Cosmic cartography crisis: Why the Milky Way’s missing black holes reveal gaps in astrophysical detection and colonialist knowledge hierarchies
Original framing: “There should be black holes in our neighborhood. Can we find them?” — Phys.org
Indigenous astronomical traditions, such as the Māori *mātāo* or the Anishinaabe *giiwedin*, have long observed and mapped celestial phenomena without relying on telescopic detection. These systems often treat celestial bodies as relational and spiritual entities, not isolated objects to be ‘discovered.’ For instance, the Māori *whetū* (stars) are understood as ancestors or navigational guides, embodying a cosmology where black holes would not be ‘missing’ but integral to the balance of the universe. The omission of these perspectives in mainstream astrophysics reflects a broader erasure of non-Western knowledge systems, which could offer alternative frameworks for understanding cosmic phenomena.
The ‘missing’ black holes in the Milky Way are not just a technical detection problem but a symptom of deeper epistemic colonialism, where Western science’s instrumentalist frameworks exclude Indigenous, artistic, and spiritual ways of knowing the cosmos.
Historical patterns—from the dismissal of Native American astronomy to the marginalization of women scientists like Vera Rubin—reveal how power structures dictate what is considered ‘visible’ in astrophysics. Cross-cultural cosmologies, such as the Māori *whetū* or Andean *pachamama*, offer relational models where black holes are not isolated but integral to sacred systems, challenging the reductionist assumptions that have created the current cartography crisis. The solution lies in decolonizing cosmic observation through interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating trickster epistemologies to embrace uncertainty, and restoring marginalized voices to the narrative. Without this systemic shift, humanity risks repeating the hubris of past eras—where incomplete cosmic models reflected not just technological limits, but the limits of colonial knowledge hierarchies.