In 2009, we celebrate the International Year of Astronomy (IYA), recognizing the 400^th anniversary of Galileo’s turning a telescope to the heavens.  Since that time, in Western culture, the enterprise of studying the heavens has been driven by the observation and mathematical modeling of strictly physical phenomena.  The enterprise has been fruitful, leading us to contemplate the Big Bang, nucleosynthesis, and extrasolar planets.  But it has also deprived us of much of the connection between our human selves and the heavens.  Indigenous cultures have not suffered such a divorce.  Where traditional knowledge is preserved, we invariably find a deep understanding of how life on Earth, the skies above, and the spirits that make us human are all intimate parts of an organic whole.  Let us use the IYA as an occasion to call for a unification of that wholeness with our new knowledge of the cosmos.

Dr. Philip Sakimoto is an astrophysicist currently engaged in developing community-based science outreach and diversity initiatives for the University of Notre Dame.  He came to Notre Dame in January 2005 from NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC, where he served as program manager for NASA’s Space Science education and public outreach initiatives.   He serves on the Board of Directors of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the International Advisory Council of the Indigenous Education Institute, and is a member of the Native American Science Academy.   Dr. Sakimoto holds a B.A. in physics from Pomona College, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of California, Los Angeles.