Venus and the Star Woman

GÓMEZ, CECILIA PAULA

Klaipeda

Congreso; 15th. Annual meeting of the Société Européenne pour l'Astronomie dans la Culture and VIIIth - Oxford International Conference on Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture; 2007

[Poster] The Gran Chaco indigenous groups provide us with an interesting cosmological perspective about the sky, and on the other hand their ethnoastronomical conceptions have become increasingly important for understanding their culture and ethnic identity [Giménez et al. 2002; Braunstein 1989; Dasso 1989; Idoyaga Molina 1989; Lehmann-Nitsche 1924a; 1924b; 1924/5a; 1924/5b]. These indigenous groups identify several constellations and objects in the sky; among them, Venus appears as an important celestial object generally identified with the mythical motif of the Star-Woman [Blixen 1991; Wilbert and Simoneau 1982a; 1982b; 1985; 1988; 1989]. From the point of view of the Wichí, the Star-Woman (kates lhukwetah) becomes a crucial character in an important myth associated with Venus.