Guests sit inside the Star Dome at Gateway Mall, taking in the sights and sounds before a session is about to begin. (Barry Shingoose/Submitted)

By Logan Lehmann

Lessons among the stars

Indigenous storyteller provides unique way of learning about Cree, Anishinaabe cultures through astronomy

Jan 21, 2024 | 8:00 AM

An Indigenous storyteller set up at the Gateway Mall this weekend is providing the residents of Prince Albert the chance to learn about the Cree and Anishinaabe cultures through astronomy.

Barry Shingoose was the one teaching and telling stories at the and took some time to explain to paNOW why he does what he does.

“My goal is to revitalize culture through storytelling,” he said. “For me, the big objective is to battle the doctrine of discovery. How our indigenous peoples – specifically the Cree and Anishinaabe people weren’t discovered, we already had this star knowledge (of the outside world) so a lot of this knowledge is being lost. Traveling around and telling these stories that I’ve been taught is me taking that initiative to revitalize our ways of knowing with regards to indigenous astronomy.”

Shingoose uses a Star Dome to help teach his lessons and tell stories, which is an inflatable planetarium dome that uses a state-of-the-art computer projection system to simulate a realistic sense of motion as if the viewer is actually flying through space.

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By using the Star Dome, Shingoose said it not only enhances the viewers’ experience but also helps the viewer learn and better understand what’s being shown.

“There’s a 3D optical lens in there that allows me to go into different constellations,” he said. “We also have about 30 different cultures programmed within the Dome so we’re able to observe different cultures around the world and how they viewed their sky [back then]. It’s a great teaching tool, it’s an engaging tool, it’s an interactive tool for all ages.”

A look at the dome from the outside. (Prince Albert Science Centre/Facebook)

As for some of the lessons he’s teaching this weekend, he said there’s something for everyone.

“I start off by giving the background of myself and the Milky Way, then I delve into how our people [saw] the night sky with regards to navigational tools or navigational stars. I also touch on constellations and how to find them, creation stories and how our people came to be here, as well as our ceremonial practices too.”

The Dome was set up for guests at the Prince Albert Science Centre on Saturday and will be set up again on Sunday with shows beginning at 12:15 p.m. Each show is about 45 minutes long with four shows on the schedule and the last one starting at 3:00 p.m.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com