Pawnee Star Chart: A precontact elk-skin map used by Indigenous priests to tell an origin story

science • 9/15/2025

The unique map depicts patterns of stars in the night sky, but its meaning is debated.

QUICK FACTS Name: Pawnee Star Chart What it is: A depiction of the night sky on elk skin Where it is from: Central Plains (Nebraska and Kansas), United States When it was made: Circa 1625 The Pawnee Star Chart is a series of crosses sprinkled around ... [2742 chars]