Research Summary: Cayla Cummings

The following information is a summary of original research conducted by EONS historical research intern Cayla Cummings. Over the course of six months (August 2021 - February 2022), Cayla applied her empirical research expertise as a historian to successfully identify and fulfill the appropriate measures, trajectory, and goals of this initiative. The sources, historical content, terminology guides, and images on this page and the rest of the EONS pertaining to Abya Yala are the results of her research.

Getting Started with EONS

"Same species, same earth, different stories. Like Creation stories everywhere, cosmologies are a source of identity and orientation to the world. They tell us who we are. We are inevitably shaped by them no matter how distant they may be from our consciousness." - Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

During the first week of my internship, I was assigned to read a book by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer called Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. I've always felt as though my sensitivity to other cultures and ontologies was fairly unbiased, sometimes more so than the average person. I knew that my empathy and shared experiences with other minorities in this country would allow me to perform this internship with a specific passion that could truly highlight these cultures and populations with the appropriate respect and understanding they deserve. But when I finished reading Braiding Sweetgrass (actually from the very first chapter), I was blown away by the beauty and love that Kimmerer described of her Potowatomi ancestral traditions of recognizing the personhood in nature and animals. This assignment of animacy to natural lifeforms that most people in traditionally hegemonic societies would deem as "unalive" or "unworthy of mutual consideration beyond utility" moved me in a way that I didn't anticipate, and inspired me to approach my EONS research I performed with thoughtfulness and gratitude for our universe that many people unconsciously take for granted or don't even consider at all. 

My initial work in my internship consisted of familiarizing myself with scientific jargon and understanding current issues and topics regarding the ethics of astronomy as a science. Also, studying literature like Braiding Sweetgrass, which explains the emphasis on symbiotic reciprocity with nature and the universe found in various indigenous cultural astronomies, helped me form a solid foundation for understanding the cultural context and history of cultural cosmologies outside of Europe and the United States. Additional pieces of relevant literature that have helped shaped my understanding of the danger of hegemonic bias and the lasting effects of racialized colonialism on astronomy and its practices are “A Place for Stories: Nature, History and Narrative” by William Cronon, and “Imaginative Cosmos: The Colonial Heritage of Radio Astronomy and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence” by Rebecca Charbonneau, EONS' historian-in-residence. 

Thus far, my investigative research in the lack of knowledge of cultural astronomies outside of Western/European origin had led me to identify some of these historically excluded groups, and research their historical/cultural relationship to the stars. The first cultural civilizations that I chose to research as a prototype for our project are the Aztecs, Maya, and the Olmec. I had successfully found relatively unknown primary sources, cross-referenced them with secondary sources that I had previously examined, and identified asterisms with cultural significance in the Mexica Aztec civilization that had been lost to the Spanish Conquest in the 16th century.  For example, the ancient Greek astronomer Ptolemy identified a particular group of stars that are centered in the Milky Way galaxy as Scorpius; this constellation, situated between Libra and Sagittarius, is named after the scorpion who was assigned by the Greek goddess Artemis to slay the mythological hunter Orion (who is the namesake of the eponymous constellation Orion). However, the Mesoamerican civilization of the Aztecs, more specifically the Mexica cultural group, viewed this asterism as a rattlesnake. An animal with sacred significance in Mexica mythology and culture, the rattlesnake represented the thirteenth month in the Aztec calendrical system. Additionally, the constellation known as Gemini, also named by Ptolemy, is viewed as a frog in Aztec astronomy and symbolized the fifth month in the Aztec calendar.

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I was also successful in establishing professional relationships with astronomers in multiple countries with whom I plan to collaborate on further research related to EONS; some of these relationships I had established by networking and conducting oral histories. I had also researched the history of the International Astronomical Union’s bias for Greco-Roman constellations/cultural history. The history of this bias corroborates the issues of cultural bias based on white supremacy in astronomy, and only through the combined efforts of academic professionals in both astronomy and the humanities can this bias be critically examined and eventually dismantled. In November, I presented my preliminary research on Latin American cosmology to the Center for Astrophysics’ “Equity & Inclusion Journal Club”, in which I facilitated discussion on what methods and collaborations between historians and astronomers can be most effective for the decolonization of astronomy as a science. 

I have truly enjoyed the time I had spent working on EONS these past few months, and it has been extremely influential on my professional development as a historian, and my understanding and appreciation of other cultural traditions. I have always loved learning about different cultural histories, especially those that have been historically excluded and underrepresented in the fields of history and science. I'm truly appreciative of the opportunities the EONS internship has afforded me on both a personal and professional level and the insight and experience I have attained performing interdisciplinary work studying the historical and cultural traditions in astronomy. I plan to continue to utilize all my skills, knowledge, and experience as a historian to objectively dismantle the legacies of colonialism and racism present in society, and educate both academic and general audiences on the history and ramifications of imperialism that affects modern society on a multitude of levels. Working as a historical research intern in the field of astronomy has influenced my awareness of cultural ontologies outside of hegemonic Eurocentric societal and cultural standards, and I hope to continue to contribute to the efforts being made to empower BIPOC in academic fields of study such as history and astronomy.

Additional Resources by Cayla Cummings

Analysis of Susan Milbrath's “Eclipse Imagery in Mexica Sculpture of Central Mexico” 

“The connection between Mexica mythology, such as the birth of Huitzilopochtli and lunar eclipses, creates a multilayered and historically relevant understanding of how civilizations such as the Mexica interpreted astronomical events, and related said events to their cultural heritage and traditions. The historical exclusion of astronomical cultures outside of Europe and the United States is just one reprehensible effect of the extensive legacy of imperialism and colonialism in the sciences. A lack of representation of different cultures in astronomy robs both scholars and the general public of great opportunities to understand, challenge, and redefine traditional Western approaches to science. Not only is the exclusion of diverse perspectives of astronomy such as the Mexica a detriment to the study itself, but it also disregards multiple groups of marginalized communities who have meaningful ancestral connections to astronomy and cosmology, thereby continuing and upholding modern traditions of imperialism and racism.”

EONS Preliminary Annotated Bibliography 

A preliminary bibliography of relevant sources for the current research of Mesoamerican cosmologies; the spreadsheet below this bibliography contains further documentation on some of these sources, where they can be located, and their public accessibility or restriction.

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