Dwarf Planet Haumea

Haamea is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt (a band of space objects out beyond the orbit of Neptune) that was discovered in late 2004 by CalTech astronomer Mike Brown and his team and in 2005 by Jose Luis Ortiz Moreno and his team in Spain. (There is some controversy there, but it outside the scope of this post.) Objects in the Kuiper belt are named after creation deities, so Mike Brown’s team’s name, Huamea, was accepted over the Spanish team’s name for the Dwarf Planet. They named the object Huamea after the Hawaiian goddess, in honor of the place where they had first observed it.

Artist rendition of Haumea and its two moons (A. Field via StScI)

As with many myths, Haumea is associated with many names and stories. Some stories equate her with Papa (also Papahānaumoku), giving Papa as her human form to the spirit form of Haumea. Papa, with her husband Wakea, is often said to be the origin of the Hawaiian people, or sometimes the entire human race.

As Huamea, she is said to have given birth to a number of children, not in the normal way, but from various parts of her body. Pele, the goddess of volcanoes, sprang from her thighs while other children sprang from her mouth or her forehead. She is considered the goddess of Childbirth and Fertility.

This giving of herself to make her children is also the reason her name was picked for the Dwarf Planet. The DP Huamea was part of a collision long ago, which resulted in Huamea’s moons, Ki’iaka and Namaka, named for two of her daughters, and the dwarf planet’s oblong, rather than round, shape.

The goddess Huamea was also said to have been able to change her shape and age with the assistance of a variety of magical objects, some of which she obtained in return for assisting people with births. Huamea is often associated with the Kalihi Valley of Ohau, where she is said to have lived with her husband Wakea, once saving him from death by hiding them both in a breadfruit tree. The Kalihi Valley is now part of the suburbs of Honolulu and these local stories are only remember by a few people.

Share Spotlight: Viking women, warriors, and valkyries

This week's Share Spotlight comes from the British Museum's blog.
Viking women, warriors, and valkyries

The British Museum opened an exhibition on Vikings last month, called Vikings: life and legend. Their blog post this weeks covers a little discusses aspect of the Vikings: their women. Viking women certainly were a more diverse group than most of their continental counterparts. However, the idea of warrior women among the Vikings is something Jesch, the author of this post flatly denies.

So, how to explain the Valkyries? Jesch contends that they are simply "creatures of fantasy rooted in the experience of male warriors." The Valkyries certainly wouldn't be the first. Athena in Greek mythology would be a similar figure.

What do think? Can such a pervasive mythological figure exist without a real life model? How do you think that such figures are created?

Share Spotlight: Long Neck Karen Tribe

This week's Share Spotlight comes from Living in Another Language.
Long Neck Karen Tribe


I have been a big fan of Living in Another Language for a while now. Amanda's writing sounds like a real person, someone who gets tired and upset, but also does her best to live life to the fullest and be happy in the now. Not to mention her absolutely incredible photographs.

One of my favorite parts of this post is how Amanda hits on one of the biggest problems I have with cultural tourism: treating people like zoo animals.

Not only is this a fascinating story, but I am so impressed with how she deals with this group of people who have largely been set up to be exploited. Its important to remember that no matter how someone looks or what they do for a living, they are real people, people with hopes and dreams, likes and dislikes.

So treat them like you'd want to be treated.

What do you think of cultural tourism? How do we ensure that folks don't wind up being treated like an exhibit?