Science Museum Oklahoma (SMO) is pleased to announce the receipt of a $10,000 grant from Oklahoma Humanities. The grant will be used towards a project that will share Native American stories and language to all audiences through a new planetarium show Sky Stories of the Nations.
A collaboration between SMO and the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole Nations, the Sky Stories of the Nations planetarium show shares the stories, language, culture, music, and art of these tribes, highlighting their thriving languages and Native sky stories that are just as relevant and important as those often shared from Greek mythology. Sherry Marshall, SMO’s John E. Kirkpatrick President and CEO, emphasizes that “it is critical to use the languages and stories from these cultures so all children can see themselves as explorers, and show everyone a path for life-long learning.”
“We are so pleased to receive this grant from Oklahoma Humanities.” said Tara Simmons, Vice President of Development at SMO, “As residents of Oklahoma, a state that is home to 39 federally recognized tribes, we live within a community of diverse cultures. Five of those tribes, often referred to by the term Southeastern Tribes, did not originally call this geographic area their home but were forcibly relocated here. Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole Nations, have come together with Science Museum Oklahoma to share relevant stories about the night sky through the folklore, stories, history, language, visual arts, and music of these tribes. A mix of introducing language and storytelling, our goal is to create an immersive experience that encourages audiences to understand the evening sky better and the communities and cultures that they live amongst.”
The show is currently in production and slated to debut next year at Science Museum Oklahoma in the new Love’s Planetarium. Funding for this program is provided in part by a grant from Oklahoma Humanities (OH) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of OH or NEH.