The following article, dated 1919, provides a look at one of the Native American calendars provided by a veteran chief in Canada.
The Indians’ Calendar
The following account of how the Indians used to keep track of the seasons is told by a veteran chief in Canada. The names corresponding with the names of the months were:
April – Frog moon.
May – Sprouting of green leaves and grass.
June – Egg (duck) moon.
July – Molting (duck’s) moon.
August – Flying (duck’s) moon.
September – Running of the deer.
October – Fall moon.
November – Misty moon.
December – Clear, frosty moon.
January – Wolf moon.
February – Eagle moon.
March – Goose moon.
Upon being asked how they kept record of the days in each month, the chief replied that they always counted 30 to each month, and that it was an Indian’s duty to keep record of them by each morning taking a stick from the days-to-come bundle and adding it to the days-past bundle. Those sticks were carefully scraped twigs of the pussy willows, which by their silvery catkins show the first sign of the spring season.
Source: The Ward County independent. (Minot, Ward County, N.D.), 17 April 1919.
