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Among Indigenous peoples of the Americas, from Navajo Nation down to the rainforests of Brazil, events like the annular eclipse on Saturday have important and distinctive cultural meanings.
But there’s at least one place where people can’t venture to watch: the sprawling desert lands of Navajo Nation, whose tribal parks in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah might have made a beautiful backdrop for the public to view a celestial “ring of fire.” On Sept. 15, Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation announced that all parks would be closed during the eclipse to accommodate traditional beliefs.
The experience differed in Navajo Nation. Schools closed, employees were granted administrative leave, and people were encouraged to maintain “stillness in their homes, and not partake of food and water,” according to a memo from tribal leaders. “My ancestors kept it close to their hearts because they wanted to keep their identity intact while going through hard times,” Crank added. Those include the cultural repression of Native Americans — who were not granted U.S. citizenship until 1924 — through religious boarding schools, as well as more modern systemic injustices.
On the weekend of the eclipse, ambassadors will be stationed through the region to remind people to follow this advice. Bears Ears Partnership has also curated a webpage for visitors to learn about Indigenous sensitivities before their arrival. One notable tip is to add a warning when sharing photos or videos of the eclipse on social media — or to avoid doing so altogether — to respect those who abstain from viewing the event.
The event, which will be streamed on the Exploratorium’s website, will explore the science behind the eclipse, couched “within the cultural protocols and perspectives of the place,” said Isabel Hawkins, an astrophysicist at the Exploratorium. They and other Indigenous peoples in Mexico and Central America have historically had an adverse view of eclipses.
Many places in the Yucatán Peninsula this week, nonetheless, are preparing for a more festive experience.
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