| has gloss | eng: The Drinking Gourd is another name for the Big Dipper asterism. Folklore has it that fugitive slaves in the United States used to use it as a point of reference so they would not get lost. The asterism is circumpolar; it is laid out in such a way that it is always seen in the north sky. Two of the stars line directly up with Polaris. Hence, according to a popular myth, all slaves had to do was look for the Drinking Gourd and follow it north to freedom. The name drinking gourd is based upon the shape resemblance of the constellation to a dipper. |
