Solar Eclipse Explanation to Choctaw People - Analysis

This essay provides a comprehensive explanation of how to describe a solar eclipse to the Choctaw people, taking into account their cultural beliefs. The essay begins by acknowledging the Choctaw people's belief in a black squirrel eating the sun and the subsequent actions they take. The author then explains that directly explaining the scientific concepts of a solar eclipse would be ineffective. Instead, the essay proposes a step-by-step approach, starting with explaining the shape of the earth and then building an understanding of the solar system, including the sun, moon, and stars. Using a torch and stones, the author plans to demonstrate the earth's rotation around the sun and the moon's rotation around the earth. The essay concludes by describing how this demonstration will help explain the solar eclipse, where the moon comes between the earth and the sun. The essay emphasizes the importance of this approach to avoid conflict and ensure understanding, citing sources from NASA and Native American legends.

Running head: ESSAY
Explanation of Solar Eclipse to ancient Choctaw People
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

1ESSAY
Choctaw was a hunter group and their worldview was based around the hunting and
animals. The Choctaw people had a belief that black squirrel attempts to eat the sun on a tie
interval. They then performed an action resembling to the action to scare off an animal. The
black squirrel then used to give up his desire of eating the sun and went for some other hunt. It
was due to their absence of knowledge of solar system (firstpeople.us).
Direct approach of explaining the process won’t solve the issue in hand. Hence, to make
them understand the scientific approach of solar eclipse, their world view requires to be changed.
It will be a lengthy process. Their knowledge of the surrounding and the earth is to be established
followed by the solar system prior to explaining the process of solar eclipse. Hence, I will
approach them with the shape of the earth. After that, I will attempt to build their idea about the
solar system with the help of the stars and moon and the sun. Once they understand the solar
system, I will use a torch and two stones to demonstrate the process of earth’s rotation around
the sun and the moon’s around the earth. I will imitate the process of solar eclipse with the help
of the tools mentioned. A proper demonstration can then explain the process where moon comes
in between the earth guarding the sun that results in solar eclipse (eclipse2017.nasa.gov).
Without a proper explanation proposed above will result in conflict and violence.

2ESSAY
References
eclipse2017.nasa.gov, 2017, How Eclipse Works. https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/how-eclipses-
work.
firstpeople.us, 2017, Native American Legends.
http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/EclipseOfTheSunBlamedOnBlackSquirrel-
Choctaw.html.