IDEAS ABOUT NATURE AND MAN
From childhood the Wampanoags learned to make certain observations of the stars, planets, and of the seasons and weather.[486] The time of day was measured by the height of the sun in the day and by the moon and stars at night.[487] Longer spans of time were kept account of in terms of the moon and of “summers” and “winters”.[488] Reckoning according to the moon, they had thirteen months, each with its own name.[489] Many of the stars were named; the north star was called Maske, meaning “bear”.[490] Winds were named according to their direction; of these there were seven to nine.[491] By observing the winds and the sky the Wampanoags made fairly accurate weather predictions.[492]