"Wilfred Buck is a science facilitator at the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre and [is] an Indigenous star lore expert. A[s] a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Buck is known as "the star guy" due to his knowledge of First Nations astronomy. He has researched and consulted with elders to learn more about the astronomical knowledge of Cree, Ojibway, and Lakota peoples" (Wilfred Buck, paras. 1).
The Star Walk Kids application does not support Indigenous knowledges or worldviews but rather focuses on settler-colonial beliefs such as Greek mythology regarding the constellations. When evaluating Star Walk Kids there is an absence of Indigenous ways of knowing and understanding and in order for me to include Indigenous knowledges I would intertwine the app with Wilfred Buck's informational videos and website that provides Cree knowledge and storytelling of astronomy.
The website I would refer to is the Wilfred Buck Official Site: https://acakwuskwun.com/. The website includes recommended resources such as books and provides a video section labelled Tipiskawi Kisik: Night Sky Star Stories where 5 informational videos regarding Indigenized astronomy can be found. The videos would be my focal point as I believe the grade 6 students would find them much more engaging and interesting based on the visuals and authentic storytelling Buck shares.
Buck emphasizes that "Romans and Greeks were not the only individuals who looked up at the sky, it was everybody" (Buck, 0:10). This emphasis focuses on the idea that there is not a singular way to understand and know about astronomy. Settler society often believes that there is a singular way to view and understand astronomy when there are many other belief systems, such as Indigenous belief systems, that are important and must be understood amongst Indigenous peoples.
The Star Walk Kids objectifies the stars within the constellations and within Indigenous knowledge it is a common understanding that Indigenous peoples are in relation to everything that surrounds them whether its humankind or non-humankind. Buck provides stories about how Indigenous peoples have come from stars and express our close living relationships with the stars.
When I intertwine Star Walk Kids with Buck' videos, it is crucial for me to emphasize the importances of Indigenous knowledges that Buck shares regarding the formal information that the application offers.