THE INDIAN NAMES FOR THE MONTHS OR MOONS
he moon goes through its changes from new moon to new moon in twenty-eight days. The Indians reckon their time of year by these changes in the Night Sun, as they call the moon.
Tribes living in different parts of America have various names for the months, which they call Moons. They all keep their calendar hung in the sky, and it is never lost for any length of time. They have given these moons names after what interests them most.
One nation has named them in the following way. The month in our calendar is also given, so that you can easily guess the Indian’s reason for his name for the month.
| January | The Cold Moon. |
| February | The Snow Moon. |
| March | The Green Moon. |
| April | The Moon of Plants. |
| May | The Moon of Flowers. |
| June | The Hot Moon.[[40]] |
| July | The Moon of the Deer. |
| August | The Sturgeon Moon. |
| September | The Fruit Moon. |
| October | The Traveling Moon. |
| November | The Beaver Moon. |
| December | The Hunting Moon. |
If you were spending the year among the Sioux or Dakotas, little Winona might tell you that January is the Hard Moon.
February is when the braves and the boys take their dogs and hunt the raccoon; hence, they call it the ’Coon Moon.
The Sioux have lived for a long time in the north. They know the effect of the bright sunshine of March when it shines upon the snowdrifts. It is called the Moon of Snow-blindness.
April is the Egg Moon. It is the moon when the wild geese lay their eggs, and the Indians gather them for food. The next time you watch the dark triangle of wild geese flying northward, you can say it is near the time of the Egg Moon of the Dakotas.