred. There were two break-out sessions at the Fleet Science Center after dinner. Living Astronomy – A Multi-Cultural Approach (the same session that was given earlier at Barona)Processing Knowledge in a Science Center Context: hands-on experience with discussion, led by Cristina Trecha (Fleet Science Center)Friday morning, the last day of the workshop, opened with the sight of a barefooted Native Hawaiian Astrophysicist (Paul Coleman, University of Hawai’i Institute for Astronomy), clad in shorts, tee shirt and standing on a chair giving a dynamic talk entitled “Science and Kuana’ike ‘Oiwi (Native Perspective). Paul’s talk broke down many barriers and misconceptions, turning around the way people thought about the relationship between western science and native ways of knowing. This was accomplished with a great deal of humor and laughter, which is always a great way to learn and to connect people. We had a presentation on the myriad of resources available to the participants. At this point the participants had earned the title of “Cosmic Serpent Fellows.” It has been our experience that our Fellows identify themselves with pride and gather together to celebrate Cosmic Serpent at many professional regional and national conferences. Small group discussions followed with participants at 8 tables in various locations discussing how to build collaborative partnerships. This subject, of course, is seminal to the sustainability of

Cosmic Serpent. After lunch we heard from Deanna Dartt-Newton (Chumash from Burke Museum) who spoke on her doctoral research and dissertation. Her subject was “A Survey of Native American Representation in Central Coast Museums: Dominant vs Alternative Narratives.” Lively discussion followed this presentation.Our final session was held in groups of regional circles

in which participants discussed “Where do Cosmic Serpent Fellows Go From Here?” The circles covered South of LA region, LA and South of San Francisco region, and San Francisco and North region. Many prospective partnerships and networks have originated from these discussions. Our final closing was led by Larry Banegas from the Barona Tribe. It included a give-way of gifts to the many people who had made the workshop so successful. By the end of the workshop we felt that we had indeed made great progress in hosting a workshop that felt intimate and allowed for much participation on the part of the Cosmic Serpent Fellows. This was a

great leap forward. After our first Pilot Workshop with 15 participants we wondered how we would retain the sense of relationship and intimacy with the addition of more participants. With the Californian workshop we were working with about 65 people and the sense of sharing and relationship was strong. Many thanks go to our masterful evaluators and their suggestions, which the Nancy Maryboy, Dennis Martinez, and David Begay

Kaimana Barcarse and Lisa Watt

Lisa Watt and Renee Frappier

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leadership team appreciated and followed. Over the last two years, I have had the honor to be a member of the project’s leadership team, providing insight into the science center and museum field. In my role as Equity & Diversity Director at the Association

of Science-Technology Centers, Inc. (ASTC), I work to gather resources on inclusive and culturally relevant approaches in science centers; provide technical assistance and support to member institutions; and document best practices in our field. While I am part of a number of national projects that seek to improve the inclusiveness and relevance of science centers, I am convinced that the experiences provided by Cosmic Serpent offer the best opportunities for significant movement and change for both science centers and tribal museums. Cosmic Serpent brings together people from institutions that seem (and often are) worlds apart to find ways to tackle an issue that is only now being acknowledged by the mainstream – how to recognize and represent both indigenous ways of knowing and Western science paradigms. That we are exploring this issue in the context of museum work, is important. Museums are places of stories, in addition to collections of things. By deeply examining the narratives of Fellows’ respective institutions through immersive experiences and times for reflection the Cosmic Serpent experience opens doors to new relationships and practices, and helps participants shift their institutional narratives to accommodate both Western and indigenous worldviews. The beauty of bringing together educators from tribal museums and science centers is that everyone has

something to share, and something to learn. Cosmic Serpent Fellows from tribal museums share the holistic approach to knowledge acquisition; deep lessons about the connections between humans and the environment; and the importance of story as a means of preserving and communicating knowledge. Fellows from science centers and science-rich museums bring expertise in inquiry-based education methods; development of hands-on science exhibits and programs; and connecting to mainstream science resources. In addition, Fellows bring their own individual experiences and expertise to each workshop. This rich combination has resulted in an inordinately rich learning environment from which many rich relationships and exciting new projects have grown. So, where does Einstein come in? For me, this quote somehow expresses what I see as the promise of the Cosmic Serpent project. It speaks to both the Cosmic Serpent leadership team and Fellows’ commitment to inspiring the general public to seek a deep understanding of our world. It challenges us with the notion that one cannot achieve full comprehension or mastery of a subject when looking from only one perspective. Finally, Einstein’s words dare us to measure the extent of our expertise by the clarity and quality of our narratives. As Comic Serpent Fellows continue to bravely explore and reflect on these themes, the small shifts they have already made will continue to affect the voices of their institutions. I greatly look forward to hearing those new stories.

The Promise of the

Cosmic Serpent Project

“You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.” – Albert Einstein

Maria Avila Vera and Isabel Hawkins

Laura Huerta-Migus

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Southwest

Follow-Up Workshop

Cosmic Serpent hosted a 3 ½ day workshop in Northern New Mexico at Taos from April 26 to 29, 2010. This was a follow up workshop to our first full workshop that was held in Santa Fe, NM. Our location was the lovely El Monte Sagrado hotel located in the heart of old Taos. The workshop was a reunion for many of our Cosmic Serpent Fellows from the southwest states: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. The workshop was focused on museum personnel and included several new participants from local museums. The workshop was opened by a traditional song by Pat McCabe, Navajo singer, artist, and Taos resident. The Cosmic Serpent leadership team was introduced and gave an overview of the workshop and logistics. The day was devoted to Connections and Reconnections. We continued with short introductions around the room and more in-depth introductions at the round tables. Laura Huerta-Migus, our partner from ASTC, gave an opening talk entitled “Awareness of Diversity in Science Centers,” emphasizing the importance of building diversity in science centers, museums of natural history and technology centers. After a short break, Pam Woodis, our partner from the National Museum of the American Indian, introduced our keynote speaker, Karen Fort, Senior Exhibition Coordinator and Deputy to the Assistant Director of the NMAI Exhibition Unit. Karen spoke of the decisions made when the museum was first opened and how they impacted the exhibits. She discussed the decision-making process within the museum and how new exhibits were selected and developed. After a buffet lunch, we listened to our second keynote speaker, Jessie Ryker-Crawford, Director of Museum Studies at the Institute of American Indian Studies in Santa Fe. Jessie spoke of issues involving the curation of Indigenous objects. She illustrated her talk with slides of unique items and discussed traditional

practices in cultural object conservation. The remainder of the first afternoon was spent examining the properties and uses of clay, hands on and up close. Dr. Kathryn Klein , Director of the Alfonso Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies, at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology gave us an introduction to the center and a look at their current pottery exhibit. Co-curator Clarence Cruz, a renowned potter from San Juan Pueblo and faculty at the Poeh Center, UNM and Santa Fe Community College, gave us a fascinating look at his pottery-making techniques. He passed around his own local clay and urged the participants to get a feel for it. Many small sculptures created by the participants began to fill up a table in the back of the room. Clarence advised participants who had not completed their work to give the clay back to the land at the end of the day. He spoke of the living properties of the clay and the respect it held among Pueblo people. As he spoke he was making a large and beautiful pot, explaining the process as he went. At the

end of his fascinating presentation, he destroyed the pot, returning it to its original clay ball. Dr. Jesus Martinez, a chemist and Analyst for Sandia National Laboratories, followed up with a presentation on the chemistry of clay. This was a most interesting way to learn the actions of molecules and how they bonded in the various stages of pottery-making. Jesus is well known for

his presentations involving story and song to reinforce the scientific learning. The juxtaposition of Indigenous and scientific presentations gave Cosmic Serpent Fellows creative ideas of how they could develop programs at their own institutions, illustrating diverse ways of knowing and how each worldview enriched the understanding and significance of and object or process. After dinner we held an Armchair Dialogue

Taos Pubelo

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The Cosmic Serpent project is a personal and professional

development experience for informal educators that seeks to

increase participants capacity to enrich their practice by

exploring the mutually beneficial relationship between

indigenous knowledge and western science paradigms.

in the comfortable Library. This was an informal discussion of Western Science and Indigenous Ways of Knowing, which was aimed at the new participants. However the room soon filled up with

many of the educators, partners and Cosmic Serpent Fellows and turned into a lively discussion that lasted several hours. This was remarkable as it followed an intense day of presentations and was optional. Drs. David Begay, Nancy Maryboy and Isabel Hawkins led the informal discussions. New participants from the Utah Museum of Natural History and the Las Cruces Museum asked searching questions that led to dynamic discussions and set the stage for the remainder of the workshop. The second day was a Day of Sharing. We began with presentation by our new partners from the Imiloa Astronomy Center, Hilo, Hawai’i. Kalepa Baybayon, a Lead Navigator from the Hawaiian community and Aolani Ka’ilihou, a grant writer and linguist from the University of Hawaii, Hilo, gave an illustrated talk on the Philosophy and Exhibits of a Native Hawaiian/Astronomy Center, showing how the two ways of knowing could powerfully co-exist in a major institution. Dr. Isabel Hawkins, from the Exploratorium and Laura Huerta-Migus from ASTC lead a Showcase of Collaborations with posters and informal

presentations from participants. This gave us an interesting glimpse of what our Cosmic Serpent Fellows were doing to promote the teachings of the Cosmic Serpent project. The workshop continued with break-out sessions. These were so popular that the group decided to have them one after another, so everyone could attend each session. Joyce Begay-Foss, Director of Education at the Musuem of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, gave a most interesting hands-on presentation on Navajo rug weaving and how to create the traditional plant-based dyes. She interspersed her comments with opportunities for participants to view and handle churro wool and weaving implements. She explained the science that could enrich the understanding of the traditional practices in a wonderful and most interactive session. Later she brought in traditional blue mush, made from non-sweet corn, and explained how the addition of juniper ash made it a nutritious and healthy meal. Participants were able to eat the mush during the presentation. Kirby Gchachu, one of the IEI Advisory Council members, and a faculty member and Program Coordinator at SIPI (Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute) , gave a most interesting presentation on The Golden Mean in Pueblo Architecture – “Sustaining Cultural Integrity by Assessing Artifacts and Cultural

Kirby Gchachu

Joyce Begay-Foss

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this was going to be a waste of time but I think it is one of the most fun and most important parts of the workshop.” The interactions that developed as the workshop continued, built on an emerging sense of community. Participants were given a subject for a possible museum exhibit and urged to join a table that would plan an exhibit that would focus on the selected subject and how to address it in terms of diverse audiences. Lively discussion ensued and the diversity of museum personnel at each table (including directors, educators, exhibit builders, and public outreach personnel) contributed to well rounded and relevant exhibit plans. Each table reported back to the entire group on subjects such as moccasins, ecology, baskets, trees, and astronomy. The reports were fascinating and the possibilities for cross-cultural collaboration seemed endless. The addition of the new Cosmic Serpent Fellows from different areas of the SW and in particular the addition of the new, young, enthusiastic exhibit builders from several natural history museums, added a knowledgeable and creative aspect to the workshop. The rest of the afternoon the participants visited Taos Pueblo, marveling at the centuries old multi-storied buildings and visiting with inhabitants and artists. The last day was focused on Future Collaborations. We continued group discussions at the small round tables, followed by reports of collaborations that were already being formed and programs and exhibits that were in the planning stages. There was concern on how these would be funded, given the realities of today’s economy, but there was tremendous enthusiasm to continue the collaborations and provide relevant public audience experiences in the museums.

Evidence of My Ancestors (A:Shiwi) of Chaco Canyon.” Kalepa Baybayon gave another very interesting presentation on Hawaiian navigation. In the evening Kalepa led a star-gazing activity, pointing out significant stars that were used as part of the Native Hawaiian navigation starlines. Drs. Nancy Maryboy and David Begay pointed out several of the Navajo constellations. The evening presentation was ended when large fast-moving clouds obscured many of the stars. The third day was devoted to an exploration of ways of learning with application to exhibit building. Dr. Lynn Morgan, a specialist in educational psychology led a workshop with the assistance of Pam Woodis and Laura Huerta-Migus. This was an interactive workshop on “Applying Diverse Ways of Knowing to Museum Exhibits,” and how to reach and provide relevance to diverse audiences. Drs. Nancy Maryboy and David Begay gave an overview of how this kind of learning process could dissolve some of the boundaries between scientific and Indigenous knowing, and how it could be useful in ones’ own institution. Dr. Isabel Hawkins and Ruth Paglierani assisted in the process as it unfolded. Participants took a test on Multiple Intelligences and compared results at their round tables. There was some surprise on the part of the participants at their own learning styles and some comments on how valuable this kind of knowledge was. Comments like the following , were heard around the room: “I thought

Small Group Breakout Sessions, Taos NM

Margie Connolly and Joyce Begay-Foss

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The last part of the morning was devoted to evaluation. Dr. Shelly Valdez led a series of exercises designed to collect data and provide evaluation of the workshop. All of us were sorry to see the SW workshop come to a close. The time we spent together was like a retreat and people had many opportunities to come together and talk in various areas. The outside firepit was particularly appealing to many participants and educators, as a place to gather after dinner and share stories. The entire workshop was developed in response to the evaluations gathered after the first full SW workshop, and included many presentations focused on real issues in real museums, as well as multiple opportunities to talk, network and plan. Things that seemed abstract during the first workshop, began to come into reality. We were pleased and delighted that so many institutions were beginning to implement Cosmic Serpent practices and values, building collaborations within their communities and including diversity and relevance in their best practices.

The Cosmic Serpent program will serve practitioners at 96 science centers/museums and tribal/cultural museums in the U.S. Southwest, California, and Northwest through three full workshops, three follow-up workshops, continu-ing communication, regional networks, with a culminating conference. Participants will gain awareness of diverse cosmologies and epistemologies and thus an increased understanding of the nature and cultural roots of science (Western, Native, or otherwise). Newsletter designed and edited by Ashley C. Teren.

The Water Resources Education Center, a 16,000 square foot Nature/Science/Community Center in Vancouver, Washington along the Columbia River, opened in spring of 1996, just as the floods waters from the ’96 flood receded. Annually, over 8000 students and about 25,000 other visitors participate in a program, festival, family activity or wander

Featured

Participant

Cory Samia

around the 4000 square feet of exhibit space. Many programs include activities in the Backyard Wildlife Garden or in the 50 acres of Columbia River wetlands managed by the Water Center staff. Not surprisingly, the Water Center’s focus is on anything related to the wise use of water: urban utilities, like drinking water, waste water and storm water, wetlands and

wildlife, the Columbia River watershed and local water issues. Staff educators can relate just about anything to water, which of course everything is! Classroom programs and the Watershed Monitoring Network (where students monitor a stream or lake near their schools) focus on honing inquiry skills and growing an environmental ethic. The Water Center has a cadre of volunteers and an intern program who help to deliver programs. Annual events include: Sturgeon Festival: A Celebration of Columbia River Ecosystems, Critter Count (citizen monitoring of amphibians and reptiles), Get Outdoors Day, World Water Day, Second Saturday-changing monthly family activities, Watershed Congress (student monitors present to the community), the Columbia

River Watershed Festival (4th grade program) and a summer teacher workshop. Many partners participate with the Water Center in reaching the community. The Water Center celebrates American Indian Heritage Month in November and partners with US Fish and Wildlife who manage the Chinook Plankhouse reproduction at the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge and with local Chinook tribal members and the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission.For more information, contact Cory Samia at 360 487 7112.Cory Samia

~ Northwest Follow-Up Workshop:

Fairbanks, Alaska September 20 - 23, 2010

~ California Follow-Up Workshop: Jan/Feb 2011

~ Culminating Conference: Spring 2011

Upcoming Workshops