Wilfred Buck facts for kids

Wilfred Buck (born September 27, 1954) is an expert in Indigenous star knowledge. He works at the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre. He is a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation. Many people call him "the star guy" because he knows so much about First Nations astronomy. He has studied and talked with elders to learn about the stars from the Cree, Ojibway, and Lakota peoples.

Early Life and Learning

Wilfred Buck grew up in northern Manitoba. His home was on the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, close to Saskatchewan. He loved astronomy from a young age. He said he was "totally blown away" by how huge the night sky was when he was a child.

As a teenager, he spent some time without a home in Vancouver. Cree elders invited him to come back to Manitoba. There, he learned a lot about Cree culture. He later earned a teaching degree from the University of Manitoba.

Career and Star Knowledge

Around 2008, Buck started working at the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre. His job was to bring a First Nations view into science. He soon realized he needed to do the opposite: put science into a First Nations view. He began using the stars, called "atchakosuk" in Cree, to learn about the science known by the Ininewuk (Cree), Lakota, and Anishinaabe (Ojibway) people.

Teaching with Planetariums

Wilfred Buck uses two portable planetariums to teach students. These are dome-shaped tents that show stars on the inside. He travels with them to 55 schools run by First Nations in Manitoba. Inside the domes, he projects constellations and shares stories about each one. Students often call him "the star guy."

In his lessons, Buck explains how much First Nations people knew about astronomy. They did not just name star groups. They used their observations to think about big ideas like how the universe began (cosmology) and how tiny particles work (quantum physics).

Exhibits and Films

Wilfred Buck helped create a special 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 another Indigenous astronomer, Annette S. Lee, on this project.

He also shared stories and knowledge for a 22-minute film. The film was called "Legends of the Night Sky." It was shown in the planetarium at the Telus World of Science in Edmonton.

Star Maps and Gatherings

Buck has collected more than 24 star stories from Indigenous elders in Manitoba. In 2016, he helped create a Cree star map. It is called Ininew Achakos Masinkan. This map shows Cree constellations in a special circular format. He worked with Annette Lee and William Wilson on this.

He also helped organize the first Indigenous Star Knowledge Symposium. This event happened in 2021 in Ottawa. It brought together Indigenous knowledge keepers from all over the world.

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

Naming a Star and Planet

In 2019, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) celebrated 100 years. As part of this, they held a contest called NameExoWorlds. The IAU gave a star and its planet to each country taking part. Canada received the star HD 136418 and its planet HD 136418b.

The Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA) ran Canada's contest. Over 500 pairs of names were suggested. Many of these names were Indigenous. Wilfred Buck was asked to look at the suggestions. He especially reviewed a proposal to use Cree words for mother and child. This idea came from a teacher named Amanda Green.

Wilfred Buck made some changes to her idea. The final names chosen were Nikawiy for the star and Awasis for the exoplanet. Nikawiy means "my mother" and Awasis means "child" in Cree. CASCA recognized both Amanda Green and Wilfred Buck for these names.

Books by Wilfred Buck

Wilfred Buck has written two books.

His 2018 book is called Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories. This book explores the night sky from a Ininew (Cree) point of view.

In 2021, he published I Have Lived Four Lives. This book is about his own life journey. It tells how he went from a difficult childhood to becoming a respected scientist.