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About Quaoar

Provides information about the name used for this website.

I was looking for an unusual name, so I choose Quaoar.

Where did the name come from?

 

Quaoar is a Kuiper Belt object, found in June 2002 by Chad Trujillo and Mike Brown at Caltech in Pasadena. It's the largest Kuiper Belt object currently known, half the diameter of Pluto (about 1/8 the volume), and 1.6 billion kilometers (1 billion miles) further away than Pluto.

 

Source: http://www.chadtrujillo.com/quaoar/

 

The Tongva people (sometimes called the San Gabrielino Native Americans) inhabited the Los Angeles area before the arrival of the Spanish and other European people. The name "Quaoar" (pronounced kwah-o-wahr) comes from their creation mythology. In the words of Mark Acuña, Tongva scholar, dancer and tribal elder:

 

"Quaoar the great force of creation sings and dances the high ones (Deities) into existence. While Quaoar has no form or gender he is usually referred to with the male pronoun. He dances and sings first Weywot who becomes Sky Father; they sing and dance Chehooit Earth Mother into existence. The trio sing 'Tamit' Grandfather Sun to life. As each divine one joins the singing and dancing, the song becomes more complex and the dance more complicated. In turn Moar, Grandmother Moon (a very complex deity), Pamit the Goddess of the sea, Manit, the Lord of dreams and visions, Manisar the bringer of food and harvests, Tukupar Itar Sky Coyote (who is also our major hero), Tolmalok, the Goddess of Shishongna (the underworld) join in the singing, dancing and creating. And finally the great seven giants who hold up the worlds are created. The High Ones in turn are aided by Eagle, Duck, Bear, and Frog in a grand earth diving story. Frog brings up soil out of the deep dark sea, and the four animals dance it flat and wide. The Gods and Goddesses then furnish the world Tovangar with hills, mountains, trees, rivers, etc. 'Tobohar' (first man) and Pahavit (first woman) are also part of this great Creation song and dance cycle." 
 
 
Comparison of Diameters

 

Quaoar, their only god who came down from heaven and, after reducing chaos to order, out the world on the back of seven giants, He then created the lower animals, and then mankind. The force who sings and dances the high ones (the Sky Father, the Earth Mother, Grandfather Sun) into existence.

 

Ancient creation myth of the Tongva Indians of Los Angeles County, California.



Photo of Quaoar
 
See also: 50000 Quaoar
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