Banquet Speaker – Wilfred Buck

We are very pleased to have Mr. Wilfred Buck as this year’s banquet speaker: Achakosuk (The Stars) This presentation will focus on the Ininew (Cree) perspective of Kisic Aski (Sky World). Thirteen Ininew constellations and mythologies will be identified and discussed as well as touching on the sun, moon and some of the planets. The listener will get a glimpse of the night sky from a totally different perspective than the main stream Roman & Greek mythology.

Biography
Wilfred Buck is a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, currently employed with the MFNERC as a Science Facilitator. He obtained his B.Ed. & Post Bacc. from the University of Manitoba.

As an educator Wilfred has had the opportunity and good fortune to travel to South and Central America as well as Europe and met, shared and listened to Indigenous people from all over the world.

He is a husband, father of four, son, uncle, brother, nephew, story-teller, mad scientist, teacher, singer, pipe-carrier, sweat lodge keeper, old person and sun dance leader.

As a Science Facilitator with MFNERC was given the mandate to “put a First Nation perspective in the sciences”. The easiest way to go about doing this, he was told, was to look up. Researching Ininew star stories Wilfred found a host of information which had to be interpreted and analyzed to identify if the stories were referring to the stars. The journey began…

“The greatest teaching that was ever given to me, other than my wife and children, is the ability to see the humor in the world”…Wilfred Buck

For further information:

http://mfnerc.org/resources/first-nations-astronomy/

http://creeliteracy.org/2016/01/15/astronomy/

Publication in First Nations Perspectives: http://www.mfnerc.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/008_Buck.pdf

Poster from this CASCA meeting:

Atchakosuk: Ininew Stories of the Stars, Jennifer West (University of Manitoba), Ian Cameron (University of Manitoba), Wilfred Buck (Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre Inc.)
Lower resolution png (5.7 MB)
Full resolution pdf (62 MB)