Wilfred Buck facts for kids

Wilfred Buck (born in 1954) is an expert in Indigenous star lore. He works at the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre. Mr. Buck is a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation. Many people know him as "the star guy" because he knows so much about First Nations astronomy. He has spent a lot of time researching and talking with elders. This helped him learn about the stars and sky knowledge of the Cree, Ojibway, and Lakota peoples.

Early Life and Learning

Wilfred Buck grew up in northern Manitoba on the Opaskwayak Cree Nation. This area is close to Saskatchewan. He loved astronomy from a very young age. He once said he was "totally blown away" by how huge the night sky was when he was a child. As a teenager, he faced tough times in Vancouver. Later, Cree elders invited him back to Manitoba. There, he learned a lot about Cree culture.

He studied at the University of Manitoba. He earned a Bachelor of Education degree. He also completed a postbaccalaureate program there.

Career and Star Stories

Around 2008, Mr. Buck started working at the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre. His job was to help bring a First Nations view into science. He talked with elders and realized he needed to do the opposite. He decided to put science into a First Nations perspective. He began using the stars, called "atchakosuk" in Cree, to learn about the scientific knowledge of the Ininewuk (Cree), Lakota, and Anishinaabe (Ojibway) peoples.

Wilfred Buck uses two portable planetariums. These are like small, dome-shaped rooms. He takes them to 55 schools run by First Nations bands in Manitoba. Inside, he projects constellations onto the dome. He shares amazing stories about each one. Students often call him "the star guy." He teaches them that First Nations people had deep knowledge about astronomy. They did more than just name constellations. They used their observations to think about big ideas. These included cosmology (the study of the universe) and quantum physics (the study of tiny particles).

Mr. Buck also helped create an exhibit called "One Sky, Many Astronomies." This exhibit was at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa. It showed constellations from Canada's Indigenous cultures. He worked with Indigenous astronomer Annette S. Lee on this project. He also shared stories in a film called "Legends of the Night Sky." This film is shown at the planetarium of Telus World of Science in Edmonton.

Wilfred Buck has collected more than 24 star stories from Indigenous elders in Manitoba. In 2016, he worked with Annette Lee and William Wilson. They created a native sky map called Ininew Achakos Masinkan. This map shows Cree constellations in a planisphere format. He is also helping to organize the first Indigenous Star Knowledge Symposium. This event is planned for 2021 in Ottawa. It will bring together Indigenous knowledge keepers from all over the world.

In 2024, a documentary film was made about him. It is called Wilfred Buck. The film was directed by Lisa Jackson.

Naming Stars and Planets

In 2019, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) celebrated its 100th birthday. As part of the celebration, the IAU held a contest called NameExoWorlds. They gave a star and its exoplanet (a planet outside our solar system) to each country. In Canada, the Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA) ran the contest.

Canada was given the star HD 136418 and its exoplanet HD 136418b. Over 500 pairs of names were suggested. Many of the names were Indigenous. Wilfred Buck was asked to review these suggestions. He looked closely at a proposal from a teacher named Amanda Green. She suggested using Cree words for mother and child. Wilfred Buck made some changes to her idea. The star was finally named Nikawiy (meaning "mother"). The exoplanet was named Awasis (meaning "child"). CASCA gives credit to both Amanda Green and Wilfred Buck for these names.

Books by Wilfred Buck

Wilfred Buck has written two books:

• Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories (2018): This book explores the night sky from a Cree (Ininew) point of view.
• I Have Lived Four Lives (2021): This book is his memoir. It tells the story of his journey from a difficult childhood to becoming a respected scientist.