Yes. The slaves would sing a song from the underground railroad and the line they would repeat was; "Follow the Drinking Gourd" Which told the slaves to follow the Big Dipper, North to freedom.
The big dipper is shaped like a pan, which in the past was called a dipper. Dippers were used to scoop up water. It gets the big part from being bigger than the little dipper, another constellation.
If you're anywhere south of about 35 degrees north latitude, then at least part of the Big Dipper rises and sets; that is, there are some parts of some nights when not all of its stars are visible. If you're farther south than about 40 degrees south latitude, then none of the stars in the Big Dipper is ever visible to you.
Charlesas in the olde English "Charles his waine"
Ursa MajorStars are scattered randomly across the sky. Apart from the rare exceptions, the stars that make up constellations have absolutely nothing to do with each other except that they're close to the same direction from the solar system. The stars which make up the Big Dipper are actually hundreds of light years away from each other. They just look like they are close together, because the naked eye cannot discern the actual magnitude or distance.AnswerThe stars that make up this constellation are: Merak, Dubhe, Megrez, Mizar, Alioth, Al Caid, Al Cor.
There are technically no "scientific" names for the big and little dippers. They are parts of constellations. The little dipper is an asterism (or pattern of stars) in Ursa Minor, the little bear. The big dipper is an asterism in Ursa Major the big bear. The big dipper is a widely recognized star pattern around the world. The pattern in North America is that of a ladle, or dipper. It is also known as a plow in England, a wagon in Germany and in some of eastern Europe, a coffee pot in Turkey, a calf's leg in ancient Egypt, a stretcher in some American Indian cultures, a meditating holy man in India, and the list goes on...
the drinking gourd
constillations
follow the drinking gourd
The "Drinking Gourd" is an alternate name of the Big Dipper, an asterism (star formation) in the northern sky. The dipper stars in the "bowl" of the Big Dipper point to Polaris, the pole star. Walking towards the pole star (following the Drinking Gourd) takes you northwards.
The code word for the Big Dipper in the underground railroad song was "Follow the Drinking Gourd." This was a reference to using the constellation of the Big Dipper as a navigational guide to escape to the North.
it was sung by runaway slaves. the 'drinking gourd' is in reference to the big dipper (the stars)
They sing it so the slaves would sing it while they were working to tell other slaves to follow the drinking gourd big dipper the tonight and it will lead them to freedom.
The Big Dipper or The Drinking Gourd, depending on which culture. In England, it's called the Plough.
They called it the drinking gourd because if you look at it it looks similar to a ladle (cup with a long handle)
Ursa Major/The Great Bear/The Plough/The Big Dipper/The Drinking Gourd.
A drinking gourd is simply a gourd (kind of like a dried out squash) that had been hollowed out to use as a sort of ladle to contain liquid.
The web address of the Drinking Gourd Project is: www.drinkinggourdproject.org