The artifact, known as the Pawnee map, was made on a piece of tanned elk hide measuring 38 by 56 centimeters and is covered with images of small stars. According to amateur astronomer Ralph Buckstaff, the map could have served as a star chart. He suggested that the left side depicted winter constellations of the Northern Hemisphere, the right side showed summer constellations, and the network of stars might symbolize the Milky Way.
However, other researchers are skeptical of its direct astronomical function. Astronomer Von Del Chamberlain proposed that the map was likely a conceptual tool for rituals and mythological narratives connected to the Skidi Pawnee “star cult.” Anthropologist Douglas Parks supports this view, noting that the map may have been used by priests to retell myths about the origin of the world.
The Pawnee map was first studied by Ralph Buckstaff, who published a paper based on an artifact found by anthropologist James Murie in 1902. Murie sent the artifact to the Field Museum in Chicago, where its age was estimated to be around 300 years old.
The map’s purpose remains contentious, but it is of particular interest to anthropologists and astronomers as a unique example of how Native Americans in North America attempted to depict celestial objects. By comparison, the world’s oldest known star chart was created in ancient China about 2,300 years ago, making the Pawnee map relatively young but unique to its region.
The ongoing study of the Pawnee map continues to fuel debate about the knowledge, culture, and astronomical beliefs of North America’s indigenous peoples.
