Errata / Corrigendum
An unfortunate consequence of writing a major book is that some mistakes slip through, despite best efforts to ensure they do not. This page presents an ongoing list of errors and mistakes that will be fixed in future editions of the book, with credit to those who have assisted.
Chapter 2
Page 41
In traditions of the Torres Strait, the star Kek is not Arcturus (Alpha Boötis), but rather Achernar (Alpha Eridani).
Reference
Peter Eseli (1998) Eseli's Notebook. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, University of Queensland, p. 18.
Credit
Duane Hamacher and Nithin Babu, University of Melbourne
Chapter 3
Page 93
"You will notice that it traces out a distinct pattern during each Synodic cycle of 263 days."
This should say
"You will notice that it traces out a distinct pattern during each apparition of 263 days."
Reference
Peter Eseli (1998) Eseli's Notebook. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, University of Queensland, p. 18.
Credit
Duane Hamacher
Chapter 5
Page 115
The phrase tloon’ tl’ołeł yee daadletl’ee’ is not from the Yup'ik (Inuit) language, but from the Koyukon (Northern Dene) language.
Reference
Jules Jetté and Eliza Jones (2000) The Koyukon Athabaskan Dictionary. Alaska Native Language Center; 1st edition, p. 585.
Credit
Dr Christopher Cannon, University of Alaska
Chapter 6
Page 120
The Maya term for the white regions of the Milky Way (white road) is not Saki Bé but rather Sak Be or Sacbe.
It is not the 'Road to the Underworld' but rather the 'Road of the Underworld'.
Reference
Angela Keller (2009). "A Road by any other Name: Trails, Paths, and Roads in Maya Language and Thought". In Landscapes of Movement: Trails, Paths, and Roads in Anthropological Perspective, edited by James E. Snead, Clark L. Erickson, and J. Andrew Darling. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, pp. 133–157.
Credit
Raoul Schrott, Ireland
Chapter 10
Page 223
There is a sentence missing from a paragraph that was somehow mistakenly edited out. In the second paragraph on page 223, the sentences should read as follows (underlined text is missing in the book):
"These spirits and their families must be treated with continuous respect, otherwise sickness and death may come. Their path in the sky points in the direction of where that sickness or death will occur. With shooting stars, brightness matters. Faint meteors are perceived as novices who have not yet developed their full powers and are sometimes met with laughter and mockery. But if a bright one is seen, the mood changes significantly. It is a sign to always be respectful."
Credit
Duane Hamacher, University of Melbourne