Native American Music by Elan Michaels
Music playing is
"The Stand"
NAMES OF NATIVE AMERICAN
FULL MOONS
These imaginative names were given by the Native American tribes of the northern and eastern United States. By giving specific names to each of the full moons during the year, the Indians were able to keep track of the change in seasons. The majority of names came from the Algonquin tribe. These names vary a bit each year. The most common names are listed below:
JANUARY
Wolf
Named after the hungry wolf packs that roamed outside Native American villages.
FEBRUARY
Snow
Named after the snow pack which was deepest at this time of year.
MARCH
Worm or Full Sap
Named for the reappearance of earthworms which attracted robins in early spring. Also known as the Full Sap Moon because of the maple sap which flowed at the beginning of the thawing season.
APRIL
Pink
Named for the pink wild ground phlox that began the blooming season.
MAY
Flower
Aptly named for all the colorful blooming that took place in May.
JUNE
Strawberry
Perfectly timed to the strawberry picking season.
July
Buck or Thunder
Named for the antlers of buck deer that pushed out of their foreheads during summer. It is also known as the Full Thunder Moon because of the summer storm season.
August
Sturgeon or Green Corn
Named for the large fish that was easily caught at this time of year. Also known as the Full Green Corn Moon for the corn crop.
September
Barley or Harvest
Referring to the crops harvested at this time of year.
October
Hunter's or Harvest
Hunter's is for the hunting season that accompanies defoliated forests. The Harvest moon sometimes falls in October.
November
Beaver
Named for the beaver traps that were set before the marshes, bogs, and swamps froze over.
December
Cold
Named for the more frequent frigid nights.
INTERESTING FACT
The most commonly used meaning for a "Blue Moon" has nothing to do with Native American culture at all. On rare occasions, we have two full moons in a month, one at the beginning of the month and one at the end of the month. The second full moon is known as a "Blue Moon".The phrase "Blue Moon" originally referred to the tint the moon took on once in awhile during forest fires or major volcanic eruptions.
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