Big Dipper: A Big Part of History
Stories about the Big Dipper can be found in many different cultures. Some stories date back to 1400 B.C.E. Many Native American cultures judged the strength and maturity of a young man by his ability to locate the Big Dipper. If the young man could find the Big Dipper in the night sky, and accurately describe the double star in the handle, the elder knew that the young man would have good eyesight when hunting for food or when defending the tribe. Before the Civil War, the Big Dipper was a guide to freedom for slaves traveling on the Underground Railroad. The Big Dipper points to the North Star. Runaway slaves who found the Big Dipper used it to lead them North to freedom.