Asteroids named
in Luiseno language
By EDWARD
SIFUENTES
Condensed by
Native Village
Palomar Mountain,
California: By giving three
asteroids American Indian names,
tribal leaders and astronomers
at Palomar
Observatory hope to spark new
interest in an ancient
culture.
The three asteroids
were discovered with
a 200-inch telescope atop Palomar
Mountain. They were named after figures in
the Luiseno tribe's story of
creation: Tukmit, Tomaiyowit and
Kwiila.
"As we try to
teach our culture to our kids, this
is very significant to us," said
Chris Devers from the Pauma Band of
Mission Indians. The Luisenos are
the original inhabitants of Palomar
Mountain and of Pauma Valley, where
their reservation is today.
The
Pauma believed
that Tukmit, or Father Sky, was made
from nothingness. Then Tukmit and Tomaiyowit,
the Earth Mother, bore the
first people.
Kwiila, or black oak, was one of the
first people in their creation
story, he said.
Photographs of the three asteroids
with their names will go on display
at the observatory.
Devers hopes the naming of
the three asteroids will help
people, including the tribe's
children, become interested in
learning about Luiseno culture and
astronomy.
The Luiseno people were named after
the Mission of San Luis Rey by the
Spanish, the first Europeans who
settled in the area. The name
includes the Rincon, La Jolla, Pauma
and Pechanga bands. They lived in
the San Luis Rey River area for thousands of years before the
Spanish arrived.
The three asteroids were discovered
by the observatory's telescope
operator, Jean Mueller. Mueller was interested in Luiseno culture and
thought it would be appropriate to
name the asteroids in that language.
She approached Pauma's
tribal leaders with the idea, and
they agreed.
"I wanted to recognize their history
in a tangible fashion, and naming
the asteroids for them seemed like a
fitting thing to do," Mueller said.
Asteroids are small celestial bodies
that orbit the sun, much like
planets.
They help scientists learn how the
planets were formed and what they
are made of.
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2009/04/07/news/sandiego/z3d9edafaaee4d8a888257591008214a6.txt
